What Ever Happened to President Park?

by Don Rittner

In 1845, a city map showed the entire city block bounded by Madison, Monroe, Second, and First Streets laid out and labelled as President Park. Rows of single family house lots faced all along the perimeter of the park.

It’s not surprising that this park would be named ‘President.’ Most of the east-west running streets that comprise South Troy were named after previous U.S. Presidents: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson, Van Buren, Harrison, Tyler, and Polk.

Situated almost in the middle of South Troy, President Park no doubt was designed to accommodate a projected rise in housing and influx of Trojans --21,709 lived here in 1845, almost doubling 15 years later.

Perhaps, it was symbolic of an attitude that working people needed open space too. Afterall, the smaller, but very private Washington Park laid out in 1840, was located just four blocks north of it. However, there does not seem to be much of a history associated with President Park and today it doesn’t even exist. Maybe it never did!

Unfortunately, whether this park was ever officially opened or used has evaded my research so far. In 1929, Rutherford Hayner made a passing comment about it, and not a very flattering one either.

Troy’s open space or parks movement began early with the founding of the village. On May 10, 1796, Jacob D. Vanderheyden gave to the village of Troy three lots for use as a public square that today comprise present day Sage Park on Congress between First and Second Streets.

However, since the Burgh was annexed to the city in 1900, the earliest Park now on record is the Village Green that Jacob A. Lansing donated to the village of Lansingburgh on July 4, 1793. It’s located at 112th Street.

These two plots were not parks as we think of them today since Vanderheyden also allowed the "erecting of a public schoolhouse or academy if judged proper by the inhabitants". Likewise, the original Lansingburgh Academy was built on the Village Green in the Burgh.

It would take more than 80 years before a dedicated park system was developed in the city. Prior to that, citizens would utilize public cemeteries like Oakwood (created in 1848), or private groves for picnics and outings.

In 1879, Troy citizen John Sherry, called the Father of Troy’s park system, offered the city about five acres east of 15th between Peoples and Jacob for use as a park. More acres were donated by two other citizens, increasing the park to 6.28 acres. By 1914, the city had laid out walks, lawns, flowers, fountain, a soldiers monument, bathrooms, and a children’s playground.

A combined horse and human drinking fountain was erected on the corner, unique by present standards. Horses drank from the roadside while humans drank from the sidewalk. It still exists although someone has planted flowers in both basins!

Troy’s first "public" park, was named Beman Park, after the Reverend Dr. Nathan S.S. Beman who was the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church for about 40 years.

In 1890, a Troy Citizen’s Association was created and headed by Walter P. Warren, president of the famous Warren and Fuller Stove Company of South Troy. The association passed a resolution calling for a public park near the city waterworks off Oakwood Avenue. Two years later, the city created a Park Commission which had a mandate to preserve the waterworks property for a park, as the citizen group had requested. It wasn’t until 1922 that the Legislature allowed the city to use the property, however.

Members of the William H. Frear family had already donated 22 acres of land back in 1917 to add to the park (eventually bearing his name). 20 more acres were donated by Jennie Vanderheyden in 1923, and another parcel by the Eddy estate culminating in the present day 150 acre Frear Park.

In 1891, the sons of Deborah Powers, a prominent business family in the Burgh, donated a little more than 2 acres as a memorial park to their mother and father. The park is the block between Second and Third and 110th and 111th Streets.

Troy’s most elegant park, Prospect Park, sits atop Mount Ida overlooking the city, and was created in 1903 after the city purchased it from the Warren family. The park was laid out beautifully by city engineer Garnet D. Baltimore, the first African American to graduate from RPI. Prospect Park had winding roads, outlooks with towers that permitted a view 21 miles up the Hudson River valley, fountains, playgrounds, and flower gardens.

The former residences of the Warren family were converted to a museum and casino. One old timer told me he use to get ice cream cones in one of them.

The last major parkland was donated by John Knickerbocker in 1924. He purchased much of the former Rensselaer Amusement Park between 103rd to 108th streets in the Burgh.

Beman , Frear, Prospect, and Knickerbocker Parks are still in use though not as popular as past times. All have suffered from various forms of neglect over the years.

A ‘Friends of Prospect Park’ is attempting to rejuvenate this once popular spot. Most baby boomers will remember the days at the Prospect Pool, or at least getting thrown out of it. Often, kids would sneak up at night and take a dip.

I remember picking up large horse chestnuts from the chestnut trees by the pool, putting them on strings, and having battles with my friends. Of course, you can’t find a chestnut tree anymore since they were hit with the blight.

During the summer, the Troy Boys Club took us to the park for swimming and playing. We use to walk up the "backside" (the steep slope) path that started on 7th Street by Uncle Sam’s house.

The land where President Park was situated now has homes and businesses on it. There isn’t a trace of use as park land and the history of this "park" still remains an enigma.

For its size, Troy has almost 300 acres of parks for a population of nearly 50,000 residents. It seems to me that if RPI’s Approach can be restored so can Prospect Park. Perhaps what we need is a Prospect Park Day to reintroduce the park to its citizens, with performances, cookouts, artworks, contests, nature walks, and one huge fireworks.

©1999 Don Rittner

Got history? Contact Don at drittner@aol.com or 251 River Street.