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109-730: Pine Hills may refer to the following places: In the United States Pine Hills, Albany, New York , a neighborhood in Albany, New York Pine Hills (Atlanta) , a neighborhood in Georgia Pine Hills, California , a census-designated place in Humboldt County, California Pine Hills, San Diego County, California , another area in California by

218-483: A gym used for basketball, volleyball , and whiffleball leagues for children, along with other activities such as jump rope and kickball . Pine Hills is at the intersection of two major thoroughfares in the city of Albany, Madison and Western avenues. Madison Avenue is US Route 20 (US 20) and merges in a Y-intersection with Western Avenue at "the Point", US 20 then continues on the portion of Western Avenue west of

327-429: A 20-plot community garden , and spray pool . Woodlawn Park, at the corner of Woodlawn Avenue and Partridge Street has ball fields, basketball courts, and a playground. The Madison Avenue Playground, at the corner of Ontario Street and Madison Avenue is a small park that has basketball courts along with a playground. The St Vincent's Community Center has two game rooms with ping pong , pool tables , and board games ,

436-470: A canal across New York in the first decade of the 19th century. Shipping goods west from Albany was a costly and tedious affair; there was no railroad yet, and to cover the distance from Buffalo to New York City by stagecoach took two weeks. The problem was that the land rises about 600 feet (180 m) from the Hudson to Lake Erie. Locks at the time could handle up to 12 feet (3.7 m) of lift, so even with

545-756: A canal could cut transport costs by about 95 percent. In the early years of the United States, transportation of goods between the coastal ports and the interior was slow and difficult. Close to the seacoast, rivers provided easy inland transport up to the fall line , since floating vessels encounter much less friction than land vehicles. However, the Appalachian Mountains were a great obstacle to further transportation or settlement, stretching 1,500 miles (2,400 km) from Maine to Alabama , with just five places where mule trains or wagon roads could be routed. Passengers and freight bound for

654-636: A deeply cut channel. The final leg had to be cut 30 feet (9.1 m) deep through another limestone mass, the Onondaga ridge . Much of that section was blasted with black powder , and the inexperience of the crews often led to accidents, and sometimes to rocks falling on nearby homes. Two villages competed to be the terminus: Black Rock , on the Niagara River , and Buffalo, at the eastern tip of Lake Erie. Buffalo expended great energy to widen and deepen Buffalo Creek to make it navigable and to create

763-723: A harbor at its mouth. Buffalo won over Black Rock, and grew into a large city, eventually encompassing its former rival. In 1824, before the canal was completed, a detailed Pocket Guide for the Tourist and Traveler, Along the Line of the Canals, and the Interior Commerce of the State of New York , was published for the benefit of travelers and land speculators. The entire canal was officially completed on October 26, 1825. The event

872-534: A high school, prior to that students attended either the Vincentian Institute or Christian Brothers Academy . In 1977 the Vincentian Institute closed its doors and was turned into senior apartments and the St Vincent's Community Center. The late 1980s and early 1990s were a time of transition for the neighborhood as several long-time institutions moved to new homes. In 1988, the fire station at

981-697: A high school; in 1920 the College of Saint Rose opened at 979 Madison Avenue, which was also a Catholic institution. In 1928 the Catholic Church opened the Vincentian Institute Child Culture Division, a Kindergarten through 8 school in former greenhouses on Morris Street between Main and Partridge Streets. PS 4 burned down in 1922, but was rebuilt designed by Marcus Reynolds . In 1923 the Orphan Asylum

1090-625: A lesser degree, related rivers, a large part of the continent's interior (and many settlements) would be made well connected to the Eastern seaboard. Among the first attempts made by European colonists to improve upon the future state's navigable waterways was the construction in 1702 of the Wood Creek Carry, or Oneida Carry a short portage road connecting Wood Creek to the Mohawk River near modern-day Rome, New York . However,

1199-674: A locality in the Western Downs Region See also [ edit ] Pine Hill (disambiguation) Pinehill (disambiguation) Pine Grove Hills Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Pine Hills . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pine_Hills&oldid=916279484 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

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1308-759: A point in the Montezuma Marsh . There the Cayuga and Seneca Canal continued south with the Seneca River, and the new Erie Canal again ran parallel to the old canal along the bottom of the Niagara Escarpment, in some places running along the Clyde River, and in some places replacing the old canal. At Pittsford , southeast of Rochester, the canal turned west to run around the south side of Rochester, rather than through downtown. The canal crosses

1417-560: A residential area with strong community spirit. The opposition to commercial activity in the neighborhood successfully derailed attempts to build a school for the deaf and dumb in the 1890s and a "hospital for the incurables" in 1902. In 1925 the streetcars began to be replaced by buses, first The United Traction Company, and later in 1970 the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA). Meanwhile, some commercial activities were allowed such as

1526-461: A scraper and a plow, a three-man team with oxen, horses and mules could build a mile in a year. The remaining problem was finding labor; increased immigration helped fill the need. Many of the laborers working on the canal were Irish , who had recently come to the United States as a group of about 5,000. Most of them were Roman Catholic, a religion that raised much suspicion in early America because of its hierarchic structure, and many laborers on

