This was a busy fall here at the Gateway, crowned by our fabulous Gala honoring Tom and Nan Carroll. At their urging, we are launching a campaign to increase our endowment. We are also making progress on the interior renovation of the Burden Iron Works Museum and on relocating the steam engine and dynamo from the old Ludlow Valve site in Troy to the museum grounds. The transition from current Executive Director Michael Barrett to new Executive Director Susan Ouellette should be completed by the end of the year. The series of virtual Eventbrite lectures by Michael on Troy local and industrial history topics will resume in January. Finally, we are launching a new feature: a longer article on an important and interesting local industrial history theme. We are inaugurating this initiative with an article on Troy’s iconic gasholder building.

Gala Honoring Tom and Nan Carroll a Huge Success

Our thanks go out to all who made our October 20 Gala honoring former Gateway Executive Director P. Thomas Carroll, Ph.D., and his wife Nan our most successful ever. A large group of friends and admirers of Tom and Nan, including Henry Burden descendants Ada Gates Patton and Elizabeth Burden Wilson, crowded the Franklin Terrace ballroom in Troy to honor them and reminisce over their long service to the Gateway. An emotional Tom related the highlights of his tenure as executive director, which included fixing broken heating pipes at the Burden Iron Works Museum, bringing the Farmers Market to Troy, saving the Burden Woodside Church, and securing nearly $1 million in funding for the first stage of renovations to the Burden Iron Works Museum. New York State Assemblyman – and former Cohoes mayor – John McDonald recalled his work with Tom on the old RiverSpark Heritage Area. In addition to proclamations of thanks from the City of Troy, US Congressman Paul Tonko, the New York State Assembly and Senate and Rensselaer County Legislature, Tom and Nan received several gifts of a more personal nature, including a stained-glass image of the Gateway logo made by Gateway President Fred Alm, jewelry for Nan created by Gateway Board Member Mary Wheeler, and a view of the mid-19th century Troy waterfront painted by noted local artist Len Tantillo. After discussing the fragile state of Gateway finances in the early years, Tom and Nan used the occasion of the Gala to launch a campaign to strengthen the Gateway’s endowment – and made the inaugural donation of $5,000. Several other friends also made endowment donations that night. Our Winter newsletter will have further details on the endowment challenge. The Gala also served to acknowledge the end of current Executive Director Michael Barrett’s tenure and introduce his successor Dr. Susan Ouellette.

Next Phase of Museum Interior Renovation Moves Forward

We previously reported that the stripping of lead paint from the plaster walls in the museum had been completed by Sage Brothers Painting of Troy. We are now pleased to announce that the Gateway recently signed a contract with local historic plaster company Peter Poulin & Sons Inc. to repair the plaster walls. This work is expected to begin before the end of the year. Sage Brothers will then return to paint the walls in their historic colors, this time with non-lead-based paints. We are still waiting to hear from the New York State Historic Preservation Office regarding the release of funds from our 2017 Environmental Preservation Fund grant to enable us to move ahead with additional interior and exterior renovation projects at the museum.

Concrete Pad for Steam Engine to be Poured Soon

Last spring, the Gateway purchased for $1 from the City of Troy the remains of a steam engine, flywheel, and electric generator located at the now City-owned site of the former Ludlow Valve Manufacturing Co. and the earlier Rensselaer Iron Works on the Hudson River near the Poestenkill. We continue to work on the steps required to move these artifacts to the grounds of the Burden Iron Works Museum for display. This project took a major step forward recently when we signed a contract with local construction company Duncan & Cahill, Inc. to pour the 18’ by 21’ concrete pad on which the equipment will be displayed. The pour should take place before the end of the year. We continue to pursue interest from riggers for the next stage of the project, moving the equipment to the museum site and installing it. We estimate that the equipment weighs at least 50 tons, so this will be a big job.

Future site of Steam engine, flywheel and electtric generator near HMIG Museum

Smooth Transition to Next Executive Director Expected

Our next executive director, Dr. Susan Ouellette, is completing her move from Vermont to the Capital Region. She attended our recent Gala and has been consulting with current Executive Director Michael Barrett. We expect Susan to officially take over as executive director in December.

Eventbrite Lecture Series to Resume

Gateway Executive Director Michael Barrett presented several virtual industrial history and local history lectures this summer before the program was paused due to the need for him to focus on other Gateway priorities. Michael has agreed to re-start the lecture series in January 2022 after his tenure as executive director concludes. As before, the lectures will be offered through Zoom. The Gateway uses Eventbrite for reservations and payments. The fee is $5 for Gateway members and $10 for nonmembers. The program and sign-up instructions will be posted on our web site and sent out via e-mail to our distribution list. If you would like to be added to this list, please email info@hudsonmohawkgateway.org.

Troy Gasholder House

Probably Troy’s most iconic remaining industrial building, the gasholder house was built by the Troy Gas Light Company in 1873 and is one of just a few of these structures still standing. It was also one of the subjects of the first survey conducted by the Historic American Engineering Record, and the half-cutaway drawing of the building created for the HAER survey was selected as the logo for the Society for Industrial Archeology. For more fascinating details, see the article here. It was written by Gateway Board Member Suzanne Spellen for her website Spellenoftroy.com, and is used with her permission.

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Newsletter - Fall 2021