Schuyler's Sites

Portrait of Philip John Schuyler

Today we visited Schuyler Mansion which is located in Albany. Since it was not far from Troy, we got there very quick. However, we would have gotten there sooner, if Professor Michael had driven faster. When we got there the curators were not expecting us so we had to wait in the art exhibit while they got ready. This art exhibit was pretty much about Schuyler and his family. In one of the labels, I read that Philip John Schuyler was the fourth generation of Albany Schuylers who had fair amount of land. Later on, he inherited a great amount of land in Saratoga. In addition, his marriage with Catharine Van Rensselaer brought him more land. Catharine’s properties passed to Schuyler’s hands since women at that time were not expected to own any property. The large amount of land that now Schuyler possessed contributed to his great success in America.  Even though I read about Schuyler briefly in Tom Lewis’ book, it was good having more details about his life. Going around the small exhibit and reading about Schuyler’s life definitely helped me a lot in understanding the facts and the stories that the curators told us. I wish we get to do that for every place we go.  I think that everybody is his or her own teacher. So giving us the chance to read and view in our own is a great way to start a tour.

Waiting Room

When the curator was ready to give us the tour, we walked to Schuyler’s mansion which was right next to the gallery. The first room of Schuyler mansion was the vestibule which was not originally part of the house. The vestibule was constructed by the later owners of the mansion after Schuyler had died. Once inside the main hallway which were where the actual Schuyler mansion started, I saw the differences in architecture and style. The architecture of Schuyler Mansion definitely has more details compared with the vestibule. For instance, the picture above shows the Schuyler mansion’s waiting room which has beautiful borders in the wall. The two windows make the room look very symmetrical which for some reason is very favorable to me and many others. The furniture seemed to me very modern for time Schuyler lived. I have not seen furniture like these ones in any of the museums we have been to.

Carpet Sample

 The curator explained that the carpets that cover the floor were remade from the original one. This remained me to our trip to Peebles Island art restoration, where works like this one are done. The picture above shows a copy of the original style of carpet that was used in Schuyler mansion.

Bible

This picture shows the bible of Schuyler’s family. It was amazing to learn that a bible was passed to different generations in his family. This tradition might have faded away because I’ve never seen that before. However, it would be could if there was a specific artifact that families today pass from generation to generation. The artifact would say a lot about a specific family and young kids will be able to have something that belonged to their ancestors.

After we went through all the rooms of the mansion, I was very astonished by the architecture and the furniture. Catherine had definitely a good taste.

Portrait of Alexander Hamilton

Schuyler had 15 children who 8 of them survived childhood. There were 5 girls who 4 of them eloped. Schuyler was not happy with this. The only daughter who did not eloped was Elizabeth who married Alexander Hamilton (shown above). Hamilton became very close to Schuyler.  Of Schuyler’s three sons, the youngest one developed a gambling problem. Due to this, Schuyler had to pay massive amounts of debts. The oldest one was in charge of some of Schuyler’s land business in Saratoga. The middle son grew up to be very successful. He became a very wealthy attorney. Schuyler’s middle son seems to be his favorite son due to the fact that Schuyler had two portraits of him.

Blockhouse

Bench at Still Water

We went to Blockhouse for lunch. After eating, we went inside the house where there was no furniture or nice architecture. However, the house itself is full of History.  For instance, in September of 1777, Schuyler made his first stand at the old military training station of Still Water which is where the blockhouse is located. In 1927, blockhouse is built for the 150^th anniversary of the battles of Saratoga. This house might be as simple as it is but it has a great history for North America.

Schuyler's House In Saratoga

After viewing and learning about the blockhouse, we went to Saratoga where we learned a little more about Schuyler’s life and the battles he fought. The picture above shows the house that Schuyler inherited from his family. This house is located in Saratoga and it was the place of many of the battles he fought against the British. British general John Burgoyne burned this house down which he thought will weaken the enemy. However, this did not cause a lots of trouble for Schuyler who was able to rebuild the house in 3 weeks.
The inside of the house seemed to me very simple. However, it might have been a very comfortable place since many of Schuyler’s friends stayed overnight. For instance, George Washington and his son-in-law alexander Hamilton. The house is very close to the Hudson River which I think marked it as a hot spot during the American Revolution. In addition, the Hudson was often used as a strategic highway to attack the enemy. Since many of the early settlers established themselves near from the Hudson River, it was easier for the British to attack. The British only had to follow the river to find their targets.