1635-419: A separate road district of all that part of the city of Albany lying west of Allen street, and to exempt the same from certain taxes." , banned the city from improving, grading, or opening Madison Ave west from Allen Street to Magazine Street. Allen Street continues to be the western termination of Madison Ave, the street never being opened any further. The New York Legislature passed a law in 1869 authorizing

1744-529: A shorter canal from Lake Ontario . The proposal drew attention and some action but was never implemented. Jesse Hawley had envisioned encouraging the growing of large quantities of grain on the western New York plains (then largely unsettled) for sale on the Eastern seaboard . However, he went bankrupt trying to ship grain to the coast. While in Canandaigua debtors' prison , Hawley began pressing for

1853-456: A strong emphasis on training teachers, the school today is co-educational with a diverse curriculum. Fully integrated with the surrounding Pine Hills community, the campus contains many formerly residential dwellings converted into campus buildings along with new construction. The majority of the campus is on both sides of Madison and Western avenues between Partridge Street and Main Avenue. Though

1962-409: A walkway known as a towpath . Its construction, through limestone and mountains, proved a daunting task. To move earth, animals pulled a "slip scraper" (similar to a bulldozer ). The sides of the canal were lined with stone set in clay, and the bottom was also lined with clay. The Canal was built by Irish laborers and German stonemasons. All labor on the canal depended upon human and animal power or

2071-682: Is an Art Deco building built in 1930. The Madison Theater was renamed the Norma Jean Madison in 1994, and renovated in 1995 from a one-screen to a five-screen theater with a total of 702 seats. In 1989 several streets in Pine Hills were changed to one-way streets to improve the flow of traffic. Lancaster Street became westbound between North Main Avenue and North Allen Street, Jay Street became eastbound from North Allen Street to West Lawrence Street, and Hudson Avenue eastbound between North Allen Street and North Main Avenue. In 1998,

2180-492: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Pine Hills, Albany, New York The area of Pine Hills was originally part of the Albany Pine Bush ecological zone full of sand dunes and 150-foot (46 m) tall pine trees that were used for ship's masts . Perhaps the earliest improvement on the land which would later become Pine Hills occurred in 1799 when

2289-600: Is now re-watered and again accessible by boats. With several miles of the Canal inland of this location still lying under 20th-century fill and urban construction, the effective western navigable terminus of the Erie Canal is found at Tonawanda. The new alignment began on the Hudson River at the border between Cohoes and Waterford , where it ran northwest with five locks (the so-called " Waterford Flight "), running into

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2398-542: The Appalachian Mountains , separating them from the geologically distinct Adirondacks to the north. The Mohawk and Hudson valleys form the only cut across the Appalachians north of Alabama . A navigable canal through the Mohawk Valley would allow an almost complete water route from New York City in the south to Lake Ontario and Lake Erie in the west. Via the canal and these lakes, other Great Lakes, and to

2507-645: The Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes , vastly reducing the costs of transporting people and goods across the Appalachians . The Erie Canal accelerated the settlement of the Great Lakes region , the westward expansion of the United States, and the economic ascendancy of New York state . It has been called "The Nation's First Superhighway ." A canal from the Hudson River to the Great Lakes

2616-469: The Capital Region and west to Buffalo. The area has a population of 2.7 million; about 75% of Central and Western New York's population lives within 25 miles (40 km) of the Erie Canal. There were some 42 commercial shipments on the canal in 2008, compared to 15 such shipments in 2007 and more than 33,000 shipments in 1855, the canal's peak year. The new growth in commercial traffic is due to

2725-578: The Genesee River at the Genesee Valley Park , then rejoins the old path near North Gates . From there it was again roughly an upgrade to the original canal, running west to Lockport. This reach of 64.2 miles (103.3 km) from Henrietta to Lockport is called "the 60‑mile level" since there are no locks and the water level rises only two feet (0.61 m) over the entire segment. Diversions from and to adjacent natural streams along

2834-507: The Great Western Turnpike was established through the area and connected Albany to the western portions of the state. This route was used by settlers moving west and cattlemen bringing their livestock back east to sell. In 1849 the turnpike was improved as a plank road . Two hotels were built during the 19th century, at West Lawrence Street and Madison Avenue and at Western Avenue and Allen Street. The first railroad in

2943-540: The New York Central Railroad and its Auburn Road in 1853) was open the whole way to Buffalo. As the railroad served the same general route as the canal, but provided for faster travel, passengers soon switched to it. However, as late as 1852, the canal carried thirteen times more freight tonnage than all the railroads in New York State combined. The New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway

3052-653: The New York State Barge Canal began, which was completed in 1918, at a cost of $ 96.7 million. This new canal replaced much of the original route, leaving many abandoned sections (most notably between Syracuse and Rome). New digging and flood control technologies allowed engineers to canalize rivers that the original canal had sought to avoid, such as the Mohawk, Seneca , and Clyde rivers, and Oneida Lake. In sections that did not consist of canalized rivers (particularly between Rochester and Buffalo),

