Alplaus is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

located in Schenectady County, New York, United States. Its name is derived from the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

''Aal Plaats'', or "Place of the

Eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

s." Alplaus is in the southeast corner of the town of Glenville. Some consider it part of the hamlet of East Glenville; however, it is generally recognized as a separate community. Alplaus is, however, part of the East Glenville

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

. Census data for the

ZIP Code Tabulation Area ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are statistical entities developed by the United States Census Bureau for tabulating summary statistics. These were introduced with the Census 2000 and continued with the 2010 Census and 5 year American Community ...

(ZCTA) associated with Alplaus for the 2000 census had a total population of 431 people in 175 households. Alplaus has a Residents Association (ARA) which helps coordinate activities within the hamlet and manage relationships with town, county, and state government.

Geography

Since Alplaus is not an incorporated area, its borders are not specific. Some consider the ZIP Code 12008 to define Alplaus, while others may say it is the Alplaus volunteer fire department (officially known as Glenville Fire District #2). Alplaus is located at . It has an elevation of approximately at the

Mohawk River The Mohawk River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk f ...

. Rexford, a hamlet in the town of Clifton Park in

Saratoga County Saratoga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York, and is the fastest-growing county in Upstate New York. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was enumerated at 235,509, representing a 7.2% increase from the 2010 popul ...

, borders Alplaus to the east. The Mohawk River borders on the south. Generally, the Glenridge and Schenectady County Airport represents the western border. The major natural feature of the hamlet is the Alplaus

Kill Kill often refers to: *Homicide, one human killing another *cause death, to kill a living organism, to cause its death Kill may also refer to: Media *'' Kill!'', a 1968 film directed by Kihachi Okamoto * ''Kill'' (Cannibal Corpse album), 2006 * ...

(creek), which is a tributary to the Mohawk River. There is one main road (Alplaus Avenue), with several streets branching from it. On this road in the center of the hamlet are two important community facilities: the

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

and the

fire station __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equipment, fire ...

Airports

The

Schenectady County Airport Schenectady County Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) north of the central business district of Schenectady, a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States. It is included in the Na ...

(

FAA The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

code KSCH) lies partially within Alplaus. The Stratton Air National Guard Base is located on this airport. The 109th Airlift Wing, based at Stratton, supports Arctic and Antarctic operations using C-130 aircraft. The Wells Seaplane Base (FAA id 94D) is located at the Mohawk Marina near the mouth of the Alplaus Kill.

History

In 1690, 114

Frenchmen The French people (french: Français) are an ethnic group and nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common Culture of France, French culture, History of France, history, and French language, language, identified with the cou ...

and 96 Sault and

Algonquin Algonquin or Algonquian—and the variation Algonki(a)n—may refer to: Languages and peoples *Algonquian languages, a large subfamily of Native American languages in a wide swath of eastern North America from Canada to Virginia **Algonquin la ...

Indians encamped at the mouth of Alplaus Kill, prior to the

Schenectady massacre The Schenectady massacre was an attack against the colonial settlement of Schenectady in the English Province of New York on February 8, 1690. A raiding party of 114 French soldiers and militiamen, accompanied by 96 allied Mohawk and Algonquin wa ...

. From 1902 to 1941, the "longest trolley bridge in the world" crossed the Mohawk River at Alplaus. The trolley brought visitors from Schenectady to the fairgrounds in Rexford. The Alplaus

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...

was organized in 1914. The Alplaus fire department was founded in 1930. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...

Company tested jet engines and electronic surveillance equipment at the Schenectady County Airport.

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and ...

lived in Alplaus when he worked for General Electric in Schenectady, in the late 1940s. He was a member of the Alplaus Volunteer Fire Department. His recollections of the fire department's extra-loud siren can be found in his novel, '' God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater''.

References

Alplaus, a Brief History. Thi
pamphlet
was written and distributed on the occasion of the USA Bicentennial and the first annual Fourth of July parade and celebration in Alplaus. {{authority control Hamlets in New York (state) Hamlets in Schenectady County, New York Populated places on the Mohawk River