Peeble Island Resource Center

Peebles Island's Sign

Who would know that many of the furniture and paintings of the museums that we visited have been treated by an entire company?  In other words, many of the museums’ furniture and paintings have been through complex processes before being exposed in the museums. Peebles Island Resource Center is where old artifacts are stabilized or restored before being exposed to the public.

I see the relationship between Peebles Island Resource Center and museums as the relationship between an actress and her styler. Just like an styler takes care of an actress’s hair, Peebles Island Resource Center takes care of the quality  of old artifacts. Since the actresses are always expected to look fabulous, a styler always look for the best look for the actress. In some cases, a styler might only stabilized an actress’ hair by spraying it. In addition, the styler might also give the actress a new look by giving her a haircut. In almost the same way, Peebles Island Resource Center makes sure that the old historical artifacts look as stable or as new as possible for the public. Like a styler, this resource center makes sure that old artifacts look good for the public.
A process called restoration is used in order to make an old artifact look new.  The resource center in Peebles Island uses this method when museums ask for it. In many cases however, museums ask for another process called conversation which only make the artifacts stable. Through this method, the artifacts do not exactly look new but instead they are stabilized in a way that they can survive longer.

The picture above shows an example of both, restoration and conservation. The left painting was stabilized after having a big scratch in the left corner. The Conservationists worked on this for a large period of time. They used a technique that required dental floss. Through  this technique the two sides of the hole were pulled together. Even though the dental floss technique helped, there was still a big gap left. To fill this gap, the conservationists spent approximately 100 hours under a microscope threading every little micro fibril in order to close the gap. After that, the painting looked like it was previously. It does not look new but it looks stable which is what conservation is all about.

The painting on the right is a copy of the original one. This painting is not only a copy, but it is also a restored version of the original one. As compared with the one on the left, the painting on the right has more vivid colors. The woman’s face looks brighter as also does the red color in the background.  Clearly the original painting was not only copied but its colors were also restored.

Frames are also subjects of restoration. As the picture above shows, the frame on the table is being treated by one of the workers at Peebles Island Resource Center. She is making that frame look like new by attaching gold leaves to the spots that are deteriorating and becoming yellowish due to chemical reactions. The gold leaves they use are very expensive. However, they use them in a very efficient way. A package of gold leaves is approximately $800 and covers four frames.

Wooden Furniture

Material for Wooden Artifacts' Restoration

Wooden furniture also go through complex process in order to look new. A jelly substance is spread along the wooden furniture. This jelly substance makes the dirt on the furniture easier to remove. After the jelly is removed, the furniture is softly polish in order to remove any residual of dirt. After that, the furniture is then painted to its original color. And buala the wooden furniture looks new!

Church's Painting

 Museums collect and conserve old artifacts through restoration and conservation. In Frederic Church’s home, for instance, many of his paintings and furniture were restored or conserved by Peebles Island Resource Center. I was very surprised to see how old artifacts like olana’s were in such good condition. I have been able to see how some of the furniture that my mother bought when I was a little kid are deteriorating already. The picture above shows a Church's painting which will go through restoration very soon. The painting has a hole on the left which nobody knows with what it should fill out.  It was very interesting to know how old artifacts such as the one in Thomas cole’s house and Johnson Hall are kept in such a good condition for so long. Now when we go to a another museum I will not only see the history behind the exhibits but I will also see the hard work that many conservationists put in them, making the exhibits available to the public.Every old artifact that is conserved in a museum has a history. This is why conservatioists put so much effort into restoring or stabilizing them. This is the same case as the Hudson River. Probably, the Hudson River has more history than anything else. For instance, Henry Hudson came in the Half Moon and disembarked in the Hudson River where many of battles between the Iroquois and the Europeans took place. Later on, the Hudson River also plays a big role during the industrial revolution. During that time, the Hudson served as a form of transportation between north and south of New York. Just like the conservationists  in museums are trying to save old artifacts due to their historical value, the Hudson River must also be taken care of due to its historical and natural value.   

