Hampton Manor In the Beginning to the Present The Diamond Of East Greenbush
Photo by Victoria Manieri Presented by Bobbie Reno, East Greenbush Town Historian Including research by the late Jesse Cunningham What’s in a name? Do you know how Hampton Manor got it’s name?
Harold Veeder was having dinner at the Hotel Hampton in Albany, NY On a map dated the Fall of 1788 and Spring of 1789 of Groene Bosch (Dutch for Green Bush) drawn by John E. Van Alen for Stephen Van Rensselaer, the area now comprising Hampton Lake is shown. This area was bounded on the west, north and east by the farm of Christopher Yates and on the south by the farm of a man named Van Schaick. The map designates the area where the lake is now, showing a brook running through it that became called the “Vers Water Vly”. The word Vly is the Dutch name for a low swampy ground. “vers (pronounced veesch) water” means “fresh water”. In 1812 , the United States purchased the Yates farm from Stephen Van Rensselaer to construct the Greenbush Cantonment. The Vers Water Vly area (where the lake is) was not part of this purchase but the Vly was mostly likely used by the Cantonment as a source of water. This pond served the Cantonment. In later years it was called Kirtland Pond between New Jersey and New York Avenues. Circa 1964, it was filled in by the Town and made a basketball court.
In 1831, the Greenbush Cantonment was dismantled. The United States Government sold the land to Hawthorn McCulloch. Hawthorn remodeled one of the officer’s quarters for his residence. This building still stands as a private residence. Hawthorn named his farm “The U. S. Cantonment Farm”. In 1843 Hawthorn sold the southern half of his farm to his son, William A. McCulloch. William A. McCulloch then proceeded to build his own residence from the materials of the dismantled Cantonment buildings. It was completed in 1844 and was named “Hawthornden”. This residence still stands today and is known as the Manor House or the McCulloch Mansion.
The McCulloch Mansion (aka The Manor House) built circa 1843/44 known then as Hawthornden
The current owners are: Louis H. McCormack and Deborah Freinberg
This map drawn by Jesse Cunningham in 1992 compiled of maps dating from 1843-1900 of the land of Hawthorn McCulloch. Hawthorn McCulloch retained the “North” farm and sold the “South” farm North Farm owned South Farm owned by William A McCulloch to his son, William A. by Hawthorn McCulloch. It was from McCulloch the descendants of William A McCulloch Harold Veeder purchase the land to develop Hampton Manor. The blue line shows the boundary between the two farms Photos taken circa 1914 Hampton Avenue
Looking from McCulloch Place towards the west. Hampton Ave Is on the left Remaining Cantonment Building
Looking towards Albany from 3 Trees Hill The remaining Cantonment building is Center right in the trees Photos taken of the 3 trees circa 1920 And 1938 Hampton Avenue Red Mill School
Looking west from 3 trees hill with Hampton Avenue center left. The large field area is now Red Mill School Looking east toward the Vly (present day Hampton Lake) toward Columbia Tpke. Hampton Ave is at far right . The building in the background center is the school That burned down in 1922 and was replaced by Clinton Heights School (now the East Greenbush Town Hall)
On April 20, 1925 and recorded in the Book 427 of Deeds on May 7, 1925, Lottie L. McCulloch, Charlotte A. McCulloch, William A. McCulloch and Florence McCulloch sold to Harold Veeder of H. G. Veeder Realty Company of Schenectady; and later Albany, New York 187 acres of land to develop what is now Hampton Manor. Hampton Manor was never part of the lands of the Greenbush Cantonment of the War of 1812. Who was Harold G. Veeder?
Harold Gerit Veeder was born on November 17, 1900 in Schenectady, NY. He was a Real Estate Developer who built homes in Hampton Manor and Birchwood Park in Schenectady. He died on August 25, 1970 at the age of 69. He is buried in the Veeder family plot in Vale Cemetery in Schenectady.
Photo dated 1949
Harold Veeder offered frame houses (with or without cellars), with different exteriors but the same 2 to 3 bedroom floor plans to be ordered and delivered within 4 weeks for the prices of $7,000.00 to $8,900.00 Including landscaping. He built approximately 200 of the houses now in Hampton Manor. The settlement of Hampton Manor began with septic tank systems. Mr. Veeder had deep wells dug and water pumped to a storage tank on top of the hill on Hudson Avenue.
