Neptune's Needle

City, (cap.) N.Y. state and of Albany co., E N.Y., on the W bank of the Hudson; 42º40'N 73º47'W. A deepwater port of entry, it handles much shipping, has major oil storage facilities, and is a transshipment point. In 1609, Henry Hudson visited the site, and 4 years later the Dutch built Fort Nassau, a fur-trading post on Castle Isl. In 1624 several Walloon families began permanent settlement at the Du. post of Fort Orange, later renamed Albany when the English took control (1664). Albany was long important as a fur-trading center and was involved in the Fr. and Indian Wars. In 1754 the Albany Congress met there, and after the Revolution the state capital was moved (1797) to Albany from N.Y. city. Albany’s trade grew with the development of the state, particularly after the opening of the Champlain and Erie canals in the 1820s. Bret Harte was b. here, and Herman Melville, author of Moby-Dick, lived here.

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Compiler

Peter Richards