Princetown is a

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 ...

in Schenectady 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 population was 2,024 at the 2020 census.US Census Bureau, 2020 Census Results, Princetown, New York https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cssp=SERP&q=Princetown%20town,%20Schenectady%20County,%20New%20York It is in the central part of the county, west of the town of

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

History

The town of Princetown was established in 1798 by the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the Bicameralism, two houses that act as the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York: the New York State Senate and the New York State Assem ...

, combining lands formerly known as Corry's Bush and land belonging to the Dutch Reformed Church in Schenectady. It was named for John Prince, a New York State assemblyman from Albany County who lived in Schenectady proper at the time. Many of the early settlers of the town were from

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, and for almost all of its history, the town has been rural with an economy based in agriculture. Today the town is mostly a mix of farming and exurban development with a little light industry. In the past, the town had seven one-room schools. It was also home to the Princetown Academy and Female Seminary which opened in 1853 but operated for only three years before succumbing to financial mismanagement. The Academy was sponsored by the local Presbyterian church. In 1854, it had more than 400 students mostly from the local region but also included students from as far away as Cuba, Germany and Scotland. The Academy was located in the former hamlet of Princetown (Center). In the south end of the town was Cheeseman's Tavern (c. 1784) located in the hamlet of Gifford's (Corners). Its owner, Joshua Cheeseman, was for a few years, a regionally well-known shinplaster banker, producing a number of paper notes used across the region. In the north end of the town, on the border with Duanesburg, was the location of the estate of George William Featherstonaugh, which was the subject of several

Thomas Cole Thomas Cole (February 1, 1801 – February 11, 1848) was an English-born American artist and the founder of the Hudson River School art movement. Cole is widely regarded as the first significant American landscape painter. He was known for hi ...

paintings. Featherstonaugh was an English-American geographer and geologist also especially interested in the use of rail transportation to modernize farming.

Geography

The north town line is the border of

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, and the south town line is the border of Albany County. The town of

is to the east, and the town of Duanesburg is to the west. The center of Princetown is west of downtown

Schenectady Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.18%, is water.

Demographics

In the 2000

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, there were 2,132 people, 797 households, and 611 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 835 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.69%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.19%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.19% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.09%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.19% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.66% of the population. There were 797 households, out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.3% were non-families. 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.05. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $57,250, and the median income for a family was $63,077. Males had a median income of $45,750 versus $28,362 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $24,292. About 1.6% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Princetown

*Bradshaw's Corners - an area where North Kelly and Weast Roads meet at Mariaville Road ( NY 159). * Gifford's (Corners) - a small

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 ...

in the south part of the town located at the intersection of New York State route 406 and

U.S. Route 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. ...

. It was once home to Cheeseman's Tavern, the owner of which was known as a " shinplaster" banker. *Kelly's Station - A small hamlet in the southeast part of the town; it was home to a train station for the Schenectady and Duanesburg Railroad, (a line now operated by the

Delaware and Hudson Railway The Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H) is a railroad that operates in the Northeastern United States. In 1991, after more than 150 years as an independent railroad, the D&H was purchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). CP, which would it ...

) a store and post office. It is also known for a set of double culverts that were built to carry the railroad over Kelly Station Road and the Bonny Kill or Bonny Brook. * Mariaville (Lake) - A hamlet and CDP on the border between the town and the town of Duanesburg toward the northern end of the town. * Pattersonville – A hamlet and part of a CDP (Census Designated Place) partly in the northern part of the town. *Princetown (center) – A hamlet often mistakenly considered to be in the southern part of the town, this area was actually known as Princetown P.O. until the arrival of the Schenectady and Duanesburg Railroad (owned by the

Delaware and Hudson Railroad The Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H) is a railroad that operates in the Northeastern United States. In 1991, after more than 150 years as an independent railroad, the D&H was purchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). CP, which would it ...

) in 1873. After that time it was known as Kelly's Station. There was, however, a hamlet located in the center of the town known as Princetown, or Princetown Center which developed around the second Presbyterian Church in the town at corner of present-day Currybush and North Kelly roads. This hamlet was also home to the Princetown Academy and Female Seminary from 1853 to 1856. *Rynex Corners - A hamlet in the northern part of the town on the border between Princetown and the town of Rotterdam. It once contained a hotel and cheese factory. *Willow Run - a modern subdivision in the middle of the town north of the D&H railway line.

Notable people

* George William Featherstonaugh, an English-American geologist and geographer who once owned a large estate on the border between Duanesburg and Princetown. The estate was the subject of several

paintings. * Nelson Fryer, Wisconsin State Assembly member and farmer, was born in Princetown.'Wisconsin Blue Book 1871,' Biographical Sketch of Nelson Fryer, pg. 378

References

External links

Map of historical locations in Princetown
* {{authority control Towns in Schenectady County, New York Towns in New York (state)