Lansingburgh, New York

Lansingburgh was the first chartered village in Rensselaer County, New York, USA and was settled around 1763. The name is from Abraham Lansing, an early settler, combined with the Scottish word burgh.

Lansingburgh was founded in 1807 from part of the "Town of Troy" and Town of Petersburgh. The size was increased in 1819 with more land from the Town of Schaghticoke, again in 1836 with another part of Troy, and in 1839 with part of the Town of Brunswick.

Chester A. Arthur (1829–1886), 21st President of the United States, born in Fairfield, Vermont, spent part of his youth in Lansingburgh. Author Herman Melville wrote his first two novels in Lansingburgh. He resided at what is now known as the Herman Melville House from 1838 to 1847 and it serves as headquarters of the Lansingburgh Historical Society.^[1] Children’s author Mary Louise Peebles (1833–1915) was born, raised and died in Lansingburgh.^[2]

Lansingburgh was the site of the Lansingburgh Academy. The Academy building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.^[3] The Powers Home, built in 1846, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and the Lansingburgh Village Burial Ground in 2002.^[3]

In 1900, Lansingburgh became part of the City of Troy.

Lansingburgh has its own school district and post office, but police, fire, and public works are part of the City of Troy.

Further reading

Rensselaer County histories

• Anderson, George Baker (1897). Landmarks of Rensselaer County New York. Syracuse, New York: D. Mason and Company. OCLC 1728151. http://www.archive.org/stream/landmarksofrenss00ande#page/n5/mode/2up. 
• Hayner, Rutherford (1925). Troy and Rensselaer County New York: A History. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc. OCLC 22524006. 
• Sylvester, Nathaniel Bartlett (1880). History of Rensselaer Co., New York with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia: Everts & Peck. OCLC 3496287. 
• Weise, Arthur James (1880). History of the Seventeen Towns of Rensselaer County from the Colonization of the Manor of Rensselaerwyck to the Present Time. Troy, New York: J. M. Francis & Tucker. OCLC 6637788. http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924064123015#page/n5/mode/2up. 

Troy histories

• Rittner, Don (2002). Troy, NY: A Collar City History. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0738523682. http://books.google.com/books?id=36IWs6w6tZMC&source=gbs_navlinks_s. 
• City of Troy (1906). Charter of and laws relating to the city of Troy: as amended at the close of the legislative session of 1906. Troy Observer Co. http://books.google.com/books?id=UO9EAAAAYAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s. 
• Weise, Arthur James (1886). The city of Troy and its vicinity. Troy, New York: Edward Green. http://books.google.com/books?id=J1wVAAAAYAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s. 
• Weise, Arthur James (1891). Troy's one hundred years, 1789–1889. Troy, New York: William H. Young. http://books.google.com/books?id=O5ZHAAAAYAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s. 

References

External links

• Lansingburgh Historical Society website
• Early history of Lansingburgh, NY