Capital Cobblestone Project
A local author/historian is researching the backstory on the names of Albany's streets. All of them.
Erik Schlimmer, who's also a UAlbany grad student, has previously worked on place-name history books of the Adirondacks. He's aiming for the Capital Cobblestone Project to also become a book.
Schlimmer is posting updates and historical bits on a Facebook page for the project. Here's a sample:
Many streets in Albany, especially those downtown, do not retain their original names. Eagle Street is named for our national bird, a symbol of freedom and patriotism. It used to be called Duke Street after the Duke of Albany of the British royal family. Out with the British and in with the Americans.
Given all the histories of Albany, it's kind of surprising this hasn't been done before. It's total history nerd candy.
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Comments
I can't wait for him to do Zuni & Hopi streets. But he should do it while the old timer who knows the story is still around. Not all the explanations for these street names will be found in books.
... said chrisck on Jul 1, 2015 at 4:57 PM | link
I've actually developed an interest in the street names found within Albany, so it's very cool to see someone with a similar interest taking it to a whole new level. Very, very cool.
... said Rob on Jul 2, 2015 at 2:53 PM | link