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Rensselaer County Place Names including Bodies of Water This page was updated 2 July 2011. |
Troy |
Rensselaer |
Our 14 Towns
Berlin | Brunswick | East Greenbush | Grafton | Hoosick |
Nassau | North Greenbush | Petersburgh | Pittstown | Poestenkill |
Sand Lake | Schaghticoke | Schodack | Stephentown | . |
Our Six Villages
Castleton-on-Hudson, Schodack | East Nassau, Nassau | Hoosick Falls, Hoosick |
Nassau, Nassau | Schaghticoke, Schaghticoke | Valley Falls, Pittstown |
Our Numerous Hamlets and Crossroads
Hamlet | Town in Which It Lies | Notes |
---|---|---|
Akin's Corners | Pittstown | in south, on border of Town of Brunswick |
Alps | Nassau | . |
Averill Park | Sand Lake | . |
Barberville | Poestenkill | . |
Berlin | Berlin | was a village in 1855 |
Best | East Greenbush | in the east, on County Highway 55 near Sand Lake border |
Boyntonville | Pittstown | also called Boynton |
Braeside | Schodack | in east, on west shore of Nassau Lake |
Brainard | Nassau | now part of Village of East Nassau; earlier name was Brainard's Bridge |
Brookview | Schodack | formerly Schodack Depot |
Brunswick Center | Brunswick | incorporated before 1860 |
Buck's Corner | Berlin | . |
"The Burgh" | City of Troy | Local slang for "Lansingburgh", i. e., North Troy |
Buskirk | Hoosick | was formerly called Buskirk Bridge |
Center Berlin | Berlin | incorporated before 1855 |
Cherry Plain | Berlin | formerly Village of South Berlin; name changed after 1890 |
Clinton Heights | East Greenbush | on Columbia Turnpike, near Town Hall, on hill before descent to City of Rensselaer |
Clum's Corners | Brunswick | . |
Couse Corners | East Greenbush | near junction of Interstate 90 with US Highway 4 |
Cropseyville | Brunswick | incorporated before 1860 |
Defreestville | North Greenbush | formerly, and sometimes still, called Blooming Grove |
Denault Corners | Nassau | on border between Towns of Sand Lake and Nassau |
Dunham Hollow | Nassau | in the northeast, east of Alps |
Dutch Church | Berlin | at north end of Cherry Plain State Park |
Eagle Bridge | Hoosick | guards bridge over Hoosick River into Washington Co, NY |
Eagle Mills | Brunswick | formerly Millville; Eagle Mills post office existed by 1890 |
East Buskirk | Hoosick | grew up on railway line |
East Brunswick | Brunswick | incorporated before 1860 |
East Grafton | Grafton | on NY State Highway 2, east of Grafton Center |
East Greenbush | East Greenbush | . |
East Hoosick | Hoosick | about 0.6 mile from Vermont border |
East Pittstown | Pittstown | . |
East Poestenkill | Poestenkill | . |
East Schaghticoke | Schaghticoke | . |
East Schodack | Schodack | on NY State Highway 150 |
Garfield | Stephentown | Garfield kept its own vital records in 1891. |
Glass Lake | Sand Lake | on lake of same name |
Grafton [aka Grafton Center] | Grafton | formerly Patroon's Mills; became hamlet of Grafton before 1855 |
Grant Hollow | Schaghticoke | . |
Harrogate | East Greenbush | name given to the largest of several sulphur springs in the town, opposite Albany; named after the English spa town of Harrogate in Yorkshire |
Haynersville | Pittstown | formerly Village of Cooksborough |
Hemstreet Park | Schaghticoke | stands on Hudson River opposite City of Mechanicville, Saratoga Co, NY |
Hoag's Corners | Nassau | now part of Village of East Nassau |
Hoosick | Hoosick | also called Hoosick Corners |
Ives Corner | Poestenkill | just east of Barbersville |
Jack's Corner | Nassau | on US Highway 20 between Village of Nassau and Village of Brainard |
Johnsonville | Pittstown | . |
Luther | East Greenbush | in the southeast, on State Highway 151 |
Manory's Corner | Sand Lake | on State Highway 150 south of West Sand Lake |
Maple Grove | Sand Lake | . |
The Meadows | Pittstown | on southwest shore of Tomhannock Reservoir |
Melrose | Schaghticoke | . |
Miller's Corners | Nassau | in northwest, at south end of Burden Lake |
Millertown | Pittstown | . |
Muitzeskill | Schodack | site of earliest church in Schodack |
North Berlin | Berlin | . |
North Hoosick | Hoosick | . |
North Nassau | Nassau | on County Highway 18, east of Miller's Corners |
North Petersburgh | Petersburgh | at junction of State Highways 22 and 346 Town of Hoosick |
North Pittstown | Pittstown | . |