Biodiversity and Marble House

Representation of Biodiversity

Class with Professor Toby today definitely opened my mind more toward biodiversity. I heard the term biodiversity before and knew what it meant. However, I never paid too much attention to it. Professor Toby made us read an essay of almost 27 pages which explains the risks of losing biodiversity. After reading it, I perfectly understand the importance of biodiversity on earth.In class, we discussed the essay and highlighted the main points that stood out. The definition of biodiversity was one of the main points we discussed. After reading and discussing it, biodiversity is to me the variety of every organism that inhabits in an ecosystem. Almost every organism in an ecosystem has a function. Biodiversity helps an ecosystem to be in balance, which means that the species in that ecosystem can survive while sharing the ecosystem with others.  If an organism is removed, this could distort the balance of the whole ecosystem.  Around the world, many ecosystems have been distorted by removing only one species. For instance, due to the extinction of certain predators, there has been an overpopulation of their pries. By having an overpopulation, the pries then use all the resources around them which also affect other animals that live from the same resources. The pries might also die due to starvation. This shows how an ecosystem might be distorted by affecting its biodiversity.
Utilitarian and Intrinsic laws were also discussed in the essay and in class. Utilitarian law refers to the law that permit an organism to live due to its function in an ecosystem an in human’s life. For instance, many organisms, either plants or animals, are kept dormant due to their big role in our lives. Some of these organisms are cows, pigs, specific plants and bacteria used for medicine and others. Intrinsic law, on the other hand, allows an organism to live due to the simple fact that every organism has the right to live just like we do. It does not matter if an organism does not have a function in an ecosystem, it still possess the right to live. Both of these laws help to reduce the loss of biodiversity.

Representation of Biodiversity

The loss of biodiversity can definitely have a great impact in the lives of many people. For instances, by removing butterflies from a community, the plants in this community might not be able to reproduce because they need butterflies to do so. Since these plants are not able to reproduce, they then are at risk of extinction.  As a result, the organisms living from this plants might also be at risk. Bacteria that feed from this plant could also be risk. Consequently, scientists could have a hard time creating antibiotics that come from this type of bacteria which is now at risk. Thus many ill people in need of antibiotics might suffer due to the distortion of an ecosystem. This and many other examples show the importance of biodiversity.

Desk at Marble House

Later in the afternoon, we visited the Marble House in Second Street. This house was built in 1825 and it belonged to three different families. The house now belonged to Rensselaer County Historical Society (RCHS).  This society keeps the marble house as a historical place.
The lamps of the house attracted my attention the most.  There was a different type of lamp in every room. These lamps ornate the rooms and give them a wonderful look. I do not like big, old houses. However, I would not mind to live in the Marble House. The way the house is decorated makes me feel like I was in the home I always wanted. I believe that the three different families that lived in this house gave the house a little bit of their own background and culture. This is why the house to me looked a little multi-cultural. The wall of the main hall was painted like a paradise which looked very classic. Meanwhile, the furniture were very elegant which made the house seemed like it was owned by very wealthy people. On the other hand, the big spaces that were between the furniture made the house look very simple. As a result, the house looked very classic, elegant and simple, all at the same time which are the qualities I loved the most.

Burden Iron Company

Burden Iron Company

Old Railroad Sample

Today we visited the burden Iron House. Here is where many iron creation took place during the industrialization period in Troy. Knowing that Troy was one of the places where industrialization was early introduced, visiting one of the actual house where industrialized equipment were built was a fascinating experience.
The picture above shows the office of Henry Burden who owned the Burden Iron Company. This building was built in 1882 and designed by the architect Robert H. Robertson. The building did not always belong to the Burden family as neither did the actual company. In 1940, the company was sold to The Republic Steel Corporation. As explained in the tour by the executive Director, Michael Barret, there was always conflicts in the iron business. At this time of the history, when everybody wanted to make profit and thrive, iron companies often suited each other. Not only the companies, but also the family members who worked at the companies suited and competed with each other. As Barret explained, there were always cases in the court involving iron production. The company stopped belonging to the Burden family probably because there was too much competition and conflict within the Burden iron company itself.