3161-484: The Niagara Escarpment , an 80-foot (24 m)-high wall of hard dolomitic limestone . The route followed the channel of a creek that had cut a ravine steeply down the escarpment. The construction and operation of two sets of five locks along a 3-mile (4.8 km) corridor soon gave rise to the community of Lockport . The 12-foot (3.7 m) lift-locks had a total lift of 60 feet (18 m), exiting into

3270-672: The University at Albany, SUNY has no educational institutions within Pine Hills, it does have the "Downtown Dorms" of Alumni Quad, in which the College of Saint Rose leases 320 beds in Brubacher Hall.  Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie . Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting

3379-682: The Waterford Flight , the steepest locks in the United States. When leaving the canal, boats must also traverse the Black Rock Lock to reach Lake Erie or the Troy Federal Lock to reach the tidal Hudson. The overall elevation difference is about 565 feet (172 m). The Erie's peak year was 1855, when 33,000 commercial shipments took place. It continued to be competitive with railroads until about 1902, when tolls were abolished. Commercial traffic declined heavily in

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3488-699: The 1920s. The Genesee Valley Canal was run along the Genesee River to connect with the Allegheny River at Olean , but the Allegheny section, which would have connected to the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, was never built. The Genesee Valley Canal was later abandoned and became the route of the Genesee Valley Canal Railroad . The original design planned for an annual tonnage of 1.5 million tons (1.36 million metric tons), but this

3597-578: The 363-mile (584 km) canal was the second-longest in the world after the Grand Canal in China . Initially 40 feet (12 m) wide and 4 feet (1.2 m) deep, the canal was expanded several times, most notably from 1905 to 1918 when the "Barge Canal" was built and over half the original route was abandoned. The modern Barge Canal measures 351 miles (565 km) long, 120 feet (37 m) wide, and 12 feet (3.7 m) deep. It has 34 locks , including

3706-456: The 6th Precinct of the APD was renamed Center Station. In 2003 the Norma Jean Madison was foreclosed on by a bank and closed. The property was eyed by CVS Pharmacy as a potential site to replace the older CVS next door with a modern drive-thru big box store . The plan was opposed by the neighborhood and the city rejected the plan due to zoning concerns regarding building size and parking. In 2005,

3815-668: The Albany Land Improvement Company and began selling 50 feet (15 m) by 200 feet (61 m) lots in 1881 after having laid out and paved tree-lined streets along with flagstone sidewalks, and laying water, sewer, and gas mains as well. Homes in the area were constructed by the Sano-Rubin Construction Company and the West End Building Company. These two companies also constructed many other homes throughout

3924-571: The Albany Public Library since 1951. In 1985, the building was bought from the church by the College of St Rose, and in 1989 the library was moved out of the building to a temporary location on campus. After being considered as a new home for the Pine Hills branch of the Albany public library system, Engine #10 was transformed into a community playhouse, while the library was moved into a renovated former New York Telephone building. The former telephone building at 517 Western Avenue

4033-659: The Erie Canal into a system. These included the Cayuga-Seneca Canal south to the Finger Lakes , the Oswego Canal from Three Rivers north to Lake Ontario at Oswego , and the Champlain Canal from Troy north to Lake Champlain. From 1833 to 1877, the short Crooked Lake Canal connected Keuka Lake and Seneca Lake . The Chemung Canal connected the south end of Seneca Lake to Elmira in 1833, and

4142-464: The Erie Canal is quite different from the nineteenth-century Erie Canal. More than half of the original Erie Canal was destroyed or abandoned during construction of the New York State Barge Canal in the early 20th century. The sections of the original route remaining in use were widened significantly, mostly west of Syracuse, with bridges rebuilt and locks replaced. It was called the Barge Canal at

4251-620: The Erie as part of the Great Loop . The canal has also become a tourist attraction in its own right—several parks and museums are dedicated to its history. The New York State Canalway Trail is a popular cycling path that follows the canal across the state. In 2000, Congress designated the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor to protect and promote the system. The waterway today referred to as

4360-499: The Genesee River near Rochester. The former ultimately required building the 1,320-foot (400 m) long "Great Embankment", to carry the canal at a height of 76 feet (23 m) above the level of the creek, which ran through a 245-foot (75 m) culvert underneath. The canal crossed the river on a stone aqueduct, 802 feet (244 m) long and 17 feet (5.2 m) wide, supported by 11 arches. In 1823 construction reached

4469-407: The Mohawk River east of Crescent . The Waterford Flight is claimed to be one of the steepest series of locks in the world. While the old Canal ran next to the Mohawk all the way to Rome, the new canal ran through the river, which was straightened or widened where necessary. At Ilion , the new canal left the river for good, but continued to run on a new alignment parallel to both the river and

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4578-565: The New York State Canal System as a whole was used to ship 42,000 tons of cargo. Travel on the canal's middle section (particularly in the Mohawk Valley) was severely hampered by flooding in late June and early July 2006. Flood damage to the canal and its facilities was estimated as at least $ 15 million. The Erie made use of the favorable conditions of New York's unique topography, which provided that area with