North Schodack | Schodack | in northeast; grew up around the Particular Baptist Church of Schodack |
North Stephentown | Stephentown | on State Highway 22 north of Village of Stephentown |
Petersburgh | Petersburgh | Hamlet of Petersburgh was formerly Rensselaer Mills |
Petersburgh Four Corners | Petersburgh | . |
Petersburgh Junction | Hoosick | less than 0.5 mile from border with Town of Petersburgh |
Pittstown | Pittstown | formerly Village of Pittstown Corners |
Pleasantville | Schaghticoke | was part of the Town of Lansingburgh for over 100 years |
Poestenkill | Poestenkill | . |
Ponokose Hill | East Greenbush | name of the main hill of the town, rising up from the Hudson River and climbed by Columbia Turnpike |
Potter Hill | Hoosick | in the southwest |
Potterville | Hoosick | perhaps another name for Potter Hill |
Prospect Heights | East Greenbush | near Clinton Heights |
Quackenkill | Grafton | existed before 1855; in the west, on State Highway 2 west of Grafton Center |
Raymertown | Pittstown | . |
Rice Corners | Schodack | at junction of Interstate 90 and State Highway 150 |
Sand Lake | Sand Lake | near Averill Park |
Schaghticoke Hill | Schaghticoke | . |
Schodack Center | Schodack | in north, near East Greenbush border |
Schodack Landing | Schodack | on Hudson River; dates from early 17th century |
Sherman's Mills | Pittstown | . |
Shiver's Corners | Schodack | in northeast, at junction of State Highways 150 and 151 |
Slab City | Nassau | Slab "City", despite its name, is a hamlet. |
Sliter's Corners | Sand Lake | in southwest, on State Highway 150 |
Snyder's Corners | North Greenbush | in east on Poestenkill border |
South Sand Lake | Sand Lake | . |
South Schodack | Schodack | southeast of Castleton-on-Hudson |
Speigletown | Schaghticoke | was part of the Town of Lansingburgh for over 100 years |
Stephentown | Stephentown | . |
Stephentown Center | Stephentown | . |
Stillman | Petersburgh | near hamlet of Petersburgh |
Stony Point | Schodack | just north of Castleton-on-Hudson |
Sycaway | Brunswick | adjoins City of Troy |
Taborton | Sand Lake | in northeast, on County Highway 42 |
Tamarack | Brunswick | in the east, on County Highway 129 |
Tomhannock | Pittstown | . |
Walloomsac | Hoosick | . |
West Berlin | Berlin | . |
West Hoosick | Hoosick | . |
West Sand Lake | Sand Lake | in northwest; formerly called Ulinesville |
West Stephentown | Stephentown | . |
White Church | Brunswick | in the southeast, on State Highway 351 |
Wynantskill | North Greenbush | . |
Wyomanock | Stephentown | in southeast corner, near Massachusetts border |
Name | Location |
---|---|
Black Brook | in the town of Stephentown. |
Black River | rises in the town of Stephentown; flows from south to north; flows into the town of Berlin and very soon thereafter empties into Black River Pond. |
Black River Pond | in Cherry Plains State Park, in the southern part of the town of Berlin; fed by the Black River, flowing in from the town of Stephentown. |
Burden Lake | actually a series of three lakes, bisected by the boundary between the town of Sand Lake and the town of Nassau; a man-made lake system planned in 1829, flooding a valley north of the much smaller Martin's Lake. |
Cleveland Pond | in the town of Nassau. |
Crooked Lake | in the town of Sand Lake. |
Crystal Lake | in the town of Sand Lake. |
Dunham Reservoir | in the town of Grafton. |
Dyken Pond | on the boundary line between the southeastern part of the town of Grafton and the northwestern part of the town of Berlin. |
East Brook | in the town of Stephentown. |
Glass Lake | in the town of Sand Lake. |
Hoag's Pond | now known as Nassau Lake. |
Hoosick River | flows more or less from east to west; rises in western Massachusetts; flows across the extreme southwestern corner of Vermont; flows into Rensselaer County, NY at its extreme northeastern corner, in the town of Hoosick; is traversed by the only remaining covered bridge in Rensselaer County, Buskirk's Bridge; forms part of the border between Rensselaer County and Washington County, NY; forms the town of Pittstown's northern boundary with the town of Schaghticoke; flows through the village of Valley Falls in the town of Pittstown; flows through the village of Schaghticoke in the town of Schaghticoke; flows across the town of Schaghticoke; empties into the Hudson River near the northwestern corner of Rensselaer County, opposite the village of Stillwater in Saratoga Co, NY, and close by Lock 4 of the New York State Barge Canal system; see also Origins of Place Names. |