Water Wheel 

Even though there was a lots of competition and conflict between iron companies during the industrialization period, Henry Burden made many fascinating inventions which made its business thrive. For instance, he created the water wheel which is known to be the most powerful water wheel in the history. This water wheel device was used to produce energy which was then used to empower other machines in the company. To be concise and fair, Henry Burden did not come up with the idea of a big giant wheel by himself. Instead, he took the idea from his wife who saw him struggling with five small water wheels.  As a result, his wife, using common sense, told him that instead of having five small water wheels, he should have one big one. Listening to the old ways of how people made electricity made think of how fast humans are advancing. In Burden case, for instance, they used energy created from water wheels while today the water treatment plant made fourty percent of its energy by burning bio solids. It is amazing to see how the people have created different alternatives to create energy overtime. 

Horseshoes

The water wheel was not the only extraordinary device created by Henry Burden, he also created a machine that could make 60 horseshoe in just one minute. The rate by which this machine worked was extremely fast since many of the horseshoe machine by that time took at least one or two hours to make one to five horseshoe. With his inventions Henry Burden definitely changed the course of the iron companies. He did not share his ideas. However, they were stolen by other companies. Even though Henry Burden suited other iron companies for stealing his ideas, they probably ended up doing good profits.

Even though Michael Barret, who was giving us the tour at the Iron house, made some sexist comments multiple times, I enjoyed the tour. Troy definitely is a remarkable place to live in. it has history in every aspect. A big comment that Professor Toby made was that while the Burdon Iron Company was becoming very prosperous, the Hudson River was becoming very contaminated. Since back to those days, there was no law that protected the river, companies like the Burden Iron house could throw in the river whatever they wanted. And so they did. They took water from the Hudson and threw it back into the river after they used it. In addition, big companies like Burden’s did not only affect the river but they affected the whole environment around them.  These companies produced massive amount of carbon dioxide which is considered to be harmful to the earth. As a result, today we are paying the price of carbon.

City Hall and Albany Capitol Building

City Hall

Today we visited Albany which is full of buildings with wonderful architectures. We admired many of these buildings while Professor Musial gave us a brief summary of their history. The building that impressed me the most was the City Hall. The picture above shows a side view of the building. As the picture shows, the building has a large number of windows in the upper floor. The arches in the windows give the building a roman look. In addition, the building is made of rocks which contributes to a rough look. The big tower which is 202 feet tall has carillon which are bells that can be heard miles away.

Being so impressed by the architecture of the City Hall, I decided to do a little research about it. This magnificent building was designed by Henry Hobson who was a really famous architect back in the days. The construction of the building culminated in 1883. However, the carillon was not partially built until 1926 by William Gorham Rice’s fundraiser. Rice suggested the carillon as a monument to the soldiers who died in World War I.  Thanks to William Rice and other 25,000 citizens, the money to build the carillon was obtained. By 1927, a year later, the carillon was completely built. The building does not only have a beautiful architecture but it also represents the affection that regular citizens have for those who served the country. Every time that the carillon are played, people who know the story behind carillon will remember those that died in World War I and maybe any other war.

Label on City Hall's Wall

This carillon is one of the few owned by the government. It contains 49 bells which each creates a unique sound. The carillon is controlled by a carillonneur who uses a handle wooden keyboard. This Keyboard controls each bells and so the carilloneur has the control of each bell. It is amazing to know that artifacts like this one are still in use. Today City Hall is place for government offices. This beautiful building was claimed to be one of the most beautiful in the U.S.

Capitol Building 

Ceilings 

 The Albany Capitol Building also possess an amazing architecture.  It has been pointed as one of the biggest and most beautiful senate buildings in the country. The building was not designed by one architect. Instead, the design of the building passed along different architects who created their own design. As a result, the inside of the building has completely different designs which I think gives the place the amazing look. Since the building was designed by different architects in different periods of time, one can find a whole variety of architecture in the building. For instance, I noticed that the design of the ceiling was different in almost every floor.  Maybe if the building was built by only one architect, the ceilings would have been almost the same or completely the same. However in every floor the ceiling as well as the floor has a different design.