4687-555: The Pine Hills Elementary School, K-5 , as part of the City School District of Albany . Pine Hills Elementary feeds into Albany's newest middle school , Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School, for grades 6-8 , then on to Albany High . Pine Hills Elementary is located at 51 North Allen Street, only a block away from the Point in the heart of Pine Hills. Albany High School is at the edge of

4796-578: The Pine Hills Pharmacy at 1116 Madison Avenue and Johnston and Linsley's Grocery a few years later. In 1929 the Madison Theater was opened in Pine Hills, with Mayor John Boyd Thacher II giving the dedicatory address and Al Jolson as the master of ceremonies . The Vincentian Institute, a Catholic high school was dedicated in 1917 on the corner of Madison Avenue and Ontario Street, as an elementary school, and opened in 1921 as

4905-456: The Point, Engine #10, was closed and moved out of the neighborhood into a new building near the W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus on Brevator Street. The fireman's pole from the station was donated as a prop to Tony LoBianco 's Broadway play Hizzoner! A Victorian-style house, owned by the St. Vincent's de Paul church at 1000 Madison Avenue, had housed the Pine Hills branch of

5014-546: The Point. Washington Avenue forms the northern border of the neighborhood, connecting Downtown Albany to the western sections of the city. Those are the major east-west streets, the major north-south streets are Lake, Quail, Partridge, Main, and Manning avenues. The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) runs several bus lines through the area, among the most important are Route 3 (Quail Street), Route 4 (Pine Hills/Corporate Woods), Route 10 (Western Avenue), and Route 12 (Washington Avenue). Children in Pine Hills attend

5123-653: The St Andrew's Episcopal Church was established in 1897. The Point, the site of the first successful railroad in the nation (site abandoned in 1841), became the site of Engine #10 of the Albany Fire Department (AFD) in 1891, and Public School #4 (PS 4) was built on the corner of Madison Avenue and Ontario Street soon after. Starting in 1899 and for the next two decades the Orphan Asylum began an ambitious construction program, resulting in four new buildings that are still used today. Public School #16 (PS 16)

5232-473: The United States. James Geddes and Benjamin Wright , who laid out the route, were judges whose experience in surveying was in settling boundary disputes . Geddes had only used a surveying instrument for a few hours before his work on the Canal. Canvass White was a 27-year-old amateur engineer who persuaded Clinton to let him go to Britain at his own expense to study the canal system there. Nathan Roberts

5341-471: The University at Albany, participated in a riot which involved attempts to overturn cars. Labeled the "Kegs and Eggs" riot, it made national news and exacerbated the relations between the colleges and city in the area labeled the "student ghetto". Pine Hills is home to several parks and recreation centers. Ridgefield Park on Partridge Street has a baseball , softball , soccer fields, tennis courts,

5450-468: The Waters". On its return trip, Seneca Chief brought back a keg of Atlantic Ocean water, which was poured into Lake Erie by Buffalo's Judge Samuel Wilkeson , who would later become mayor. The Erie Canal was thus completed in eight years at a total length of 353 miles (568 km) and cost $ 7.143 million (equivalent to $ 192 million in 2023). It was acclaimed as an engineering marvel that united

5559-568: The West would enjoy economic success, and the port at the seaward end of such a route would see business increase greatly. In time, projects were devised in Virginia , Maryland , Pennsylvania , and relatively deep into the coastal states. The Mohawk River (a tributary of the Hudson River ) rises near Lake Ontario and runs in a glacial meltwater channel just north of the Catskill range of

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5668-426: The abandonment of short segments of the original 1825 canal. The First Enlargement was completed in 1862, with further minor enlargements in later decades. The Mohawk and Hudson Railroad opened in 1837, providing a bypass to the slowest part of the canal between Albany and Schenectady. Other railroads were soon chartered and built to continue the line west to Buffalo, and in 1842 a continuous line (which later became

5777-474: The area which later gave birth to the name of Pine Hills. They named the area Pine Hills for the pine forests on hilltops along Western Avenue. The hills were sculptured into terraced lawns, which can still be seen on South Allen Street, where in 1889 tax records describe a "Pine Grove" between 88 and 112 South Allen. The area they had purchased was from Allen Street west to Manning Boulevard and from Cortland Street north to Washington Avenue. Logan and Pratt formed

5886-405: The canal suffered violent assault as the result of misjudgment and xenophobia . Construction continued at an increased rate as new workers arrived. When the canal reached Montezuma Marsh (at the outlet of Cayuga Lake west of Syracuse ), it was rumored that over 1,000 workers died of "swamp fever" (malaria), and construction was temporarily stopped. However, recent research has revealed that

5995-420: The canal would not be finished for 30 years. The main delays were caused by felling trees to clear a path through virgin forest and moving excavated soil, which took longer than expected, but the builders devised ways to solve these problems. To fell a tree, they threw rope over the top branches and winched it down. They pulled out the stumps with an innovative stump puller . Two huge wheels were mounted loose on

