Nicknames for Lansingburgh
Lansingburgh has had at least a couple nicknames: “the New City” and more colorfully “The Garden.”
“The Garden of America,” is a common phrase applied by foreigners to this country; but for its particular application to this village, we are indebted to the gentleman [Alexander Walsh] whose writings occupy so large a space upon the first page of to-day’s paper.
Lansingburgh Democrat. November 30, 1848: 1 col 2.
The “garden” is about the most delightful village to live in, that can be found this side of sundown.
Lansingburgh Democrat. March 15, 1849: 2 col 3.
‘The Garden’ will now have an opportunity to show itself. We hope the ‘burghers will prove to the outside barbarians that they are somebody, after all.
“Editorial Splinters.” Troy Daily Times.. September 21, 1852: 2 col 5.
The “Garden” is a delightful place to live in—that’s a fact.
“Home Matters.” Lansingburgh Democrat. October 5, 1854: 2 col 3.
☞ Another invoice of our best citizens start for the West this week. If this tide of emigration is to continue, we shall be in favor of closing up the “Garden Gate,” and rigidly enforcing an embargo. We cannot afford to loose [sic] so many of the bone and sinew of the place. Most of those who leave, take the precaution to order the Democrat sent to their new homes.
Lansingburgh Democrat. June 14, 1855: 2 col 5.
☞ The “Western fever” is still raging in our midst. We learn that several of our principal merchants are in a highly dangerous frame of mind, and it is feared the disaster will terminate in a grand stampede to Keokuck. Good luck to the deserters. We hope they may get safely through the garden gate.
Lansingburgh Democrat. July 26, 1855: 2 col 5.
We believe it was Alexander Walsh, Esq., father of the present cashier, who first gave our village the above cognomen. It is decidedly the name for our location. It sounds well—reads well—and looks well. He always styled his beautiful garden at Elm Place, “the supply garden,” or a “garden within a garden.” Some have preferred the high sounding title of “Garden of America,” but we think the simple name at the lead of this article the most preferable. Lansingburgh is a beautiful village, and no mistake; the tops of the elm and maple trees meet and lock together, while good morsels, industry and education thrive under their branches and in their shade. Yes, we have a beautiful heritage, one which clearly evinces the wisdom and foresight of our progenitors. In addition to our splendid shade trees, and the rich profusion of gifts from Flora’s kingdom to be met on every hand, our churches, schools, manufactories, stores, dwellings, streets, and public conveyance, tend to make it a delightful dwelling place. Located as we are amid all these bounties of Providence, we cannot help thinking how advantageous it would prove if we resolved to intertwine in our system of social order those roots of enterprise, usefulness and respect for each other which gives strength to the trunk of society, spread to its branches, and quality to the fruit they bear. We are in favor of holding “the garden gate” wide open to every new comer, and greeting him with a cordial shake of the hand, welcoming him to all the immunities which we enjoy; our pure air, healthy climate, and freedom from sickness, while he quaffs those delicate odors from “the garden” which possess a life giving power. As they say at Saratoga, the garden is fillin up with the very cream of the society of Troy; those who desire health, and prefer freedom from restraint, to the conventionalities of city life.
Lansingburgh Democrat. September 13, 1855: 2 col 5.
☞ “The Garden” never presented so many attractions for the eye of the transient visitor as at the present time. The vernal season is upon us in all its glory; the overhanging shade trees lock and intertwine their arches for miles in extent, affording the most delightful promenades as well as cool and shady drives. The various flower gardens are in full bloom, and the air is fragrant with delicious incense distilled upon flora’s choicest altar. As a consequence, our village is subjected to frequent predatory visits from the dust-begrimed, parched up, thirsty Trojans, who snuff up the invigorating odors, to which they have so long been strangers. It gives us great pleasure to announce that the garden gate will at all times be found wide open. No pleasanter village or more lovely spot for a residence than this can be found in the State.
Lansingburgh Democrat. June 18, 1857: 2 col 5.
Falling somewhat short of being nicknames, at least a couple descriptors have been applied to Lansingburgh that generally have been tied to subsuming it after its annexation by the City of Troy in 1901: “Upper Troy” and “North Troy.”
After the annexation, the Troy Times if not also other Troy newspapers tried renaming Lansingburgh “Upper Troy.” It didn’t take. They generally went back to calling Lansingburgh “Lansingburgh” by 1913 if not earlier, though news pertaining to Lansingburgh still could be found under other headers like “The Northern Wards.”
Prior to 1901, “Upper Troy” occasionally was applied to the Batestown and Middleburgh area between Hoosick Street and 101st Street. “North Troy” was more often applied to the Batestown-Middleburgh areas before and after 1901.
The “Upper Troy” label essentially died out, eventually being replaced by “North Troy” gravitating from the Batestown-Middleburgh area (now more often called “North Central” as on the City of Troy neighborhoods map) to Lansingburgh. The shift to some calling Lansingburgh “North Troy” seems to have occurred during the World War II era – but then and now even the label “North Troy” is not that popular, residents still preferring Lansingburgh being called by its proper historical name.
See also Stone Arabia, What the H?
Specific parts of Lansingburgh have had their own names or nicknames, e.g. Adamsville and Batestown – see Village of Lansingburgh and Town of Lansingburgh or their drop-down menus for those. Additionally, a Troy Neighborhoods map created by the City of Troy applied the name “North Central” an area part of which had belonged to the Town of Lansingburgh, and “Frear Park” to areas that had belonged to the Village and to the Town of Lansingburgh.
Among other municipalities in the Capital District, researcher Barry Popik has documented the history of several city nicknames: Albany was nicknamed Sturgeondom or Sturgeontown; Schenectady was nicknamed “The Electric City” (and “Old Dorp”); Troy was nicknamed “The Collar City” and Troy was also nicknamed “Laundryville.”