Early history

Map of Rensselaer County in 1829 showing the pre-partition Town of Sand Lake

Sand Lake was first home to Native Americans. In 1629, Kiliaen van Rensselaer acquired a 700,000-acre land grant to establish a Dutch colony, encompassing what later became Sand Lake. Called the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, it was 48 miles across and 24 miles long.^[3] In 1664, it became a colony of England and was called the Province of New York. It flipped back to the Dutch in 1672, and returned to the English in 1674.^[3]

In the 1750s, Dutch settlers moved into what is now Sand Lake, followed by German pioneers.^[4] By 1772, present day Sand Lake was in the Rensselaerwyck District of Albany County. It was held by the English until the Revolutionary War (1775–1783).^[3] In 1792, when the town of Rensselaerwyck was divided into two towns, Greenbush and Stephentown. Present day Sand Lake extended into both towns.^[3]

In 1805, the Union Meetinghouse was built for worship by Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians. It was the town's oldest public building and was a station on the Underground Railroad.^{[5][lower-alpha 1]}

Town of Sand Lake

The town of Sand Lake was formed from Greenbush and Berlin from an act of the legislature on March 21, 1812 and it was officially made a town on March 1, 1813.^{[3][lower-alpha 2]} Municipal positions were established to be responsible to its citizens, including town clerk, assessors, and more. Calvin Thompson became the first Supervisor.^[3] The first postmaster, in 1815, was Daniel M. Gregory.^[9] The soil, especially on the eastern lowlands, is fertile for grazing and agriculture, particularly small fruit, strawberries, and other berrys.^[10]

A new church building was established for the Trinity Lutheran Church in 1816. The Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church opened in 1816 at the West Sand Lake site. There were a number of changes in the churches and its membership around the 1830s.^{[5][lower-alpha 3]} The present town borders were established on March 2, 1848 when the town of Sand Lake was divided into towns, Sand Lake and Poestenkill. The town was governed by a supervisor, town clerk and four justices of the peace. Town business was conducted in homes and inns for decades.^[3]

Chris Crapes Hotel, about 1910

Street scene, about 1910

There were a number of public and private schools established between 1825 and the early 20th century.^{[11][lower-alpha 4]} A one-room schoolhouse operated in Sand Lake from 1895 until 1929.^[5]

In 1866, the Wynantskill Improvement Association created three Burden Lakes from Wynantskill Creek. The lake water turned the Burden water wheel that powered commercial enterprises, like mills, of the Industrial Revolution.^[5][12]

The Troy and New England Railway provided electric trolley service into Sand Lake from 1895 to 1925. The nine-mile route ran from Albia (of Troy) east to Averill Park.^[13] The town's economy grew with tourism and people who became residents during the summer.^[4]

Municipal Home Rule Law was enacted in 1964 by the State Legislature, which gave towns greater powers. In 1968, Rensselaer County revised its form of government, replacing the Board of Supervisors with a County Executive and a County Legislature.^[3] In 1972, a town hall was established in the former Presbyterian Church.^[3]

The Albert R. Fox House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.^[14]

Averill Park

Averill Park is a hamlet near the center of the town. The Averill post office was established in 1880, with Frank Pettit as first postmaster; the name was changed to Averill Park in 1882.^[15] Faith Mills (1829-1966) is one of the textile factories that were established, starting in the early 19th century, along what is now Burden Lake Road. It was powered with water from the Wynantskill.^[5] It is located east of West Sand Lake and has a number of retail businesses, two churches, and the Averill Park High School. The main street has businesses from the mid-19th century.^[4]

Sand Lake

Sand Lake is the smallest hamlet of Sand Lake. There are several retail business, the Sand Lake Center for the Arts, a post office, town hall, a tavern, cemetery, and an elementary school.^[4] Historic and stately houses are found in Sand Lake, with houses further away from one another than the other two hamlets.^[4]

West Sand Lake

West Sand Lake is a hamlet in the northwestern corner of the town. In 1793, Bernhard Uhlein, a soldier of the American Revolutionary War, settled here and established a 325-acre farm. He received the land from a land grant from Patroon VanRensselaer. The settlement was first known as Ulinesville.^[5] The post office for was established in 1834, with Frost Myers as postmaster.^[16]

The community became West Sand Lake in 1838.^[5] It is the largest of the three hamlets, with the most residents. There are houses dating back to the early 1800s in the western part of the hamlet. It has a number of retail businesses, schools, banks, two churches and a post office.^[4]

Glass Lake

View of Glass Lake, c. 1855, by Joseph Hidley

The Glass Lake area grew up around the Rensselaer Glass Factory that Jeremiah Van Rensselaer founded in 1804. It had homes for 34 workers, a store, school, doctor's office, and more residential and commercial buildings. It is located at Glass Lake, which is the headwaters of the Wynants Kill Creek. A historical marker is located at Routes 43 and 66 at Glass Lake Road.^[5]

South Sand Lake

The South Sand Lake post office was established there in 1854, with William Stevens as first postmaster.^[9]

Lakes

Within Sand Lake, there are four lakes: Burden Lake, Crooked Lake, Crystal Lake, and Glass Lake.^[23] The lakes, stocked with many kinds of fresh water fish, draws tourists to the area.^[10] Glass Lake is between Crooked and Crystal Lakes. At 123 acres, it is located in Averill Park and Nassau.^[10][24] Burden Lake is located in the southern part of the town of Sand Lake and is partially in the town of Nassau, it is a total of 369 acres.^[10][25] Crystal Lake, formerly called Sand Lake, is the largest lake in the Averill Park hamlet in the town of Sand Lake. It is 66 acres in size.^[10][26] Crooked Lake is located in the southern part of the town of Sand Lake, south of Glass Lake. It is 113 acres.^[10][27] Wynants Kill is a stream that flows from Crooked Lake, through Glass and Burden Lakes, and drains into both Richard Pond and the Hudson River.^[10]

Location