2023 Path Through History County-wide Event: Drive, Walk, or Bike on October 7

 

ACCESS UPDATE: Please drive to Ten Broeck Place (3rd Street) to access the parking lot.

There is construction work being done by the City of Albany affecting Livingston Avenue.  Thank you for your understanding.

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Choose your path through history! Join the Albany County Historical Association | Ten Broeck Mansion in celebrating Path Through History on Saturday October 7 from 11 am -4 pm.

Join us for an exploration of the rich and diverse history of Albany County by choosing your path to explore. New for 2023: two driving choices: “Flatts” and “Hilltowns” plus Albany-based walking tour option and biking option.

Themes we are exploring in 2023 as we explore Albany as a crossroads of identity:

  • A Revolutionary People (Revolutionary War, Reform, Abolition)
  • Education
  • Women’s Lives
  • Immigration, Ethnicity & Identity

How to participate:

1) Register for the tour. (please keep reading below video)

2) Plan your day! We suggest starting your tour at the Ten Broeck Mansion but you may start at any historic site along the route. Each historic site will have special free programs during the tour time from 11 am- 4 pm.

Register to receive a link to the maps.

  • Albany County Historical Association | Ten Broeck Mansion, Albany NY
  • Albany Rural Cemetery, Menands NY
  • Altamont Archives & Museum, Altamont NY
  • American Italian Heritage Association & Museum, Albany NY
  • Historical Society of the Town of Colonie (Schuyler Flatts), Colonie NY
  • Huyck Preserve and Biological Research Station, Rensselaerville NY
  • Irish American Heritage Museum, Albany NY
  • Knox Historical Society Museum, Knox NY
  • Rensselaerville Historical Society, Rensselaerville NY
  • Town of Bethlehem Historical Association, Bethlehem NY
  • Van Schaick Mansion, Cohoes NY
  • Village of Altamont Archives and Museum, Altamont NY (slightly off driving route)
  • New Scotland Historical Association, Voorheesville NY

4) Special events at the Ten Broeck Mansion from 11 am -4 pm (park in our free Livingston Avenue lot – entrance off Ten Broeck Place/3rd Street):

For Families:

  • Free full-length tours1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm (pre-registration recommended via our tours page).
  • Free walk-through tours from 11 am -4 pm.
  • Meet historians and history organizations: Rapp Road Historical Association, Friends of the Pruyn House, and African American Archives of Columbia County from 11 am-4 pm
  • Free family art kits & self-guided garden discovery tours
  • Ten Broeck Museum Shop open 11am – 4 pm: books & fine locally made artisan goods

For adults: History Presentations at King’s Place (on Ten Broeck Mansion campus): on the hour (schedule TBA) – free

Albany as Crossroads: Identity, Race & Ethnicity in Albany County

  • 12 pm: Kathryn Kosto, ACHA “Albany Crossroads: Mapping Family History through Topography in Albany Cty”
  • 1 pm: Lisa Smith, “African American Archive of Columbia County: Albany & Columbia County Intersect”
  • 2 pm: Aaron Bradt, ACHA, “Building Family Stories: ACHA’s Community Digitization Outreach Program”
  • 3 pm: Dr. Maeve Kane, SUNY Albany, “The women of the fur trade: how clothing and gender created race and nation in early New York”

Safety Practices & Suggestions:

New for 2023: two driving choices: “Flatts” and “Hilltowns” plus a walking tour option and biking option. Keep in mind that if you wish to visit each site, you will need to pace yourself!

Maps are here:

  • 2023 The Flatts ACHA Path Through History Map (about 1 hour total driving)
  • 2023 The Hills ACHA Path Through History Map (about 2 hours total driving)
  • Walking (about 30 minutes total walking)
  • Biking (about 1 1/2 hours total biking)
  • You may visit all of the sites or choose to visit a few sites and have a more in-depth experience.
  • Wear comfortable walking or hiking shoes – many historic and natural sites have uneven walkways.
  • Use your GPS/phone to set the directions for the next stop, following the recommended route on our map.
  • Drive carefully: bring a friend to help navigate. Never text or re-set your phone while driving.
  • The tour passes private property & private historic homes and farms. Enjoy the view but do not park on or visit private sites.
  • Bring your own lunch to enjoy at select sites or stop at the many roadside farmstands or restaurants along the way. Shop local!
  • Keep Albany County beautiful. Practice “leave no trace.”
  • Programs are free, but donations are appreciated to help all of the historic sites continue their important work.