M@ Around The World

Those close to me soon grow tired of hearing about stories from two places: Albany and Schenectad y. A large part of my family, though, hales from the great city of Schenectady, NY . Nestled in the Mohawk River Valley, it's 1/3 of the triad which makes up the Capital District of the Empire State. What few people nowadays know, however is that at the turn of the 20th century this now struggling city used to be a booming metropolis of industry and culture. Founded in 1661 by Arendt Van Curler (1619-1667), Schenectady slowly grew from a settlement to a borough (1765) and then incorporated as a city in 1798. It became home to one of the first colleges in the United States, Union College , in 1795 and to what would become one of the largest conglomerates in the world, General Electric , in 1892. This growing industrial capital was attacked and burned three times during its short history. The first and most bloody time, later named the Schenectady Massacre , was done by the French ...

While wandering around lower Manhattan enjoying the rare sunny and warm late winter's day, I stumbled upon a building at the intersection of 10th St and 6th Ave that resembled none other in this jungle of structured concrete and stone. With its soaring clock tower, Gothic pointed arches, and beautiful stained glass windows all in a fortress-like configuration, I wondered if this place, too, had once been a castle similar to Bannerman's . Once again I took to the Internet after arriving back at my Chelsea apartment in order to find out what the story is and was for this impressive edifice. The Jefferson Market Library, currently a part of the extensive New York City Public Library System and formerly part of the New York City judicial system as the Jefferson Market Courthouse, was constructed in 1875-1877. It was the courthouse for the City's 3rd Judicial District and contained rooms for the police court, civil court, and a women's prison which stretched down 10th St...

I've traveled along the Hudson River many a time on an Amtrak train while passing from Albany, NY to New York, NY, however it wasn't until today that by chance I poked my head up out of the magazine I was reading and caught a glimpse of the ruins of a fantastic structure standing out on a small island just off the river's east coast. In awe of this castle-like structure which might as well have been ripped out of a page of a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, I gaped out the window as it speedily passed away, out of site in the setting sun which now barely illuminated the valley. My love of New York State, its vast and important history, and of medieval adventures and stories inspired me to do a little research to find out what this building was, how it came to be, and why now it was largely in a state of mystery and decay. The structure's name is Bannerman Castle named after its architect and creator, Francis Bannerman VI (1851-1918) and is situated on Pollepe...