Hudson River | one of the most important rivers of colonial America and of the formative years of the independent USA; forms the entire western boundary of Rensselaer Co, NY; flows from north to south; has a length of 315 miles (507 km); has its source in Lake Tear of the Clouds in Essex Co, NY, in the Adirondack Mountains; flows into the Atlantic Ocean at New York Harbor in New York City; has an estuary exhibiting ebb and flow of tidal forces for the last 150 miles (240 km), the head of which is at Troy, Rensselaer Co, NY; has a major tributary in the Mohawk River; has numerous smaller tributaries; has been known by various names (see Origins of Place Names). |
Kinderhook Creek | rises in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts; flows into Rensselaer Co, NY in the southern part of the town of Stephentown; flows from northeast to southwest across the town of Stephentown; exits Rensselaer County into the town of New Lebanon in Columbia Co, NY; then follows a winding course, crossing the straight-as-an-arrow county line between Rensselaer Co, NY and Columbia Co, NY five times; flows across the southeastern part of the town of Nassau; flows through the village of East Nassau; finally leaves Rensselaer County from the town of Nassau and flows into the town of Chatham, Columbia Co NY, where it feeds into Kinderhook Lake before eventually emptying into the Hudson River in the town of Stockport, Columbia Co, NY. |
Little Bowman Pond | in the eastern part of the town of Sand Lake; fed by Tackawasick Creek. |
Little Hoosick River | the principal watercourse of the town of Petersburgh; it flows from south to north and empties into the Hoosick River just before the latter flows out of the town of Petersburgh and into the town of Hoosick. |
Little Walloomsac River | in the town of Hoosick. |
Long Pond | in the town of Grafton, in Grafton Lakes State Park. |
Lyons Pond | in the town of Nassau. |
Mill Brook | lies entirely in the town of Stephentown; flows from northwest to southeast; empties into Kinderhook Creek just west of the hamlet of Garfield. |
Mill Creek | the principal stream of the town of East Greenbush; it flows into the Hudson River at the City of Rensselaer. |
Moordener Kill | rises in the western part of the town of Sand Lake; flows from north to south into the northeastern part of the town of Schodack; then flows mostly from east to west across the town of Schodack; empties into the Hudson River just north of the village of Castleton-on-Hudson. |
Moules Lake (Moules Pond) | in the town of Poestenkill, between Spring Avenue and NY State Route 355, near Weatherwax Road |
Mud Pond | in the town of Nassau. |
Muitzes Kill | in the town of Schodack. |
Nassau Lake | formerly known as Hoag's Pond; lies in the extreme eastern part of the town of Schodack, on the boundary with the town of Nassau. |
Pike's Pond | in the northeastern part of the town of Nassau. |
Poesten Kill | flows more or less from east to west; rises in the eastern part of the town of Berlin; flows across the town of Poestenkill, across the southwestern part of the town of Brunswick and through the city of Troy before emptying into the Hudson River. |
Quacken Kill | mostly in the town of Brunswick. |
Reichard's Lake | in the northwestern part of the town of Sand Lake. |
Sand Lake | near the center of the hamlet of Sand Lake, in the town of Sand Lake; see Origins of Place Names. |
Smith Pond | in the town of Nassau. |
Snyder's Lake | in the eastern part of the town of North Greenbush. |
Stone Bridge Pond | in the town of Stephentown; Mill Brook flows both into it and out of it. |
Stump Pond | in the town of Stephentown. |
Tackawasick Creek | rises in the eastern part of the town of Sand Lake; flows more or less from north to south; flows into and back out of Little Bowman Pond; flows southward into the eastern part of the town of Nassau; flows into Tsatsawassa Creek near the hamlet of Dunham Hollow, in the town of Nassau. |
Taplin Pond | in the town of Stephentown. |
