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From River Road to River Street By Mike Esposito The prosperous settlement of Vanderheyden (also known as Ashley's Ferry) contained as its principal thoroughfare a "river road' which later became River Street. Dirck Van der Heyden acquired farmlands on the east side of the Hudson in 1707 in what is now Troy. In 1731 he divided his land and eventually his three sons and their families located their residences on River Road. The home of Matthias Van der Heyden, located at River and Division, was later sold to Captain Stephen Ashley who converted the building into an inn. It was adjacent to the Hudson River's ferry station, became a popular gathering place for residents of the settlement and was the site of the 1789 meeting held to rename the village "Troy." By 1806 this compactly settled part of the village extended about one mile along the winding course of River Street. The junction of River, Second and Broadway (then known as Albany Street) was "occupied by building lots including a grocery owned by Jacob and Philip Dater who eventually acquired all the buildings in the triangular space. In 1816 they conveyed the space to the city for a public square or common to be kept open and unencumbered with any buildings and for the free and public use of the inhabitants of the city". The junction was called Washington Square from 1818 to 1891. After the Soldier's and Sailor's Monument was erected in 1891 the name was changed to Monument Square. The earliest retail establishments in the settlement were located on the river road. One of the first commercial businesses in Troy, a drug, medicine and paint store, was formed in 1797 at River and Congress by Dr. Samuel Gale, Jr. The first bank in Troy, the Farmer's Bank, opened for business in 1801 in a two story brick structure on River in the vicinity of Mt. Olympus. The first street signs in Troy appeared in 1805. Oil lamps were used to illuminate River Street from Washington to Hoosick beginning December 23, 1826. The street was paved for the first time in 1829, the same year door numbers were first used to mark the houses on the principal streets of the city. River Street extended below Adams for many years and was the location of a number of enterprises which played a prominent role in Troy's industrial history including a bell foundry (Clinton Meneely), manufacturing sites for cast iron stoves (Fuller & Warren), and gate valves and fire hydrants (Ludlow Valve), breweries (C. F. Conkey's Malt House and Fitzgerald Brothers), paints (American Seal Mfg. Co.), and a paper mill (Orrs & Co.). For over a century thousands of women worked in Troy's shirt and collar industry which was centered along River between Jacob and Ingalls in some of the largest buildings ever erected in Troy. From the earliest years of the settlement to the present, River Street south of Hoosick was a major mercantile area. Clothiers Henry and George Vail, and dry goods seller Ebenezer Brown were among. the earliest settlers involved in retail trade. A saddlery and harness business (Philip Heartt), a grocery store (Ebenezer Jones), a hardware establishment (Jacob Hart and Henry Nazro, later known as J. M. Warren & Co.), served the residents of the fast growing settlement for many years. Chatham Square and Franklin Square, both in the vicinity of the junction of River, King and Federal Streets, were busy commercial centers for decades after the turn of the century. Downtown Troy with many of its retail stores on River Street was considered a primary place to shop in the Capital District until the 1960's and the advent of the suburban shopping malls. The Troy Theatre Company (1828), the Troy Museum (1828), and Peale's Troy Museum (1847) were all located on River Street. The first floor of the Fulton Market House, erected by the city in 1840 at River and Fulton (then known as Elbow Street), was leased to butchers and marketmen; the large hall on the second floor was used for many years by theatrical companies, and for concerts, lectures and meeting space. Germania Hall, Druid's Hall, the Odd Fellow's Hall and several other meeting places for fraternal organizations and societies were located on the street. During the 1930's, 40's, and 50's, it was an entertainment district, home to several popular nightclubs and restaurants. Recently the street and its prominent historic buildings were film sites for two major motion pictures, "Ironweed' and 'The Age of Innocence". Few of the city's streets have undergone as many changes during, their history as River Street. Buildings were demolished to provide expanded access to the Troy-Watervliet Bridge (1970), Collar City Bridge (1980) and Troy-Green Island Bridge (1981), for the construction of the John P. Taylor Apartments (1954), Russell Sage College dormitories and its Schacht Fine Arts Center and the Ferry Street Tunnel (1967), City Hall (1974), Riverfront Park (1982), and several parking, garages. The street has been effected by several of Troy's "Great Fires" and "Great Floods" and has seen its share of urban removal and renewal. New life is brought to the street as its nineteenth century mercantile buildings and factories are converted into office space, retail shops, housing, restaurants, and other commercial uses. North of Vanderheyden, River Street has remained predominantly residential. In recent years residents in this area have remained Steadfast in their efforts to improve the quality Of life on the blocks in these old neighborhoods. River Street will benefit from the expansion of the marina, a new home for the Rensselaer County Council of the Arts, the small business "post incubator" space in a refurbished Rice Building, and the renovation of the former Standard Furniture Building, into an office building to be called "Flanigan Square" named for the Rev. Thomas Flanigan. Riverfront Park is a popular gathering place for ethnic, cultural and arts festivals, concerts, and other public events which attract thousands of people each year. The "river road" and the river continue to play an important role in our city's history and economy. Sources used In preparing this article included CI& of Troy, and its Vicinity, and Trov's One Hundred Years, 1789-1889 by Arthur Weiss. History of Rensselaer County NY by Nathanial Bartlett Sylvester, and Troy and Rensselaer County, New York by Rutherford Hayner. In cooperation with Troy United Ink Corp., a not-for-profit corporation 
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