Today’s travelers between
New York CIty and
Albany are more familiar with the Thruway than with the old Albany Post Road. But for centuries, this was the main highway between the Big Apple and the capital, and many exciting events occurred along its path in the Lower Hudson Valley. The Dutch Philipse family of Sleepy Hollow engaged in piracy, and tales of such misdeeds from the region inspired
Washington Irving to write some of his most beloved stories. Later, prisoners used the road as an escape route from the original Sing Sing prison. During Prohibition, a “beer hose” ran through Yonkers, allegedly placed along the route by beer baron Dutch Schultz. With illustrations by Tatiana Rhinevault, local historian Carney Rhinevault uncovers the stories hidden behind the old mile markers of the Albany Post Road.
Background Information
New York City at the mouth of the Hudson River is the largest city in America. Albany, New York, first settled by the Dutch, became the capital of New York State and the eastern end of the Erie Canal on the Hudson River. Washington Irving was one of the earliest American authors, known for creating the character Rip Van Winkle.
