John Boyd Thacher Park is a tract of about 350 acres of land on the crest of the Helderberg escarpment about fifteen miles due west of Albany. It is situated in the towns of New Scotland and Guilderland, Albany county. It is about two and a half miles from Meadowdale station on the Delaware and Hudson railroad and about eight miles from Altamont on the same road. The postoffice address of the superintendent, however, is East Berne, Albany county. The park was given to the state by Mrs. John Boyd Thacher of Albany in memory of her late husband. Mr. Thacher was a distinguished citizen of Albany and had an international reputation as an author. The gift was accepted by the State of New York and committed to the custody of this Society by chapter 117 of the laws of 1914. An extended description of this beautiful property is given at pages 341-377 of our Nineteenth Annual Report for 1914. The park extends about three miles along the Helderberg escarpment. This interesting geological formation has an altitude of from 1200 to 1800 feet above sea-level, and here faces eastward and northeastward. The immediate foreground for many miles beyond the foot of the cliffs lies below the 400 feet contour. Beyond this and the middle distance can be seen the Adirondack Mountains in one direction and the Green Mountains in another. The park is diversified by hills, meadows, and precipitous cliffs, brooks, cascades and waterfalls, caves and subterranean streams, forests and orchards. Fossils are so abundant in the corniferous limestones, frequently called the "Helderberg geological series ", that they can be picked out of the exposed strata, or from the stone fences or from the plowed fields. It is a geologists' paradise, and has been visited by some fifty of the leading geologists, paleontologists, and men eminent in related branches of science, includ ing Agassiz, Dana and Lyell. The park also has historical associations reaching back to Indian days, so that it possesses threefold value on account of its natural beauty, its scientific interest and its historical associations. Our standing committee in immediate charge of the administration of the park consists of Mr. Francis Whiting Halsey of New York, Chairman, Hon. Benjamin W. Arnold of Albany, Mrs. Daniel Manning of Albany, Prof. John C. Smock of Hudson, N. Y., Mrs. John Boyd Thacher of Albany, and Hon. James F. Tracey of Albany. The Superintendent is Mr. John H. Cook. Maintenance and Repairs During the year ended December 31, 1916, we spent $5,263.40 of State money on the maintenance of the park and repairs to buildings, roads and paths. On account of the meagre appropriations made by the Legislature, we were not able to make much progress in putting the park in the condition in which it should be to meet the necessities of administration and the requirements of public convenience. Administrative Center Need of Provision Nominally, the administrative center of the park is the group of old buildings, consisting of an ancient wooden dwelling, a barn and some out-buildings, standing on the north side of the main road leading to the Indian Ladder just within the western entrance to the park. As a matter of fact, there is no Administrative Center within the park boundaries because there is no habitable building in which the Superintendent can live. In 1916 we took some steps with a view to remedying this anomalous situation. After two months of preliminary work and three months of enforced delay due to scarcity of help, the old residence was moved northwestward a few hundred feet to higher ground and placed on a new foundation in October. Previous to removing the main part from the old foundation the addition in the rear was demolished, it not being worth the expense of trying to move it intact. After removal to its new site, the administration building was boarded up to protect it from the elements. We have asked the Legislature for the necessary funds with which to put this building in habitable condition. At present, the Superintendent is obliged to rent, at his own expense, a cottage half a mile from the park. This is both unjust to the Superintendent and highly inadvisable from the administrative standpoint. We believe that the Superintendent of a park of 350 acres should live within the bounds of the territory for which he is accountable, not only that he may properly perform his duties, but also in order that the public may have ready access to the executive office for information, permits, etc. We urgently press this need upon the consideration of the Legislature. John Boyd Thacher Park is the nearest State Park to the State Capital. It is wonderfully situated from the scenic standpoint; it offers splendid facilities for camping and healthy out-door life in summer; and it is one of the richest places of scientific interest in the State, as is evidenced by the constant visits of the leading geologists of the country. The opportunities here presented for education, recreation, and health recuperation are so great that any money expended by the State in this direction is one of its best investments. The large barn at the same place was partly razed, as it had become dilapidated, and the beams were used for trackage and cribbing in moving the administration building. The old hog pen back of the administration building has been converted into a serviceable tool house. Bungalow Moved and Remodeled In 1916, the unsightly little building which stood in a prominent place at the top of the Indian Ladder road and was used for the sale of refreshments was moved farther back up-hill to a site where it is now partly screened by trees. A veranda was built on three sides, the peak of the roof lowered four feet; a new door added; stone steps built; and an exterior chimney of native limestone erected, completely changing its appearance for the better. We designate this building as the Bungalow and in 1916 it was again rented for the sale of refreshments, the concessionaire being Mr. Franklin Secor. In front of the Bungalow, a parking space for automobiles was made by removing the trees and stumps of a dead peach orchard, plowing and grading the ground, covering the parking space with crushed stone, and curbing it with glacial pebbles. The parking space is 45 feet broad and 175 feet long. On one side is a parapet wall of stone with seats. The whole treatment of the Bungalow and parking center has elicited much favorable comment. Roads and Gutters As soon as the new parking space was completed southwest of the Bungalow, we laid out and constructed a new road, to be a section of the main highway to the top of the Indian Ladder road, bending it around to the west and south of the parking space, and thence northeast to the top of the Indian Ladder, thus permitting the abandonment of a difficult and dangerous part of the old highway. The new section is a dirt road, but it will be surfaced properly with crushed stone as soon as funds are available. The principal roads and gutters of the park were repaired as much as funds would allow. One hundred and sixty feet of eightinch sluice pipe in four-foot lengths was used to replace temporary wooden sluices put in the year before. A bridge was built on the road to the Crevice. Miscellaneous Work The snows of the winter of 1915-16 broke down many trees and large branches which were removed in the spring of 1916. On the night of December 22, 1916, a severe gale uprooted many trees, four of which blocked roads. These were removed the next day. During the summer of 1916, the hay-fields were planted with timothy and red clover. If, as we have requested, the State provides horses for use in the park work, the crop from these fields will contribute toward their feeding. Otherwise, the hay can be sold for the benefit of the State. Thacher Point near the top of the Indian Ladder road has been graded at the north end. The old gateway giving entrance to the point was walled up and a new entrance at a better place opened. We have deemed it advisable to close this point to horses and motor cars. |