Dunsbach Ferry is a

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

of the

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

of Colonie, in Albany County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The hamlet sits to the east of, and below, the Thaddeus Kosciusko Bridge (also known as "The Twin Bridges"), where Interstate 87 (I-87) crosses 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 (state), New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson R ...

. There are numerous private and public docks and landings between the Twin Bridges and the Colonie Town Park. Dunsbach Ferry was once an important river crossing and a stop on the Schenectady and Troy Railroad (T&S), later a branch of the

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected New York metropolitan area, gr ...

. The ZIP code is 12047 (Cohoes).

History

In 1718, an early settler and ferry owner, Cornelius Claes Vandenburgh, built a landmark stone house on the Mohawk west of Crescent. Cornelius Claes Ferry was later called Dunsbach Ferry. Dunsbach Ferry originated, as the name suggests, as a ferry crossing over the Mohawk River. The ferry was replaced for a short time by the Dunsbach Ferry Bridge, a bridge that had an unusual

pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

construction method involving cylinders with piles driven inside with heavy crib work outside. This bridge was constructed by the Dunsbach Ferry Bridge Company in 1898 in three spans; two were carried away by ice in 1903, and the third in 1905. When the creation of the New York State Barge Canal moved the Erie Canal to the Mohawk River in 1910, the hamlet became home to many barge captains and as a stop for provisioning the barges. A

gauging station A stream gauge, streamgage or stream gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water level surface elevation ("stage") and/or vo ...

was established at Dunsbach Ferry in 1898 by D.J. Howell for measuring the discharge flow of the river and the record continued on at the West Troy Water Company

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

and

pumping station Pumping stations, also called pumphouses, are public utility buildings containing pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are critical in a variety of infrastructure systems, such as water supply, Land reclamation, ...

at the hamlet, it was located roughly 200 feet south (upstream) of the bridge. The dam was built in order to supply West Troy (later Watervliet) with water, and was partially removed in 1912. The bucolic nature of the surroundings made it a natural summer resort village. As year-round residents have become more common summer homes have become remodeled and winterized with additions built on, though some summer cottages remain and farms and undeveloped woodlands still shelter the inland side of the hamlet from the developments in Latham along U.S. Route 9 (US 9).

Geography

While Colonie's hamlets do not have specifically demarcated borders, Dunsbach Ferry is generally considered to include the areas along the

from I-87 to the Colonie Town Park. It is accessible by road from the Colonie hamlets of Boght Corners, Crescent Station, and Latham.

Location

Architecture

Dunsbach Ferry has architectural styles ranging from colonial, ranch, and cape, with sidings finished in a range of different materials including aluminum, clapboard, and shingles. Many of the homes along the river began as summer cottages and have been winterized and enlarged while some still remain in strictly summer-camp style.

Education

Dunsbach Ferry is a part of the North Colonie Central School District (NCCS) and the children attend Boght Hills Elementary School for kindergarten through sixth grade; and Shaker High School for seventh through twelfth.

References

External links

Town of Colonie
(includes Dunsbach Ferry) {{authority control Colonie, New York Hamlets in New York (state) Hamlets in Albany County, New York Populated places on the Mohawk River