Finding the Adirondacks in Albany
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Looking to the Adirondacks from Albany, we can learn much about members of the Pruyn family and many other notable figures who influenced the Adirondack region as well. In the mid-19th-century, garden cemeteries like the Albany Rural Cemetery borrowed designs that took a picturesque form, with tree-lined, meandering paths, stonework, and curated plantings. These cemeteries were meant to be appreciated on foot or through a carriage ride. Founded in 1841, Albany Rural Cemetery serves as the resting place of many famous Adirondack names, including the Pruyns of Santanoni and Ebenezer Emmons, the geologist who reportedly named the Adirondack Mountains. We will also visit for the first time the historic ca. 1830 “country home” of Casparus Pruyn, the grandfather of Camp Santanoni founder Robert C. Pruyn and a central land and business agent for prominent landowner Stephen Van Rensselaer III. Here, we will learn about the deeper roots of the Pruyn presence in Albany and get a glimpse at the more urbane architecture that defined the family’s city life before establishing the Santanoni Preserve. We will experience this stately home and its surrounding property containing the restored 19th century Buhrmaster Barn and the 1910 Verdoy Schoolhouse.
This outing is led by Albany Rural Cemetery Media Communications Coordinator and Cemetery Historian Paula Lemire, as well as Site Administrator Tami Sherry and Board President Mary Smith from the Pruyn House. The tour begins at 10 AM and ends at 3 PM.
The fee is $50 for AARCH, Preservation League of NYS, and Historic Albany Foundation members and $60 for non-members.
Please note that this tour includes about 2.5 miles of walking over mostly flat terrain.