Albany is a city of storytellers – and why not? Turns out this 400-year-old city and surrounding environs have some fantastic stories to tell. Some are mysteries, some strange coincidences, and some just pure hooey. How many of these Albany stories have you heard?
The one about bodies in Washington Park…
Washington Park is the centerpiece of the city’s park system. Constructed in the tradition of New York City’s Central Park, with lots of similar features, this sprawling park has become an oasis for city residents. But did you know that the park was once a cemetery? City leaders assembled the park from several different parcels, including a parade ground and burial ground. Thousands of bodies – some say 40,000? -- had to be exhumed and moved to Albany Rural Cemetery, in order to make way for the new park. (Now you know where the bodies are buried.)
The one about the dead circus elephant…
The Cohoes Falls are the second largest falls in New York State. (No doubt you’ve heard of the largest, Niagara.) And while this set of falls may seem less grand by comparison, the falls were large enough to stall the Erie Canal and require 19 locks to get around. Some 40 years later, when construction crews were building Harmony Mills, a cotton mill beside the falls, they uncovered the bones of some enormous beast. They determined the bones to be that of a prehistoric mastodon. But not everyone was so quick to believe. In fact, some held that the bones were those of a dead circus elephant. They said he died in the road, and his master pitched him into a bog. The debate was heated. Today the mastodon -- whose lineage has been verified -- is on display at the New York State Museum.
The one about Nabokov and the butterfly…
If you’ve lived in Albany long enough, you probably know that the Albany Pine Bush is a special place. One of the last remaining inland pine barrens in the world, the pine bush is a rare ecosystem that is actually created by fire. But did you know, the once endangered Karner blue butterfly, which makes its home in the pine bush, was discovered and named by none other than writer Vladimir Nabokov? The celebrated author discovered the butterfly right here in Albany County, and helped lay the groundwork for the preservation of the pine barrens, and ultimately, the butterfly.
The one about the British spy…
Thacher Park, located atop the Helderberg Escarpment, is notable for so many reasons, not the least of which are the panoramic views it offers of the Adirondack and Green Mountains. But did you know that the park was once the hiding place of a British spy? Jacob Salsbury, a British loyalist, hid out in one of the caves after spying on American rebels for the Brits. Ultimately, British forces surrendered not far from here in Saratoga Springs, and General Burgoyne was a prisoner guest at Schuyler Mansion in Albany for a short time before he was shipped back to England. Bon voyage.
The one about the egg and the grapefruit...
You've probably heard the story about how the Empire State Plaza was constructed by Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller in order to impress a Dutch princess. But did you know that Rockefeller, who always had a desire to design, may have had a hand in building one of the most iconic parts of the plaza -- and Albany's skyline -- The (quixotic) Egg? The popular story is that Rockefeller was having breakfast with the project's architect, and the two were pondering how best to accomplish an exciting space for performing arts. According to legend, Rockefeller derived his inspiration from the meal before them, and the building was born when he placed a half grapefruit in an egg cup, and said, "How about something like this...?" The truth is probably more complicated, and we know that the construction of this amazing building certainly was. The stem that holds the egg goes down six stories below the Plaza, and the egg has to keep its shape by wearing a concrete girdle.