6104-719: The channel of Tonawanda Creek . From the Tonawanda south toward Buffalo, it ran just east of the Niagara River, where it reached its "Western Terminus" at Little Buffalo Creek (later it became the Commercial Slip ), which discharged into the Buffalo River just above its confluence with Lake Erie . With Buffalo's re-excavation of the Commercial Slip, completed in 2008, the Canal's original terminus

6213-430: The city. Covenants in the deeds "forever prevent the use of the property for business purposes or the sale of intoxicating liquors" which predate the use of zoning in the city of Albany. Originally the lots sold for $ 1,200, but by 1891 reduced to $ 840, after the Depression of 1893 the bank foreclosed on the land and sold the lots even cheaper. Beginning in 1886, the West End Building Company constructed 200 homes, and in

6322-411: The coast. Frequently it was not worth the cost of transporting it to far-away population centers. This was a factor leading to farmers in the west turning their grains into whiskey for easier transport and higher sales, and later the Whiskey Rebellion . In the 18th and early 19th centuries, it became clear to coastal residents that the city or state that succeeded in developing a cheap, reliable route to

6431-454: The commissioners to build a series of boulevards around the city, some of whom would later spur development in Pine Hills. Western Avenue from the northwestern corner of Washington Park to the location of the toll gate of the Western Turnpike was under the purview of the commissioners. Work on the road began in late 1876 included paving it with granite blocks, and was finished the next year. In 1878 Northern Boulevard (today Manning Boulevard )

6540-400: The construction of a canal along the 90-mile-long (140 km) Mohawk River valley with support from Joseph Ellicott (agent for the Holland Land Company in Batavia ). Ellicott realized that a canal would add value to the land he was selling in the western part of the state. He later became the first canal commissioner. New York legislators became interested in the possibility of building

6649-411: The country and helped New York City develop as an international trade center. Problems developed but were quickly solved. Leaks developed along the entire length of the canal, but these were sealed using cement that hardened underwater ( hydraulic cement ). Erosion on the clay bottom proved to be a problem and the speed was limited to 4 mph (6.4 km/h). Additional feeder canals soon extended

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6758-404: The creation of a large public park between future Pine Hills and the established settled areas of Albany, and the creation of the Board of Trustees of the Washington Park of the City of Albany (later Commissioners) to organize, plan, and govern the park. The Commissioners were given by the state additional powers to build and maintain approaches to the park and other parks as well, this allowed

6867-447: The creation of the "Western and Northern Inland Lock Navigation Companies" in 1792, which took the first steps to improve navigation on the Mohawk and construct a canal between the Mohawk and Lake Ontario, but it was soon discovered that private financing was insufficient. Christopher Colles , who was familiar with the Bridgewater Canal, surveyed the Mohawk Valley, and made a presentation to the New York state legislature in 1784, proposing

6976-452: The death toll was likely much lower, as no contemporary reports mention significant worker mortality, and mass graves from the period have never been found in the area. Work continued on the downhill side towards the Hudson, and the crews worked on the section across the swampland when it froze in winter. The middle section from Utica to Salina (Syracuse) was completed in 1820, and traffic on that section started up immediately. Expansion to

7085-440: The early 20th century, the Sano-Rubin Construction Company constructed another 400. Even though the original plan for Pine Hills was a fiscal failure for Logan and Pratt, their lots continued to be sold and the area quickly became a fashionable "semi-suburb" with the city beginning to build more infrastructure to service the growing population. The Roman Catholic population of the area established St. Vincent's Church in 1887, and

7194-425: The east and west proceeded simultaneously, and the whole eastern section, 250 miles (400 km) from Brockport to Albany, opened on September 10, 1823, to great fanfare. The Champlain Canal , a separate but connected 64-mile (103 km) north–south route from Watervliet on the Hudson to Lake Champlain , opened on the same date. After Montezuma Marsh, the next difficulties were crossing Irondequoit Creek and

7303-406: The east, Main Street to the west, Madison Avenue to the south, and Western Avenue to the north, was "Twickenham" the farm of Andrew E. Brown, and upon his death his heir sold the land off in lots. The land was developed quickly, with eight Queen Anne style detached homes built by 1889 along Madison Avenue. Gaylord Logan and Lewis Pratt, two Albany lawyers, using a $ 100,000 bank loan in 1869 to buy

7412-421: The ends of an axle. A third wheel, slightly smaller than the others, was fixed to the center of the axle. A chain was wrapped around the axle and hooked to the stump. A rope was wrapped around the center wheel and hooked to a team of oxen. The mechanical advantage (torque) obtained ripped the stumps out of the soil. Soil to be moved was shoveled into large wheelbarrows that were dumped into mule-pulled carts. Using

7521-455: The first documented instance of the idea of a canal to tie the East Coast to the new western settlements via New York's waterways was discussed as early as 1724: New York provincial official Cadwallader Colden made a passing reference (in a report on fur trading) to improving the natural waterways of western New York. Colden and subsequent figures in the history of the Erie Canal and its development would draw inspiration from other great works of

