Editing Watervliet, New York (section)

== History ==
The explorer [[Henry Hudson]] arrived in the area of Watervliet around 1609. The area was first settled in 1643 as part of the [[Manor of Rensselaerswyck|Rensselaerswyck]] [[patroonship]], under the direction of [[Kiliaen van Rensselaer (Dutch merchant)|Kiliaen van Rensselaer]]. In 1710, Derrick van der Heyden operated a ferry from the Bleeker Farm (near 16th Street) across the Hudson River to Troy. Troops during the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] used this ferry in 1777 on their way to Bemis Heights and [[Stillwater, New York|Stillwater]] for the [[Battle of Saratoga]]. In 1786, a second ferry was started at Ferry Street (today 14th Street) over to Troy.<ref name=History>{{cite web | url = https://archive.org/stream/historyofcityofw00myer/historyofcityofw00myer_djvu.txt | author = Myers, James T. | publisher = Henry Stowell & Son | title = History of the City of Watervliet: 1630–1910 | access-date = December 31, 2009}}</ref> The [[Watervliet (town), New York|town of Watervliet]] was founded in 1788 and included all of present-day Albany County except what was in the city of [[Albany, New York|Albany]] at the time. Because so many towns had been created from the town of Watervliet, it is regarded as the "[[Timeline of town creation in New York's Capital District|mother of towns]]" in the county.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} In 1816, as the first [[post office]] was erected, corner of River and Ferry streets (Broadway and 14th Street), it took the name Watervliet.<ref name=History/>

In the mid-1700s, the area of Watervliet was also known as Bought, or Boght, named after the Dutch word "bocht," meaning "bend" or "corner." This is reflected in contemporary Revolutionary War pension service records.

[[File:West troy1866.jpeg|left|thumb|West Troy in 1866]]
The location of the future city was taken by the [[Village (New York)|village]] of Gibbonsville (1824) and its successor West Troy, and the [[Hamlet (New York)|hamlet]] of Washington (later Port Schuyler).<ref name=Bi>{{cite book | title = Bi-centennial History of County of Albany, 1609–1886 | year = 1886 | author = Howell, George | pages = 974–993 | access-date = April 5, 2009 | publisher = W.W. Munsell & Company | url = https://archive.org/details/bicentennialhis00howegoog| quote = bi-centennial  history of county of albany. }}</ref> The farm owned by John Bleeker, stretching north from Buffalo Street (Broadway and 15th Street) to the farm owned by the Oothout family near 25th Street was purchased by Philip Schuyler, Isais Warren, Richard P. Hart, Nathan Warren, and others in 1823; they named it West Troy. Gibbonsville was the farm of James Gibbons (which he purchased in 1805), which stretched from North Street (8th Street) to Buffalo Street (15th Street).<ref name=History/> Washington was settled sometime before 1814 and was the area south of Gibbonsville and today the area of Watervliet south of the Arsenal; it became known as Port Schuyler in 1827.<ref name=Bi/> Although Gibbonsville and West Troy sat side by side (West Troy lying on Gibbonsville's northern boundary), there was a rivalry between the two and each named and laid out their streets with no regard to the street names and grids of the other.<ref name=Bi/> In 1824 Gibbonsville became incorporated as a village, and in 1836 this was repealed when West Troy became incorporated as a village including Gibbonsville and Port Schuyler;<ref name=Bi/> and in 1847 the Watervliet post office changed its name to West Troy.<ref name=Vicinity/> In 1830, Gibbonsville had 559 people, West Troy 510, and Port Schuyler 450.<ref name=Vicinity/>

In 1865, present-day Watervliet was included in the [[Capital District, New York|Capital Police Force]] within the Troy District. This attempt at regional consolidation of municipal police failed and in 1870 the West Troy Police Force was organized.<ref name=History/>
 
By 1895, what was known as the town of Watervliet was reduced to the present-day city of Watervliet (village of West Troy at the time), town of [[Colonie, New York|Colonie]], and the village/town of [[Green Island, New York|Green Island]]. Colonie would split off in 1895, and the city of Watervliet was incorporated in 1896 at the same time that Green Island became a town of its own.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}

