Additional information
by Paul Loatman (Author)
In 1764, groups of independent craftsmen began forming a small settlement near the junction of the Tenendehowa Creek and the Hudson River that eventually came to be called Mechanicville. Although neighboring farmers classified them as lowly mechanics, residents chose to embrace the derogative term rather than shrink from it. In 1815, the Mechanicville Post Office opened its doors, and the community's identity began to grow. A century later, Irish, Italian, and Polish-speaking immigrants had transformed the village into an industrial city. New York State's smallest municipality became the proud host to the largest book paper mill in the world. Simultaneously, Charles Steinmetz, a renowned scientist, was paving the way for major expansion in the electrical industry with innovations at the local hydropower plant. Serving as a postindustrial bedroom community in recent decades, the city continues its transformation with the opening of an advanced nanotechnology center nearby.
Author Biography
The author, Paul Loatman Jr., holds a doctorate in American history, having completed a dissertation on the history of Mechanicville. He has served as city historian since 1992. The photographs selected here, drawn from the author's collection and that of the Mechanicville Public Library, provide a glimpse of the heyday of this dynamic mill town.
