Senate Resolution No. 2594

BY: Senator ASHBY

COMMEMORATING the 100th Anniversary of the
Incorporation of the Village of Menands on June 1,
2024

WHEREAS, It is the intent of this Legislative Body to honor and
commemorate the proud and distinguished histories of the communities
which comprise the essence of this great Empire State; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and fully in accord with its
longstanding traditions, it is the intent of this Legislative Body to
commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Village of
Menands; and

WHEREAS, The Village of Menands was incorporated after a special
election was held in the Old Menands Hall on Lyons Avenue on August 15,
1924; rumor has it that the City of Albany was looking to annex the
lands of Menands since the area was rich in industry, recreation
facilities and fine homes; the residents of the village voted 167 to 47
for incorporation; and

WHEREAS, The City of Albany and its surrounding area played a vital
part in both the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary
War; many troops would camp and march through areas which would become
part of Menands; and

WHEREAS, After the wars, one of the first major developments north
of Albany and through what would later become Menands, was the
construction of the Erie Canal; and

WHEREAS, New York Governor DeWitt Clinton strongly supported the
construction of the canal; the canal was completed in the Menands area
in 1823; the Erie Canal would prove to be an important part of Menands
history; and

WHEREAS, The construction of one of the area's first railroads to be
built north of Albany would be the next major project; the Albany
Northern Railroad was incorporated on February 20, 1851, and was
intended to run from Albany through the town on Watervliet and
eventually connect with the Rutland Railroad at Eagle Bridge; after
several delays, the railroad was completed in 1856; and

WHEREAS, Menands takes its name from one of the area's early
residents, Louis Menand; Louis Menand was born on August 2, 1807, in
Burgundy, France; when he was quite young, he formed a love growing
things and turned to that avocation for a livelihood; he reached that
ambition when he was employed at the Botanical Gardens in Paris; and

WHEREAS, Being an ambitious man, Louis Menand was anxious to improve
his stature and in 1841 he left France for America; in 1842, he and his
wife traveled to the Albany area where they rented a plot of ground at
the site of the Home for Aged Men (now the Center Manor, part of the
Center for the Disabled); he specialized in growing orchids and
decorative plants; and


WHEREAS, By the time Louis Menand came to this area, the Erie Canal
was in full swing, the Watervliet Turnpike was still nearly brand new;
Louis Menand continued to gain notice in the communities surrounding
Albany; the many people who traveled the turnpike would make it a point
to visit what would become known as "Menands Gardens"; and

WHEREAS, Louis Menand's business would continue to grow as the
population of Albany and the surrounding area grew; a large railroad
station would eventually be built at the crossing where his gardens were
planted; this would later become known as the Menands stop, or Menands
Station; and

WHEREAS, As Albany began to expand, and the area of the Town of
Colonie still largely farmland, it was natural for business enterprises
to look toward the Menands area to estab-lish themselves; after all, the
area had four major methods of transportation by the mid-19th century -
The Hudson River, the Erie Canal, the Watervliet Turnpike, and the
Albany Northern Railroad which were all well-established means of
transporting people and goods throughout the region; and

WHEREAS, Some of the early businesses located in the Menands area
were the Albany Felt Company, a producer of paper makers felts,
established in 1895 and eventually grew to international proportions
with their world headquarters located here in Menands; Albany
International and the Albany Felt Company are probably the longest
continuously operating companies in Menands today; and

WHEREAS, Many other businesses would locate along the Watervliet
Turnpike in the late part of the 19th and early part of the 20th
Centuries; these would include the: Crane Co., Albany Steel, Ramsey
Chain, Simmons Machine, Morgan Linen Company, Albany Car Wheel Co.,
Taylor Electric Truck Co., Williams Press, International Harvester, J.B.
Lyon Printers, Boyertown Casket Co., Hawkins Baseball Stadium and Mid
City Park; of these, Simmons Machine, Morgan Linen and Albany Steel are
still in business here in Menands; and

WHEREAS, Built in an art deco style popular in the 1920s, Montgomery
Wards chose Menands because of its location between Albany and Troy; the
ease of bringing customers to the store by means of the trolley route
and paved road, currently Broadway; and the direct access to the railway
were definite pluses; and

WHEREAS, Another major addition to the business community in Menands
was the construction of the Capital District Regional Market in the
mid-1930s; as the areas surrounding the cities of Albany and Troy were
still largely rural in the early to mid-1900s, the farming industry was
as important as heavy industry; and

WHEREAS, The regional market was formed so that local farmers had a
large and spacious area in which to sell their produce; the Capital
District Regional Market also had a rail spur to the Delaware and Hudson
Railway which brought in produce from all parts of the country; fresh
produce was even flown into the market by small airplanes; and

WHEREAS, Throughout the years Menands has boasted many firsts in the
capital area; Menands was one of the first to have a horse racing track

(Island Park Association formed in the 1860s); a second horse racing
track was located near present day Rt. 378 and Broadway; and

WHEREAS, A town of quiescent, yet noble history, a region of scenic
natural beauty, the Village of Menands today stands as impressive and
promising as it undoubtedly appeared in the eyes of its Native Americans
and early settlers; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Village of
Menands on June 1, 2024; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitable engrossed, be
transmitted to the Village of Menands.