Elevator

The door of the elevator was so impressing that every time it opened I felt I was going to go to a paradise.  As the picture above shows, the door of the elevator is arched which I related with Romans and how they were a powerful and wealthy empire in Europe. In the same way, the arches of the elevator’s doors as well as the arches in the windows and doors give the Albany capitol building a powerful and wealthy look. This powerful and wealthy look represented in the architecture of this building also represents the state of New York which is often referred to as the Empire State.

Bannerman Island

Today we visited Bannerman Island which is located across the Hudson River in Newburgh. I enjoyed the boat ride as I always do. The wall of the castle shown in the picture above is the first view that I had once I disembarked. This part of the castle and the rest of the island have an amazing history that I never heard of.

Originally Bannerman Island was called Pollepel Island. Its name was later changed by Frank Bannerman who bought the island exclusively for his arsenal business.  Frank Bannerman was born in 1851 in Scotland. He later came to America with his father who sold goods at navy auction. Bannerman followed the same kind of business as his father. He sold war supplies to the government. As a result, he became a very prosperous man. His business was founded in 1865 in Brooklyn as “Bannerman’s.”  During the Spanish war, he decided to buy Pollepel Island where he stored all his business goods. Once he bought the island, he started constructing the buildings that today are history. He was not an architect. However, he drew how he wanted the buildings to look like. Consequently, the buildings that we saw today, were not only the temporary home and business place of Bannerman, but they were also part of his imagination. Their new home was finalized in 1901, year they moved in.

Before and After of  Bannerman's Castle

After all the triumph that Bannerman reached, he died of a gallbladder disease which by that time was hard to treat. Sadly two years before he died, the building where the ammunition was exploded due to unknown reasons. The explosion was so strong that it felt across the river. In addition, it broke the upper windows of the castle. Due to that the family felt discontent for the loss of Bannerman, they neglected the island and thus it became deteriorated. Since no one replaced the broken windows, this became the first cause of the deterioration of the castle. Later after everybody had moved out of the island, the castle got fire which lasted for three days. This big fire caused the floors to come down and weakened the structure of the building even more. The bad weather also contributed to the deterioration of the wonderful castle constructed by Frank Bannerman. NYS Environmental Protection Fund which, now owns this historical island, is definitely making a good effort maintaining the remains of a building that is older than a century. The left picture above shows the castle years ago before being exposure to many catastrophic events. While catastrophic events started to occur such as the explosion, the big fire, the bad weather and others, the castle started to deteriorate to become what it is today, shown in the right picture above. If it was not for the big metal poles supporting the wall of the castle, the castle would have been knock down by the bad winter that we just had. 

View of the Hudson from Bannerman Island

 

Boat Ride in Lake George

Today

Today was the perfect day for a boat ride. After we all ate breakfast done by Michael and Toby, we went to the RPI Biology lab which in the backyard has a dock that leads you to Lake George. From the backyard, we could see a beautiful scenery of Lake George. The rocks, the calm water, the green and big mountains and the light blue sky all contributed to the wonderful landscape. While in the boat, we were told about amazing facts about Lake George. One of the fact that surprised me was that Lake George was actually divided into two different Lake. It is astonishing to know that lakes can come together. This fact makes me wonder if people drowned when the lakes rose in order to come together. It also makes me wonder if that is ever going to happen with other lakes, and how bad that would affect the population around those specific lakes.

The good thing about the lakes coming together and forming Lake George is that the proportion of water to land is bigger. Lake George has a greater amount of water than amount of land surrounding it. Due to this, less people can live around the lake in comparison with other lakes. Since there is less people around it, there is a less level of contamination. As a result, the lake is very clean and unpolluted. The RPI Biology lab workers go constantly into the lake where they are able to find different types of plants and other specimens. In addition, they take examples of water from different parts of the lake to determine what the ph is and study it for further analysis.I never expected to find a RPI building as far as George Lake town. The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is definitely a very large college.