In the early 19th century Watervliet became a major manufacturing community much like its neighbors [[Cohoes, New York|Cohoes]] and Troy, thanks to bell foundries. The first was located on Water Street (Broadway), between 14th and 15th Streets, by Julius Hanks, and the first bell foundry in Gibbonsville was established in 1826 by Andrew Menelly, Sr.<ref name=History/> This would be the genesis of the [[Meneely Bell Foundry]], which made thousands of bells that are still in use today from [[Iowa]] to the [[Czech Republic]].{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}

[[File:Watervliet Arsenal museum.GIF|thumb|left|Historic [[Iron Building (Watervliet Arsenal)|Iron Building]] at Watervliet Arsenal]]
In 1813, the [[U.S. Federal Government]] purchased from James Gibbons {{convert|12|acre|m2}} in Gibbonsville, in 1828 another {{convert|30|acre|m2}}, along with later purchases from S. S. Wandell and others.<ref name=History/> This land was used as the site for the [[Watervliet Arsenal]], founded in 1813 during the [[War of 1812]], and is the sole manufacturing facility for large caliber [[cannon]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} [[John C. Heenan]], U.S. heavyweight boxing champion and contender for the world title in 1860, was once employed at the Arsenal.<ref name=History/>
 
The main route of the [[Erie Canal]] from [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] to Albany ran through Watervliet, and because the canal bypassed the city of Troy, the city's business community decided a "short cut" was needed for convenient access to the Erie Canal without having to go through the [[Port of Albany-Rensselaer#History|Albany Basin]]. A side-cut to the Hudson was at Watervliet's present-day 23rd Street (the [[Watervliet Side Cut Locks|Upper Side cut]]) finished in 1823,<ref name=Bi/> and another just south of the Arsenal (the Lower Side cut).<ref name=Marker>{{cite web | title = Erie Canal | publisher = The Historical Marker Database | url = http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=12214 | access-date = January 1, 2010}}</ref> A weigh station and a center for paying canal boat operators was here as well.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} As a result of canal boat crews being paid at the end of their trip, the areas around the side cut was once famous for gambling, saloons, and prostitution; there were more than 25 saloons within two blocks,<ref name=Marker/> with names like ''The Black Rag'' and ''Tub of Blood''.<ref name=Canal/> The neighborhood around the side cut had the nickname of "Barbary Coast of the East", [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] being the "Barbary Coast of the West".<ref name=Marker/><ref name=Canal/> In the 1880s, Watervliet had a reputation for over 100 fights a day and a body once a week in the Canal.<ref name=Canal>{{cite book | title = Low Bridge!: Folklore and the Erie Canal | author = Lionel D. Wyld | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ecGf3wtV1zQC&q=watervliet+barbary+coast+of+the+east&pg=RA1-PA71 | page = 71 | publisher = Syracuse University Press | year = 1962 | isbn = 9780815601371 | access-date = January 1, 2010}}</ref>

Also linking Watervliet to the transportation network of the region was the Watervliet Turnpike and the [[Albany and Northern Railway]]. The Watervliet Turnpike Company in 1828 built present-day [[New York State Route 32]] from the northern boundary of Albany north to the northern limit of Gibbonsville (now Broadway and 15th Street).<ref name=History/> The Albany and Northern Railway was built in 1852 connecting Watervliet to Albany, with a depot on Genesee Street; a few years later a new depot was built on Canal Street (Central Avenue) but was abandoned in favor of returning to the original location in 1864.<ref name=Bi/>

As of February 2020, the Mayor of Watervliet is Charles Patricelli, a Democrat who won the 2019 election unopposed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Watervliet-mayor-sees-growth-in-future-15072163.php|title=Watervliet mayor sees growth in future|date=February 21, 2020|website=Times Union}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.troyrecord.com/news/local-news/patricelli-eager-to-serve-as-next-watervliet-mayor/article_413b7858-00bc-11ea-8f0e-cbd1aa7a8aa6.html|title=Patricelli eager to serve as next Watervliet mayor|first=Nicholas|last=Buonanno|website=The Record}}</ref>

The [[Ohio Street Methodist Episcopal Church Complex]], [[St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church]], [[Watervliet Arsenal]], and [[Watervliet Side Cut Locks]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

