The Village of Middleburgh is a Troy treasure that few realize exist. At the end of the 18th century, the Vanderheyden's decided to subdivide their farms into building lots. Matthias owned land from Division Street to the Poestenskill. Jacob D. owned land from Division to Grand Division (now simply Grand). Jacob I. owned land from Grand Division to the Piscawen Kill (near Ingalls Avenue).

Jacob I. lived in a small wood frame house between Hoosick and Vanderheyden Streets, now a parking lot for the Hedley Office Building. Around 1812, he hired a surveyor to lay out some lots and streets and formed the Village of Middleburgh. The borders of this village consisted of North Street on the south, 8th Street on the east, Douw and about 10 lots north of it on the north, and the Hudson River to the west.

Streets laid out included Middleburgh, Canal (now Ingalls) and Douw (although not named). River Street was called Mount and Fifth Avenue was Rear Street. President Street was east of River, and west of President - between Ingalls and Middleburgh - was Store Street. The section of River Street that angles from North to Ingalls is the original route of the River Road that went from the original founder Dirck Vanderheyden's house to Hoosick, one of the first roads in Rensselaer County.

The Piscawenkill flowed from the SW corner of 5th Ave and Douw west to and through River Street, then meandered from Douw to Ingalls flowing out at the base of Ingalls into the river. It's currently piped and part of the sewer system. Unawatts Castle, a Mohican village was located somewhere near this confluence.

The little village didn't waste time growing into an industrial center. In 1823, the State created a 114 x 30 foot sloop lock, with a 111 foot long, 9 foot high dam at the foot of Ingalls. It became the entrance (or terminus) for the new Champlain Canal. It didn't take long for enterprising Trojans to tap into that water supply. They dug a hydraulic canal to supply water power for a number of early Troy industries beginning at Ingalls running south along the western side of River Street to North Street.

In 1837, Oliver Boutwell built a two story mill. He ground flour, wheat, rye, oats, corn, and Nova Scotia Plaster. One of his buyers was Minnesota's Charles Pilsbury. In 1854, A & W Orr & Co erected the Troy Paper Mill. Orr made wall paper and is reported to have been the first to print designs using revolving pattern cylinders. The Crystal Palace Mill to the south of it was purchased by John Manning in 1883 to make manila paper. Other industries followed including the Connors Paint Company with their "American Seal Paint." Even the collar industry was here in the form of Searle, Gardner & Co. These mills were powered by turbines located in their basements and you can still see the water exit tunnels at low tide along the river.

A portion of the area from 6th, Middleburgh and 8th was taken up by the Troy & Boston (later Boston and Maine) Railroad, as they developed the area into repair yards. The old round house is still visible at Middleburgh Street and is currently used by Troy Boiler. Up until the 1950s, you could see hundreds of train cars and engines going in and out of the yards. A large iron viaduct carried people and passenger cars over the yards connecting 8th to 6th Avenues.

As Trojans bought up lots and built homes and businesses, Middleburgh grew into a thriving community. You can still this socioeconomic diversity in the existing architectural styles that range from worker's housing to ornate Victorian mansions throughout the area.

On the southern border of the village and rising 100 feet above sea level is Mt. Olympus, a large rock outcrop named for Troy's classical genesis. In 1823, W. D. Vanderheyden built an octagonal building on top and served cordials with a great view of the new sloop lock and a growing city of Troy to the south. It burned on February 13, 1830. Later, during the middle 19th century, and up until 1989, Wheeler Brothers Iron and Brass Foundry made thousands of cast products. The foundry building is now a used car lot. In recent times, Fifth Avenue was cut through Mt Olympus. Finally, North First Street, the last remaining native cobble street in Troy runs across the Mount's western front.

Why was it named Middleburgh? It was the village between Lansingburgh to the north and Vanderheyden (Troy) to the south. Eventually the little village was absorbed into "greater" Troy. Now you know the rest of the story.