Vischer Ferry, New York
Encyclopedia
Vischer Ferry is a hamlet in the town of Clifton Park
in Saratoga County
, New York
, United States
, along the Mohawk River
.
. The American Revolutionary War
destroyed Iroquois settlements in the valley and established the State of New York.
The site became known as Vischer's Ferry after Nicholas Vischer's son, Eldert Vischer who owned a rope ferry he started in 1790 connecting Ferry Road on the north shore to the Ferry Road on the opposite bank at Niska Isle
. The ferry was replaced by a short-lived bridge from 1900-1902. By 1800, a tavern and store were located there. Construction of the Erie Canal
by 1825 linked the Mohawk River to Lake Erie
.
As the canal declined in importance, Vischer Ferry became relatively isolated. A bridge built across the river at Vischer Ferry in 1900 was destroyed by ice in 1902. Later attempts to secure state funding for a bridge were unsuccessful. Because of its isolation, the village preserved much of its nineteenth-century Greek Revival character. In October 1975 the Vischer Ferry Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places
.
A nearby concrete dam was completed in 1913 for hydroelectric use and to aid river navigation. The Vischer Ferry Dam, also known as Dam 3, is 30 feet (9.1 m) high and 1919 feet (584.9 m) long.
The Vischer Ferry Hotel, built in the 1790s, was destroyed by fire in 1946. This loss led to the formation of the community's first volunteer fire department.
In 1958-1959, construction of an interchange on Vischer Ferry Road (County Road 90) linked Vischer Ferry to Interstate 87
, which is called the "Northway" between Albany
and the Canadian border.
. In 2006 the reserve was designated a Bird Conservation Area.
The Mohawk Towpath Byway
passes through Vischer Ferry.
Clifton Park, New York
Clifton Park is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, the 2009 population estimate for Clifton Park was 36,469. The name is derived from an early land patent...
in Saratoga County
Saratoga County, New York
Saratoga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 219,607. It is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat is Ballston Spa...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, along the Mohawk River
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...
.
History
Vischer Ferry is named for the family of Nicholas Vischer, who built a house beside the river in 1735. At that time the Mohawk Valley was claimed by the Iroquois League and by the British Province of New YorkProvince of New York
The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...
. The American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
destroyed Iroquois settlements in the valley and established the State of New York.
The site became known as Vischer's Ferry after Nicholas Vischer's son, Eldert Vischer who owned a rope ferry he started in 1790 connecting Ferry Road on the north shore to the Ferry Road on the opposite bank at Niska Isle
Niska Isle
Niska Isle, despite its name, is not an island, but a peninsula in the town of Niskayuna, New York. Niska Isle is along the Mohawk River's south shore, with a back bay and swamp that surrounds it to the south.-History:...
. The ferry was replaced by a short-lived bridge from 1900-1902. By 1800, a tavern and store were located there. Construction of the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
by 1825 linked the Mohawk River to Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
.
As the canal declined in importance, Vischer Ferry became relatively isolated. A bridge built across the river at Vischer Ferry in 1900 was destroyed by ice in 1902. Later attempts to secure state funding for a bridge were unsuccessful. Because of its isolation, the village preserved much of its nineteenth-century Greek Revival character. In October 1975 the Vischer Ferry Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
A nearby concrete dam was completed in 1913 for hydroelectric use and to aid river navigation. The Vischer Ferry Dam, also known as Dam 3, is 30 feet (9.1 m) high and 1919 feet (584.9 m) long.
The Vischer Ferry Hotel, built in the 1790s, was destroyed by fire in 1946. This loss led to the formation of the community's first volunteer fire department.
In 1958-1959, construction of an interchange on Vischer Ferry Road (County Road 90) linked Vischer Ferry to Interstate 87
Interstate 87
Interstate 87 is a Interstate Highway located entirely within New York State in the United States of America. I-87 is the longest intrastate Interstate highway in the Interstate Highway System. Its southern end is at the Bronx approaches of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge in New York City...
, which is called the "Northway" between Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
and the Canadian border.
Location
Recreation
The 600 acres (2.4 km²) Vischer Ferry Nature and Historic Preserve features a reconstructed 1862 Whipple truss bridgeTruss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
. In 2006 the reserve was designated a Bird Conservation Area.
The Mohawk Towpath Byway
Mohawk Towpath Byway
The Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway in the Capital District region of New York, United States. It extends from Schenectady to Waterford by way of a series of local, county, and state highways along the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal...
passes through Vischer Ferry.