By revolutionary war times there were about a dozen people living in the Troy area. If you lived here at the time all roads led to Troy - sort of. Actually, there were only two roads and they both ended at the house of Derrick Vanderheyden at the corner of present day Ferry and River.

One road went north following most of the course of present day River Street, and then split with one end continuing north into Pleasantdale, and the other went east up to Schagticoke. North First Street from King Street to North Street follows this path today and may be the only original part of this historic road left.

The second road from Vanderheyden's house went northeast to Hoosick.

For years, Vanderheyden or tenants he leased to ran a ferry here and it was the only way to cross the river. Farmers from the Bought area (Cohoes) just west of here found it easier to bring their produce here instead of Albany or Lansingburgh. But there were other markets in Vermont and Massachusetts and beyond that would prove profitable to whoever monopolized that trade with good roads.

Elkanah Watson helped stir up the issue of road improvements in the entire Capital District region. Watson, an Albanian who believed in good infrastructure was a supporter of the growing turnpike movement - toll roads owned by corporations. The turnpike idea wasn't new. Britain first authorized a toll-road in 1663, and "turnpike mania" swept England from about 1750 to 1772.

When a turnpike organizer in Albany couldn't get public interest aroused, Watson wrote a series of articles in the Troy and Albany newspapers baiting each other. In the Albany paper he chastised the readers for letting Lansingburgh and Troy attempt to monopolize the northern trade at their expense. In the Troy paper he encouraged Trojans to build a turnpike connecting to Schenectady on the west to compete with Albany. Additional articles finally produced the desired effect. Albanians were jealous and fearful that Troy would steal all the northern trade and the Schenectady Turnpike Company was created. Lansingburgh wasn't sleeping either.

In 1799, Albany developed the Great Western Turnpike (present Western Avenue). Lansingburgh followed with the Northern Turnpike (starting at the southwest corner of 124th St and 4th Ave), and directly across from Albany in Rensselaer the Eastern Turnpike and Rensselaer - Columbia (originally called the Albany-Columbia in 1798) Turnpikes were created.

By 1805, there were several turnpikes radiating out from the Albany and Troy area.

Troy finally created the Troy -Schenectady Turnpike in 1802 and Albany followed with the Albany and Schenectady Turnpike also in 1802, and the Albany-Delaware in 1805.

Whatever Albany did Troy was to follow - or vice versa.

Although New York was almost last in terms of States promoting the Turnpike (New York's full adoption of the turnpike plan came only with its General Law in 1807), the infrastructure for trade routes, along with river transportation, was now in place for the Capital District region.

Turnpikes, however, were not the financial windfall that supporters thought they would be and most were unprofitable, not to mention unwelcome by local citizenry (often using free roads called "shun-pikes" to get around the toll gates).

From 1797 through 1846, 449 turnpike companies were incorporated in New York State but the number of those turnpike companies that actually built roadway and collected tolls was only 165. Even the shortlive boom of plank roads between 1846 and 1853 didn't help (5th Avenue in the Burgh was a plank road).

Water routes (Hudson River and the Erie Canal) and later Steam (Steam power boats and trains) would kill the turnpikes eventually, but these two factors would help Troy stand out from the rest.

You can still find remnants of the toll roads in the area since they were marked by stone mile markers showing you how far you were from your destination. There is a great Northern Turnpike marker on your way to Schagitcoke (corner of Rt 40 and Fogarty Rd, Speigletown). The Delaware Turnpike (Delaware Avenue) in Albany to New Scotland has several of their mile stones still in place.

A toll house was located at both ends of the toll roads and here you paid a toll, normally a few cents. All of the toll houses in the Capital District are gone.

When the movement to build bridges began, they also charged tolls, and this practice was still in effect in the early part of the 20th century. Many old timers tell me they paid to walk across the old Green Island bridge. Of course any of you who drive down the Thruway know that some ideas, no matter how good or bad, never die.