HISTORY: Old Albany House; Albany, Ulster co., NY

submitted by New York Archives Transcribing Team
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Unknown newspaper
unknown date (before 1923)

THE LAST OF AN OLD ALBANY HOUSE

With the old building on the corner of Columbia and North Pearl Streets, which
is soon to be razed, goes one of the very few remaining links that connect the
Albany of to-day with the Fort Orange of two centuries ago.

When the building was erected in 1710 it was outside of the stockade which
protected the city from the Indians. It was then used as a trading store, and
goods were bartered with the Indian for whole and merchantable beaver skins.
The name of the builder was Jacob Landon; since changed to Lansing; and his
bricks were brought over from Holland in a sailing vessel. When the widow
Vesture was the owner she permitted the Indians to use it as a lodging place,
while staying over to make purchases; and many a stirring scene was here
witnessed, when, after trading their skins for rum, the red men became
uproarious under the influence. The widow is reported as using her broom
freely upon such occasions, and it was a potent scepter in her hands, in
restoring order.

High up on the Columbia Street gable be seen the old iron crane that was used
in years gone by in hoisting heavy articles to the second story. Another
curious feature nice able from the street is the large door opening on the
second floor, originally intended for the reception of articles hoisted from
below. This door is divided through the middle, each part swinging on hinges.
In the upper half can be discerned a square hole which was used by these
within to see what was going in the direction of the stockade. The windows
were furnished with heavy wooden shutters, in the upper parts of which were
crescents out to admit light when they were closed. The crane and divided door
are said to have been placed in position when the house was erected. Neither
has been used in many a long year.

There are many rare and valuable relics about the old structure. There is an
oil painting made directly from the original house. The painter's name is too
faint to be deciphered. There are some old Dutch tiles, representing St. Peter
bearing the crowing of the chock, and the Prodigal Son, which originally
decorated the first fireplace, around which the Indians ate and smoked their
pipes with the Dutch traders. There are old locks and keys of quaint design,
still preserved; and all these together with the divided door with the loop
his crane and large iron beam pins have sufficient virtue to entitle them to
preservation by the historical loving people.

Albany Journal