7630-473: The force of water. Engineering techniques developed during its construction included the building of aqueducts to redirect water; one aqueduct was 950 feet (290 m) long to span 800 feet (240 m) of river. As the canal progressed, the crews and engineers working on the project developed expertise and became a skilled labor force. The men who planned and oversaw construction were novices as surveyors and as engineers . There were no civil engineers in

7739-420: The heftiest cuttings and viaducts , fifty locks would be required along the 360-mile (580 km) canal. Such a canal would be expensive to build even with modern technology; in 1800, the expense was barely imaginable. President Thomas Jefferson called it "little short of madness" and rejected it. Eventually, Hawley interested New York Governor DeWitt Clinton in the project. There was much opposition, and

7848-591: The horses were replaced with electrified streetcars. Brady Row and Paigeville are two communities that sprang up near Ontario Street on Western and Madison avenues. They mostly consisted of wooden houses for workers at the West Albany railroad shops. In Paigeville the Albany Baptist Missionary Union, comprising all twenty Baptist churches in the city, erected a mission for spreading their faith. The area between Partridge Street to

7957-437: The horses, go slack, fall into the water and sink to the bottom, while his boat coasted with its remaining momentum. The privileged boat's team would step over the other boat's towline, with its horses pulling the boat over the sunken towline without stopping. Once clear, the other boat's team would continue on its way. Pulled by teams of horses, canal boats moved slowly, but methodically, shrinking time and distance. Efficiently,

8066-588: The lake. From Canastota west, it ran roughly along the north (lower) edge of the Onondaga Escarpment , passing through Syracuse, Onondaga Lake , and Rochester. Before reaching Rochester, the canal uses a series of natural ridges to cross the deep valley of Irondequoit Creek . At Lockport the canal turned southwest to rise to the top of the Niagara Escarpment , using the ravine of Eighteen Mile Creek . The canal continued south-southwest to Pendleton , where it turned west and southwest, mainly using

8175-638: The latter half of the 20th century due to competition from trucking and the 1959 opening of the larger St. Lawrence Seaway . The canal's last regularly scheduled hauler, the Day Peckinpaugh , ended service in 1994. Today, the Erie Canal is mainly used by recreational watercraft. It connects the three other canals in the New York State Canal System : the Champlain , Oswego , and Cayuga–Seneca . Some long-distance boaters take

8284-417: The neighborhood at 700 Washington Avenue, and within walking distance for most of Pine Hills. The La Salle School, a private Catholic institution, provides education for grades 6 through 12 for youths at risk, along with specialized programs, such as a chemical dependency clinic and juvenile sexual victim/offender services. The College of Saint Rose , initially founded as a Catholic college for women with

8393-873: The newly created New York State Canal Corporation , a subsidiary of the New York State Thruway Authority . While part of the Thruway, the canal system was operated using money generated by Thruway tolls. In 2017, the New York State Canal Corporation was transferred from the New York State Thruway to the New York Power Authority . In 2000, Congress designated the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor , covering 524 miles (843 km) of navigable water from Lake Champlain to

8502-441: The north side. When canal boats met, the boat with the right of way remained on the towpath side of the canal. The other boat steered toward the berm (or heelpath) side of the canal. The driver (or "hoggee", pronounced HO-gee) of the privileged boat kept his towpath team by the canalside edge of the towpath, while the hoggee of the other boat moved to the outside of the towpath and stopped his team. His towline would be unhitched from

8611-590: The old canal to Rome. From Rome, the new route continued almost due west, merging with Fish Creek just east of its entry into Oneida Lake. From Oneida Lake, the new canal ran west along the Oneida River , with cutoffs to shorten the route. At Three Rivers , the Oneida River turns northwest, and was deepened for the Oswego Canal to Lake Ontario. The new Erie Canal turned south there along the Seneca River, which turns west near Syracuse and continues west to

8720-508: The only break in the Appalachians south of the St. Lawrence River . The Hudson is tidal to Troy , and Albany is west of the Appalachians. It allowed for east–west navigation from the coast to the Great Lakes within US territory. The canal began on the west side of the Hudson River at Albany, and ran north to Watervliet , where the Champlain Canal branched off. At Cohoes , it climbed the escarpment on

8829-495: The original Erie Canal channel was enlarged to 120 feet (37 m) wide and 12 feet (3.7 m) deep. The expansion allowed barges up to 2,000 short tons (1,800 t) to use the Canal. This expensive project was politically unpopular in parts of the state not served by the canal, and failed to save it from becoming obsolete for commercial shipping. Freight traffic reached a total of 5.2 million short tons (4.7 million metric tons) by 1951. The growth of railroads and highways across

8938-406: The project was ridiculed as "Clinton's folly" and "Clinton's ditch". In 1817, though, Clinton received approval from the legislature for $ 7 million for construction. The original canal was 363 miles (584 km) long, from Albany on the Hudson to Buffalo on Lake Erie. The channel was cut 40 feet (12 m) wide and 4 feet (1.2 m) deep, with removed soil piled on the downhill side to form

