Many of you know that the city of Albany is celebrating a big 350th anniversary this year. It was on April 10th, 1652 that the official directive was given establishing the government of the Village of Beverwyck. A year long series of events have been taking place to commemorate this anniversary. We skeptics are a bit puzzled at all this celebration when it appears that the city's policy - especially when it finds important archaeological sites of that same period - is to bury them with office buildings and parking facilities. I guess the attitude is let's celebrate it but don't ask us to save any of this stuff!

A couple of years ago, Albany historian John Wolcott and yours truly penned a new Albany Plan of Preservation, modeled after Ben Franklin's Albany Plan of 1754. History buffs will recall that Ben met in Albany on Broadway with representatives of all the colonies and the League of the Iroquois (at their request) to form one speaking voice, in effect, creating the "United" States of America. Ok, our plan wasn't as far reaching but we felt the city did indeed need some plan to address the mess they kept getting into - that is finding very important archaeological sites after plans have been finalized for office buildings and parking garages. We thought we would show the city, at no charge, how to have their cake and eat it too. The mayor told me he read our plan. Well at least we accomplished that!

Part of our plan called for the establishment of a Beverwyck Archaeological Park and we still think it's a great idea. What is known today as the D&H Plaza at the intersection of Broadway and State was, at one time before 1914, very much the heart of early Albany. Much earlier in the 17th to early 19th century, the Dutch Church sat in the middle of the street and small Dutch gabled houses surrounded it on all sides, down Broadway and up and down State (lower State no longer exists). That section of Albany evolved through to the 19th-20th centuries, and in 1913 15, the entire area was demolished to construct the D&H building and plaza in front of it. Broadway was much narrower than today.

The archaeological park would consist of all the area in front of the D&H building and up to the original line of Broadway. What's under there? Well probably the foundations of many of the earliest Albany settlers. That includes the Stadt Huys ("City House"). This building was the center for Albany's regional government which included Albany, Schenectady, Niskayuna, Half Moon, Catskill, and Kinderhook and was created when the British administration took over the area in 1664. Also called the "Coenings Huys," or "King's House." To the Mohawk, and likely the Mohicans, it was very important because it was the locale for many of their conferences with colonial officials. The leader of the Maquaas (Mohawk) made a speech in this house in 1689 at the opening of the King Williams War, when the English were seeking their alliance against the French. Oh yeah, it's where Ben Franklin gave his "Plan" in the rebuilt and enlarged building of 1740.

Also buried there is Peter Schuyler's House. Schuyler bought the house in 1679 and was the first mayor of Albany under the charter of 1686. What else? Probably three of the defensive walls that protected Albany - the plank wall of 1659, and the stockades of 1698 and 1756 and others in between, as well as the South Gate of the Stockade, probably c. 1671. Also there were two 17th century houses of William Loveridge, Master Hatter. The northern one was converted to, or replaced by a brew house by the end of the century. Also Jochim Wessels, the Baker (in back of his house were held illegal Lutheran services that were banned by Peter Stuyvasant), and Jurriaem Teunisse, the Glassmaker, to name a few.

The entire plaza could be excavated to reveal these sites and others and could be totally enclosed, similar to the museum in Montreal. Additionally, this could be connected to the area south of it where portions of the original Fort Orange probably survive under Broadway, and there is even the chance that some of the earliest houses that were built right outside the Fort are there.

The result? A world famous heritage tourist attraction. Now, if you think our idea is far fetched, there is another one floating out there, more destructive than productive. It's a canal running in front of the D&H building taking up all of Broadway. There is one thing I'm sure of and that's Albany ain't no Venice.