It is safe to say that history was on my mind when I began this blog. One of my favorite books throughout the years has been Cuyler Reynolds' Albany Chronicles. A sprawling, comprehensive account of the city (and environs) from its earliest days to 1906. Note the full original title:
There are brilliant, narrative passages about life on one of America's first frontiers, as well as soporific little snoozers about land deals and excise duties on the Hudson. There are commentaries designed to elevate Albany's stature in the eyes of the nation, as well as goofy asides about unruly cattle almost certain to betray the fact that New York's capital city had its fair share of slow news cycles. Whatever your pleasure, the juicy gossip of yesteryear has ripened with time, yielding a fine vintage.
I will try - as I have been doing with Borland - to highlight passages that are particularly illuminating. Take these excerpts on the Schenectady Massacre:
Even today I find textbooks that render this episode as having been solely initiated by the Indians, an example of lazy scholarship that swallows whole the various Eurocentric versions of the event. And how about that language? With phrases like "blood-besmeared" and "riped open" [sic], we should question whether our evening newscasts are really so shocking and mercenary after all.
Lastly, you'll notice that the fleeing victims had given up Schenectady for lost. For those of you who don't live around here, the promise of reinforcements from Kinderhook, Claverack, and Kingston would hardly be cause for optimism. Google Maps can show you how far each of these places were (and are).
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