Tomhannock Reservoir | large reservoir that almost completely separates the town of Pittstown from the southwestern corner of the same town. |
Tsatsavassa Creek | rises in the eastern part of the town of Sand Lake; flows from north to south; flows into the eastern part of the town of Nassau; flows into and back out of Tsatsavassa Lake; then empties into Kinderhook Creek, still in the town of Nassau. |
Tsatsavassa Lake | in the eastern part of the town of Nassau. |
Valatie Kill | rises in the northern part of the town of Nassau, just east of Burden Lake; flows from north-northeast to south-soutwest; flows into and back out of Nassau Lake (formerly Hoag's Pond); forms the southern part of the boundary between the town of Schodack and the town of Nassau; flows into the town of Chatham in Columbia Co, NY, where it feeds Kinderhook Lake. |
Vierda kill | lies entirely within the town of Schodack; flows from east to west; empties into the Hudson River just south of Staats Island. |
Vlockie Kill | lies entirely within the town of Schodack; flows from east to west; empties into the Hudson River just south of the village of Castleton-on-Hudson. |
West Brook | in the town of Stephentown. |
Wynants Kill | flows more or less from east to west; rises in the town of Sand Lake; flows through the town of Sand Lake, the town of Brunswick and the city of Troy before emptying into the Hudson River. |
Wyomanock Creek | the Rensselaer Co NY portion flows entirely within the town of Stephentown; rises in the southeastern part of the town of Stephentown, less than a mile from the Massachusetts state line; flows mostly from north to south; exits Rensselaer County into eastern Columbia Co, NY; then takes a wide semicircular bend towards the west before emptying into Kinderhook Creek in the town of New Lebanon, Columbia Co, NY. |
Name | Town or City | Location |
---|---|---|
Adams Island | City of Troy | lies off River Street, between Rensselaer Street and Vanderheyden Street. |
Center Island | Albany County, NY | large island lying between Troy and Green Island; inhabited today; this is the island you see below you when you cross the Collar City Bridge (NY State Highway 7) and the Green Island Bridge; it is not part of Rensselaer County. |
Green Island | Albany County, NY | no longer an island; is not now and never has been part of Rensselaer County, even though it has long been closely associated with the city of Troy and lies directly opposite it, on the west side of the Hudson River. |
Lower Schodack Island | Town of Schodack | formerly a fairly large island, now a peninsula; now joined at its northern end to Upper Schodack Island, which in turn is now joined at its northern end to the mainland of the town of Schodack, just south of the village of Castleton-on-Hudson; the southern end of Schodack "Island" is part of the town of New Baltimore, Greene Co, NY, which lies on the right (west) bank of the Hudson River; Upper Schodack Island and Lower Schodack Island together now form Castleton Island State Park. |
Papskanee Island | Town of Greenbush | formerly a sizeable island in the Hudson River, now silted up and part of the mainland on the left (east) bank; site of very early Dutch settlement in 1631, including the farms of Cornelis Maessen VAN BUREN, Juriaen WESTFALL and Evert PELS. |
Schodack Island | Town of Schodack | see Upper Schodack Island and Lower Schodack Island. |
Staats Island | Town of Schodack | formerly an island, now a peninsula; lies just south of the boundary line between the town of Schodack and the town of East Greenbush; has a 17th-century stone house that has been in the Staats family for over three centuries. |
Story Island | Albany County, NY | to the west of Adams Island; is not now and never was part of Rensselaer County. |
Upper Schodack Island | Town of Schodack | formerly an island, now a peninsula; now joined at its southern end to Lower Schodack Island; now also joined at its northern end to the mainland; Upper Schodack Island and Lower Schodack Island together now form Castleton Island State Park. |
Localities Whose Names Have Changed
Old Name | New Name | Dates and Details of Changes If Known |
---|---|---|
Akins Junction | Hamlet of Johnsonville | . |
Albia | southeastern part of City of Troy | . |