9047-518: The railroad was able to operate in a straight line and cut the distance to 10 miles (16 km). Due to continuing outbreaks of cholera from 1832 onwards, with increasing cases in 1849 and 1853, the Catholic Bishop of Albany opened the St. Vincent's Male Orphan Asylum to deal with the ever-increasing number of orphans. In 1864 the state of New York passed Laws of 1864 Chapter 434, entitled AN ACT to amend an act entitled "An act to form

9156-417: The rising cost of diesel fuel. Canal barges can carry a short ton of cargo 514 miles (827 km) on one gallon of diesel fuel, while a gallon allows a train to haul the same amount of cargo 202 miles (325 km) and a truck 59 miles (95 km). Canal barges can carry loads up to 3,000 short tons (2,700 long tons), and are used to transport objects that would be too large for road or rail shipment. In 2012,

9265-678: The same name Pine Hills (California) , a mountain range in San Diego County, California Pine Hills, Florida , a census-designated place in Orange County, Florida Pine Hills (Massachusetts) , a region in Plymouth, Massachusetts Pine Hills, West Virginia , an unincorporated community The Pine Hills , a small mountain range in Montana In Australia Pine Hills, Queensland ,

9374-661: The so-called " canal age ," including France's Canal du Midi and the Bridgewater Canal in England . The attempt in the 1780s by George Washington to build a canal from the tidewaters of the Potomac into the fledgling nation's interior was also well known to the planners of the Erie Canal. Gouverneur Morris and Elkanah Watson were early proponents of a canal along the Mohawk River . Their efforts led to

9483-479: The south and north, respectively. Winchester had wanted his Winchester Gables to be subdivided into 60 lots, but ended up with 55, and only 27 were actually built. Winchester Gables is unique because the houses are in a Spanish-style architecture, predominately stucco with red tile roofs and many have small towers. In 1927 the 6th Precinct of the Albany Police Department (APD) was formed, with

9592-404: The state's construction debt within the first year of operation. The westward connection gave New York City a strong advantage over all other U.S. ports and brought major growth to canal cities such as Albany , Utica , Syracuse , Rochester , and Buffalo . The construction of the Erie Canal was a landmark civil engineering achievement in the early history of the United States . When built,

9701-646: The state, and the first successful passenger steam locomotive in the United States was the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad , which ran from the intersection of the Western Turnpike and Madison Avenue ("the Point") in the Pine Hills west to Schenectady . This railroad was built in order to complement the Erie Canal , the canal ran for 26 miles (42 km) between Albany and Schenectady, meanwhile

9810-508: The state, and the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959, caused commercial traffic on the canal to decline dramatically during the second half of the 20th century. Since the 1990s, the canal system has been used primarily by recreational traffic. In 1992, the New York State Barge Canal was renamed the New York State Canal System (including the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca , Oswego, and Champlain canals) and placed under

9919-525: The station located at the Point adjacent to Engine #10 station. PS 16 was expanded in 1930 due to the growing population of Pine Hills. The Alumni Association of the New York State College for Teachers (today the University at Albany, SUNY ) purchased land in Pine Hills along Western Avenue for the construction of dormitories for the college. The Alumni Association's successful funding of the first two dorms, Pierce (1935) and Sayles (1941),

10028-480: The theater was purchased and again became a first-run theater. As part of its 1992 Facility Master Plan, the La Salle School performed $ 13 million worth of renovations and new construction by 2004. In 2005, PS 16 was demolished to make room for a larger modern school, classes were temporarily moved to the former Philip J. Schuyler Elementary School (which in turn was formerly Albany High). The new school

10137-408: The time, but that name fell into disuse with the disappearance of commercial traffic and the increase of recreational travel in the later 20th century. Before railroads , water transport was the most cost-effective way to ship bulk goods . A mule can only carry about 250 pounds (110 kg) but can draw a barge weighing as much as 60,000 pounds (27,000 kg) along a towpath . In total,

10246-517: The way are used to maintain the canal's level. It runs southwest to Tonawanda , where the new alignment discharges into the Niagara River, which is navigable upstream to the New York Barge Canal 's Black Rock Lock and thence to the Canal's original "Western Terminus" at Buffalo's Inner Harbor . Canal boats up to 3.5 feet (1.1 m) in draft were pulled by horses and mules walking on the towpath. The canal had one towpath, generally on

10355-546: The west side of the Hudson River—16 locks rising 140 feet (43 m)—and then turned west along the south shore of the Mohawk River, crossing to the north side at Crescent and again to the south at Rexford . The canal continued west near the south shore of the Mohawk River all the way to Rome, where the Mohawk turns north. At Rome , the canal continued west parallel to Wood Creek , which flows westward into Oneida Lake , and turned southwest and west cross-country to avoid

10464-491: The western parts of the country had to travel overland, a journey made more difficult by the rough condition of the roads. In 1800, it typically took 2½ weeks to travel overland from New York to Cleveland, Ohio , (460 miles; 740 km) and 4 weeks to Detroit (612 miles; 985 km). The principal exportable product of the Ohio Valley was grain, which was a high-volume, low-priced commodity, bolstered by supplies from