In 1926, Hampton Lake was born. Mr. Veeder dammed up the Ver Water Vly creating Hampton Lake. Hampton Lake is the largest body of water in East Greenbush. The lake has a surface area of 14.5 acres with a shoreline of about eight tenths of a mile. The road around the lake is just under one mile. The lake is 1800 ft long and contains almost 23 million gallons of water with a mean depth of five feet and a maximum depth of about eleven feet. Map of Hampton Manor October 1, 1925 H.G. Veeder Realty, Co., Inc. Hampton Manor was divided into 3 sections Map of Hampton Manor West and North
Section 1 is within the blue ovals
The yellow area was marked “development of this area unplanned”. Veeder wanted a park and Bridge built here but the Great Depression ended those plans. Map of Hampton Manor East and South
Section 2 is within the red oval
Section 3 is within the green rectangle Two panoramic views of Hampton Lake taken in the nineteen thirties The top one by Charles Behren from the west side of the lake. The bottom one by Glen Cook from 3 Trees Hill with Prospect Heights and Clinton Heights in the background taken April 3, 1930. This aerial photo was Taken by Jay S. McLean in 1968 An ad from 1927 This covenant or agreement for the sale of property from H. G. Veeder Realty Co., Inc. to Citizens Hose Company dated May 28, 1930 contains the discrimination that was acceptable at this time, in that the purchaser of the property agreed not to convey the property to a colored person or alien. This Today all are welcome as discrimination was legal neighbors in Hampton Manor until 1948, although it continued to be legal in private deeds until the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act). In the mid 1920s the building of the houses started. From the notes on the back of this photo dated November 1925, this is the very first house, 237 Columbia Tpke., built in Hampton Manor. Construction started on it August 1925 and it was Finished October 1925. Today there are over 60 Sears-Roebuck Kit Houses In Hampton Manor.
And one known Lustron
Blue prints for a Sear-Roebuck kit House date 1938 As people moved into Hampton Manor, St. Mary’s Church and School were built in the 1920s.
This photo was taken right after the first Mass on May 22, 1927 Hampton Manor Water Works Corporation
Harold G Veeder formed his water works corporation and began to develop a water system throughout Hampton Manor. He designated lots Nos, 173 and 174 in section 3 for the construction of a reservoir to hold 200,00 gallons of water. On May 13, 1924, Veeder entered into an agreement with Wilhelmina Harriet Abeles and Augusta G. Key (two women with the maiden name Kirtland, like the pond. Augusta G. Key’s Great Uncle was Hawthorn McCulloch)and others the right to maintain and right of easements to the spring of water located on Lot no 6 of the map of the Cantonment Farm belonging to Hawthorn McCulloch, dated May 1843. Lot No. 6, The Spring
Water Works
On July 11, 1949, the Hampton Water Works became Hampton Manor – Hillview Water District no. 4 when Veeder sold the Hampton Water Works Corporation to the Town of East Greenbush for $65,000.00. These photos were taken in 1949 the year the Town purchased the water works. Harold Veeder is marked by the red arrow. The other men are unidentified. The End of an Era
The Hampton Manor water system had deteriorated to the point water quality was bad for the majority of Hampton Manor residents. On September 5, 2018, the end came for the Hampton Manor Water District and the valve was turned off. Hampton Manor joined the General Water District of the Town of East Greenbush.
In the photo: Tom Kennedy, Water Department Foreman and East Greenbush Town Supervisor John “Jack” Conway turn off Hampton Manor Water.
By 1956, Harold Veeder had liquidated all his Hampton Manor holdings except the lake. He sold Hampton Water Works (Pure Spring Water Available to Every Lot) to the Town of East Greenbush; but retained the exclusive right to determine whether Hampton Lake would continue or be abandoned and the right to remove or lower the dam. With these two provisions, Veeder sold Hampton Lake to the Town on February 1, 1957 for $13,500.00 Tragedies
• The beauty of Hampton Manor and Hampton Lake has been marred in the past by tragedies. • In June of 1931, a 24-year-old Hampton Avenue woman fell from the diving tower on a float near the spillway. She died soon after at Albany’s old Memorial Hospital. She left two sons, the youngest of which was 3 months old. • On August 15, 1935 a double tragedy happened when a 45-year-old Lake Shore Drive man waded into the lake with a 4-year-old boy from St. Clair Avenue on his shoulders. He stepped off the drop into deep water not realizing the steep slope and they both drowned. • Another tragedy occurred on May 17, 1939 when a 9-year-old McCulloch Place boy drowned when the makeshift boat he and another boy were in capsized in the lake. This sad incident caused the purchase of the first ambulance for the Citizen’s Hose Company Rescue Squad, an old hearse.
May 1, 2012, the lake even caught fire! However, there were many fun activities held like miniature sail boat races held by a local model yacht club from 1933 to 1941. Hampton Manor Improvement Association 1934 At one time the lake was very active with swimming, fishing and skating. The East Greenbush School District provided supervised swimming with a lifeguard, a dock and a float. A local entrepreneur sold hot dogs, soda and ice cream from his refreshment stand. Today many activities occur in Hampton Manor from Bocce Ball, Music in the Park, a fishing derby, a fun play ground, basketball and tennis courts, kayaking, ice skating and hockey, lake clean-up and festivals There are good things ahead for our beautiful Hampton Manor!
Photo by Brad Wenskoski To be continued… Thank you for coming!