Ft. Crailo State Historic Site Field Trip

We will meet at Ft. Crailo (9 1/2 Riverside Avenue, Rensselaer, NY 12144) for a tour that will begin promptly at 10am. The tour should last about 30-45 minutes, and then we will head downstairs to the historic kitchen to take part in the hearthside cooking demonstration. We will be making seed cakes (little cookies with caraway seeds in them) using a dutch oven in the large fireplace.

Crailo is the museum of the Colonial Dutch in the Hudson River Valley. Originally a part of the vast landholding called the Manor or Patroonship of Rensselaerswyck, the Crailo farm was named after the Van Rensselaer's estate in the Netherlands, variously spelled Crayloo or Cralo in the 17th century, and meaning "crows' wood" in Dutch. Crailo was built in the early 18th century by Hendrick Van Rensselaer, grandson of the First Patroon. Hendrick died in 1740 and his eldest son, Johannes, inherited Crailo. He remodeled the house and added an east wing in the Georgian style, reflecting the increasing influence of the English on the Albany-area Dutch.In the late 18th century, Crailo was remodeled in the Federal style. It served as a boys' boarding school in the 1840s and later as a church rectory. Each new venture brought more changes to the structure. In 1924 Crailo was donated to New York State for development as a museum.Crailo today tells the story of the early Dutch inhabitants of the upper Hudson Valley through exhibits highlighting archeological finds from the Albany Fort Orange excavations, special programs, and guided tours of the museum.

The cost is $3/student. Any younger siblings who are NOT taking part in the program are free. There is a fee for adults, but it depends on the number of people attending (under $4/adult). I will be collecting the money at TALC a couple of weeks before the visit, so that we can pay as a group.