The Rensselaer County Historical Society and Museum is a dynamic not-for-profit educational organization established in 1927 to connect local history and heritage with contemporary life.

We strive to enrich the present and advocate for the future by bringing the region’s past to life, recognizing every face and every story. In pursuit of this mission, we collect, preserve, study, interpret and make accessible a broad variety of objects and documents, and conduct educational programs to inspire public enthusiasm for the past.

Situated in the downtown Second Street Historic District in Troy, New York, the museum fulfills its mission from two adjacent 19th century townhouses -- the historic and architecturally significant Hart-Cluett House, which serves as a house museum, and the Carr Building, which houses programmatic and research functions. RCHS offers visitors and members a wide range of tours, exhibitions, educational programs and an extensive local history research library.

RCHS History

When a group of Rensselaer County residents met for the first time in 1927, to found the organization we know today as the Rensselaer County Historical Society, history - particularly, local history- was considered by many to be the purview of a select few.

Click here to learn more about the history of the Rensselaer County Historical Society.

About Rensselaer County

The rolling hills and quiet riverfronts of Rensselaer County are deceptive, masking the evidence of over three hundred years of bustling settlements and booming industries. Located on the eastern banks of the Hudson River just north of New York State's capital city, Albany, the residents of Rensselaer County had easy access to the large markets of New York and Philadelphia as well as points west. Generations of immigrants have settled in the cities and rural areas of this county to tap the resources of this area and create some of the most renowned industries of 19th century America.

Iron, steel, Arrow shirts and collars, agricultural machinery, gun powder, Prussian blue pigments and Troy-Bilt Rototillers have all been produced in Rensselaer County during the past 175 years. America's first engineering school, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the Emma Willard School, one of the nation's earliest schools for women were founded in Troy in the 19th century, and remain leaders in education today.

Click here to learn more about local architecture in Rensselaer County.

RCHS Staff:

Ilene Frank, Executive Director  (ilenefrank@rchsonline.org)

Stacy Pomeroy Draper, Curator (spdraper@rchsonline.org)

Kathryn T. Sheehan, Registrar and Rensselaer County Historian   (ksheehan@rchsonline.org)

Cindy Silkworth, Administrator (csilkworth@rchsonline.org)

Contact Information:

Rensselaer County Historical Society
57 Second Street
Troy, NY 12180

Phone: 518-272-7232

Return to previous page