page_title: Duanesburg, New York
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Duanesburg, New York / History
caption_attribution_description: Located in the central square of the original Village of Duanesburg, this church was built by James Duane in 1792. It is the oldest unaltered Episcopal Church in NYS; its first sermon was conducted on August 24, 1793. Its interior contains an “hourglass” pulpit, common in churches of the period. Christ Church is the final resting place of James Duane and General William North. Photo by Wendy Voelker
context_page_description: Duanesburg is a town in Schenectady County, New York, United States. The population was 6,122 at the 2010 census. Duanesburg is named for James Duane, who held most of it as an original land grant. The town is in the western part of the county.
context_section_description: Originally known as Duanes' Bush, Duanesburg was established as a township by patent on March 13, 1765. According to Documentary History of New York Vol. lV, pg. 1067, "Mr. Duane entered in March, 1765 into contract with a company of twenty Germans from Pennsylvania of whom about sixteen (families) came on tract, and they made the first permanent settlement in that now flourishing town". The township was combined with Schoharie, New York, as the United Districts of Schoharie and Duanesburg on March 24, 1772, which became the town of Schoharie in 1788. Duanesburg became its own town once again in 1789.
  The town's earliest settlers chiefly comprised English Quakers from Dutchess County, New York, as well as a group of settlers who were originally from the town of Kent, Connecticut.
  The village of Delanson within in the town of Duanesburg was an important stop for the Delaware and Hudson Railroad. Major freight traffic carried Pennsylvania coal northeast through Duanesburg and on to Albany, Boston, and other major eastern cities. In the flat-bottomed valley east of the village of Delanson were huge coal storage piles over 100 feet (30 m) high. The village of Delanson had a rough reputation at the time, catering to "rowdy" railroad men. Many densely packed wooden shops lined the village street on the north and south sides of the tracks. Most of the rest of the town of Duanesburg was dairy farms. Pine Grove Farms was the most notable dairy farm.
  In the late 20th century farming fell into decline, and the town became a home for commuters working in Albany and Schenectady. Many of the "great" farm families of Duanesburg (the Liddles, Gages, and others) saw their farms shut down and children move on. Most of the farms were subdivided into smaller parcels in the 1970-2000 period. The disappearance of open land was most apparent from 1975 to 1989. Commuters built homes with average lot sizes of 2+ acres. This zone beyond suburbia is termed "exurbia". Most commuters in Duanesburg travel from 16 to 33 miles (26 to 53 km) each way. Interstate 88 has made the commute east significantly easier since its completion in the early 1980s. General Electric provided a stable and lucrative income for many non-agricultural residents who built homes in the town during this time.
caption: Christ Episcopal Church, June 2009
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