===St. Patrick's Church controversy===
[[File:Church of St. Patrick (Watervliet, New York) - side view.JPG|thumb|right|St. Patrick Church as it appeared in 2012.]]
In September 2011, the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany]] decided to close St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, citing physical deterioration of the building. The parish was merged with Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, and was unable to afford the estimated $4 million cost to rehabilitate the building.<ref name=crowe/> Built in 1889,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Final-bell-fails-to-save-St-Patrick-s-4393034.php|title=Final bell fails to save St. Patrick's|first=Bob|last=Gardinier|date=March 28, 2013|website=Times Union}}</ref> St. Patrick's Church was the tallest point in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.troyrecord.com/news/cross-bell-removed-from-st-patrick-s-church-in-watervliet/article_67e0e275-6b26-5496-8146-00252c1c9579.html|title=Cross, bell removed from St. Patrick's Church in Watervliet|first=Danielle|last=Sanzone|website=The Record}}</ref> The church was closely modeled on the [[Notre-Dame de l’Immaculee-Conception, Lourdes|Upper Basilica]] in [[Lourdes]], and many Watervliet residents considered it a defining piece and landmark of the city's architecture.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesunion.com/local/article/St-Patrick-s-was-our-work-of-art-4529762.php|title=St. Patrick's was 'our work of art'|first=Bob|last=Gardinier|date=May 20, 2013|website=Times Union}}</ref>

In March 2012, a developer filed a proposal to [[zoning|rezone]] the property from residential to business status so that it could raze the church (as well as an attached [[rectory]], former school building, and six private residences) in order to make way for a [[Price Chopper Supermarkets|Price Chopper]] grocery store.<ref name=crowe>{{cite news|last=Crowe|first=Kenneth|title=St. Patrick's public hearing in Watervliet Wednesday|url=http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/St-Patrick-s-public-hearing-in-Watervliet-3593203.php|access-date=May 30, 2012|newspaper=Times Union|date=May 30, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Update: St. Patrick's demolition (pictures and video)|url=http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Update-St-Patrick-s-demolition-4457161.php|publisher=Times Union|access-date=15 January 2018|date=April 23, 2013 }}</ref> Some members of the community responded to the proposal to raze the church with criticism and legal challenges,<ref>{{cite news| last=Churchill| first=Chris| title=A prayer of a chance for St. Patrick's? |url=http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/A-prayer-of-a-chance-for-St-Patrick-s-3518588.php#page-1| access-date=May 30, 2012| newspaper=Times Union| date=April 28, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Morrow |first=Ann |title=Is Nothing Sacred? |url=http://metroland.net/2012/04/26/is-nothing-sacred/ |access-date=May 30, 2012 |newspaper=Metroland |date=April 26, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522123056/http://metroland.net/2012/04/26/is-nothing-sacred/ |archive-date=May 22, 2012 }}</ref><ref>Sanzone, Danielle (January 14, 2013). [http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2013/01/15/news/doc50f446b301835604608031.txt "Another lawsuit filed to save Watervliet's St. Patrick's Church"]. ''The Record''.</ref><ref>Crowe, Kenneth C. (March 12, 2013) [http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/St-Patrick-s-demolition-fight-heats-up-4344807.php St. Patrick's demolition fight heats up]. Times Union. Retrieved on 2017-02-05.</ref> but on November 20, 2012, the Watervliet City Council voted unanimously to allow the rezoning.<ref>Crowe, Kenneth C. (November 20, 2012) [http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Vote-OKs-razing-of-St-Patrick-s-4055187.php#ixzz2CsW7rTi8 Vote OKs razing of St. Patrick's]. Times Union. Retrieved on 2017-02-05.</ref>  The deconstruction of the church was completed in May 2013,<ref>Crowe, Kenneth C. (May 20, 2013) [http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Last-chapter-shuts-on-St-Patrick-s-4531027.php Last chapter shuts on St. Patrick's]. Times Union. Retrieved on 2017-02-05.</ref> and a new Price Chopper supermarket opened on the site in July 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesunion.com/business/slideshow/New-Price-Chopper-in-Watervliet-89476.php|title=New Price Chopper in Watervliet|date=July 11, 2014|website=Times Union}}</ref>