10573-617: Was a mathematics teacher and land speculator . Yet these men "carried the Erie Canal up the Niagara escarpment at Lockport , maneuvered it onto a towering embankment to cross over Irondequoit Creek , spanned the Genesee River on an awesome aqueduct , and carved a route for it out of the solid rock between Little Falls and Schenectady —and all of those venturesome designs worked precisely as planned". Construction began on July 4, 1817, at Rome, New York . The first 15 miles (24 km), from Rome to Utica , opened in 1819. At that rate,

10682-561: Was a former commissioner of Washington Park and also United States Secretary of the Treasury . In 1896 the state legislature also gave the commissioners authority over Lake Avenue from the park corner at Madison Avenue south to New Scotland Avenue (then- Albany, Schoharie, and Rensselaerville Plank Road ). In 1875, the horsecar line (horse driven predecessor to the streetcar ) came to the edge of Pine Hills up Madison Avenue to Quail Street, and by 1886 it reached Partridge Street. In 1890

10791-604: Was an important route for Pennsylvania coal and timber into the canal system. The Chenango Canal in 1836 connected the Erie Canal at Utica to Binghamton and caused a business boom in the Chenango River valley. The Chenango and Chemung canals linked the Erie with the Susquehanna River system. The Black River Canal connected the Black River to the Erie Canal at Rome and remained in operation until

10900-485: Was chartered in New York (1820), though there have been name changes (to Albank in the 1990s) and acquisitions (to Charter One in 1998, and then to Citizens Bank in 2004) the branch still exists. In 1952 the 6th precinct was renamed Division 1. PS 4 was demolished in the early 1970s due to structural problems and the land was converted into a public playground. In 1965 the La Salle School became fully accredited as

11009-591: Was completed in 1884, as a route running closely parallel to both the canal and the New York Central Railroad. However, it went bankrupt and was acquired the next year by the New York Central. The canal continued to compete well with the railroads through 1902, when tolls were abolished. In a November 3, 1903 referendum, a majority of New Yorkers authorized an expansion of the canal at a cost of $ 101,000,000. In 1905, construction of

11118-399: Was constructed by the commissioners, it extended from the western end of their jurisdiction on Western Avenue north and east to the intersection of Clinton and Central avenues. Northern Boulevard was planned to encircle the city, but the only section built was the portion in Pine Hills (between 1876 and 1878), Northern Boulevard was renamed Manning Boulevard in honor of Daniel Manning who

11227-632: Was established on North Allen Street near the Point in 1906. Logan and Pratt's covenants to keep out commercial activities had a lasting effect on Pine Hills and in the spirit of those who later lived there. In 1900 the Pine Hills Neighborhood Association and in 1902 the Aurania Club (Aurania being the Latin name for Fort Orange , an early name for Albany) were formed to continue in the tradition of keeping Pine Hills

11336-532: Was exceeded immediately. An ambitious program to improve the canal began in 1834. During this massive series of construction projects, known as the First Enlargement, the canal was widened from 40 to 70 feet (12 to 21 m) and deepened from 4 to 7 feet (1.2 to 2.1 m). Locks were widened and/or rebuilt in new locations, and many new navigable aqueducts were constructed. The canal was straightened and slightly re-routed in some stretches, resulting in

11445-424: Was first proposed in the 1780s, but a formal survey was not conducted until 1808. The New York State Legislature authorized construction in 1817. Political opponents of the canal (referencing its lead supporter New York Governor DeWitt Clinton ) denigrated the project as "Clinton's Folly" and "Clinton's Big Ditch". Nonetheless, the canal saw quick success upon opening on October 26, 1825, with toll revenue covering

11554-406: Was marked by a statewide "Grand Celebration", culminating in a series of cannon shots along the length of the canal and the Hudson, a 90-minute cannonade from Buffalo to New York City. A flotilla of boats, led by Governor Dewitt Clinton aboard Seneca Chief , sailed from Buffalo to New York City over ten days. Clinton then ceremonially poured Lake Erie water into New York Harbor to mark the "Wedding of

11663-616: Was opened in 2007 as Pine Hills Elementary School. 2008 saw the renovation of the Albany Public Library's Pine Hills Branch. In 2011 the neighborhood was dealt a blow with the closing of the Pine Hills station of the United States Postal Service (USPS). Post Office boxes could be transferred to the Stuyvesant Plaza branch in the town of Guilderland , 3 miles (4.8 km) away. On March 12, 2011, hundreds of individuals, many of which were students from

11772-453: Was renamed the La Salle School in honor of Saint John Baptist de la Salle . In 1926 Dan Winchester entered into real estate with his Winchester Villas, 6 houses constructed between 194 and 176 South Main Avenue.  From 1928 to 1930 Winchester began building a subdivision in the area bounded by West Erie Street to the east, South Main Street to the west, and Woodlawn and Hansen avenues to

11881-552: Was the model for the state's creation of the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (Dormitory Authority). The Dormitory Authority then funded the construction of the other three dorms, Brubacher (1951), Alden (1958), and Waterbury Halls (1959). In 1949 the corner of West Lawrence Street and Western Avenue became the site of the first branch of the Albany Savings Bank , the second savings bank that

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