Bath-on-the-Hudson | part of City of Rensselaer | prior to April 23, 1897, this was the "principal village" of the Town of North Greenbush |
Blooming Grove | DeFreestville | . |
Brainard's Bridge | Brainard | . |
Town of Clinton | Town of East Greenbush | created as Town of Clinton from Town of Greenbush February 23, 1855; name changed from Town of Clinton to Town of East Greenbush April 14, 1858 |
Cooksborough | Haynersville | . |
DeLaet's Burg | Greenbush | This was the earliest settlement on the east bank of this stretch of the Hudson River; it was established in 1632; the name seems to have been supplanted by t'groen bos ["the green woods", eventually "Greenbush"] in the mid-1650s. |
East Albany | part of City of Rensselaer | . |
Elizabethtown | Brunswick | During the days prior to the creation of Rensselaer County in 1791, when the area was known as the east side of the Manor of Rensselaerwyck, what is now the town of Brunswick was known as Elizabethtown. Source: NYS library, finding aid, manor records 1630-1899, call number mscbr 02734 poster-teachers' institute, Oct 27, 1862, Elizabethtown, subject social life and customes. Container to Rensselaerwyck land surveys box 1 folders 1-12 dating from 1789. Thanks go to Christine Oppedisano for contributing this information. |
Ferry Hook | part of City of Troy | . |
Glass House | [---?---] | located in Town of Sand Lake |
Town of Greenbush | City of Rensselaer | created as Town of Greenbush from Manor of Rensselaerwyck April 10, 1792; split into Towns of Greenbush, East Greenbush and North Greenbush February 23, 1855; Town of Greenbush became City of Rensselaer April 23, 1897 |
Village of Hart's Falls | Village of Schaghticoke | incorporated as Village of Hart's Falls in 1867 |
Hastings Village | Brainard | Source: Taconic Valley Echo Feb 1985 |
Hoose's Mills | Hamlet of Johnsonville | . |
Town of Lansingburgh | part of City of Troy | created as Town of Lansingburgh from Towns of Troy and Petersburgh March 20, 1807; absorbed into City of Troy January 1, 1900 |
"The Lick" | Hamlet of Johnsonville | . |
McNaresville | North Hoosick | . |
Mechanicsville | Stephentown Center | Source: Taconic Valley Echo Feb 1985 |
Middletown | Sand Lake | . |
Millville | Eagle Mills | name was still Millville in 1890, although Eagle Mills post office existed by then |
New City | part of Town of Lansingburgh | . |
Patroon's Mills | Grafton Center | . |
Town of Philipstown | Town of Nassau | During the days prior to the creation of Rensselaer County in 1791, when the area was known as the east side of the Manor of Rensselaerwyck, what is now the town of Nassau was known as Philipstown. Source: NYS library, finding aid, manor records 1630-1899, call number mscbr 02734 poster-teachers' institute, Oct 27, 1862, Elizabethtown, subject social life and customes. Container to Rensselaerwyck land surveys box 1 folders 1-12 dating from 1789. Thanks go to Christine Oppedisano for contributing this information. Philipstown was named for Philip Van Rensselaer. |
Pittstown Corners | Pittstown | . |
Village of Pittstown Station | Village of Valley Falls | . |
Platesville | Brunswick | Source: Taconic Valley Echo Feb 1985 |
Rensselaer Mills | Petersburgh | . |
Rensselaer Village | Glass House | located in Town of Sand Lake |
Roxborough | Grafton | During the days prior to the creation of Rensselaer County in 1791, when the area was known as the east side of the Manor of Rensselaerwyck, what is now the town of Grafton was known as Roxborough. Source: NYS library, finding aid, manor records 1630-1899, call number mscbr 02734 poster-teachers' institute, Oct 27, 1862, Elizabethtown, subject social life and customes. Container to Rensselaerwyck land surveys box 1 folders 1-12 dating from 1789. Thanks go toChristine Oppedisano for contributing this information. |
Schermerhorn's Village | Village of East Nassau | originally named for John W. Schermerhorn |
Schodack Depot | Brookview | . |
Scott's Corners | East Schodack | . |
South Berlin | Cherry Plain | South Berlin incorporated before 1855; name changed after 1890, probably in about 1917 |
Ulinesville | West Sand Lake | . |
Union Village | Village of Nassau | . |
Van Der Heyden's Ferry | City of Troy | Van Der Heyden or Van Der Heyden's Ferry became Troy on January 5, 1789 |