RCHS: Library

Research Library

RCHS manages and administers the largest local history library, archives and research center in Rensselaer County. These collections, comprising more than 30,000 items, are the fastest-growing and most well-used collections at RCHS.

Open
Thursday - Saturday from 12:00pm to 5:00pm
February - December 23, closed holidays.
$7.00 per day, $6.00 for seniors. RCHS members and students with vaild ID, FREE

If you would like to request research time outside of regular library hours, please call 518-272-7232 or email research@rchsonline.org. Times are based on staff availabilty. There is a fee of $25 per hour.

See the Visitor Information page for more details.

Research Requests

RCHS will conduct basic research reviews for you. Please email research@rchsonline.org
for more information.

Surrogate Court Records Request
If you wish to receive a copy of a surrogate court record, submit a Surrogate Record Request Form. A list of files can be found on the Troy Irish Genealogy Society's website
Fee is $30 per record ($25 for RCHS and TIGS members), which includes photocopying and mailing charges.

Research Requests
For researchers who can't visit the library, RCHS will conduct a basic research review for you. Please email research@rchsonline.org to discuss your research request.
Fee is $50 per request ($45 RCHS members). Additional fees for photocopying may apply.

Finding Aids to the Archival Collection

RCHS has several finding aids to the archival collection. These can be viewed by clicking here.

Brief Index to Historical Records at RCHS

Primary Sources - 18th - 20th centuries

Diaries
Letters
Scrapbooks
Business Records
Ephemera

Secondary Sources - 19th and 20th centuries

City Directories
County Histories
Family Histories
Labor History
Social History
Town and Village Histories

Maps/Atlases - early 19th century - 1990

19th and 20th century maps of towns - a printed guide exists to this collection
Sanborn Maps: 1903 - 1914, 1942, 1954

Photographs

19th and 20th centuries, representing various photographic processes

Aerial Views
Agriculture
Animals
Architecture: churches, commercial buildings, monuments, residences, schools, social and civic buildings, street scenes, details. Click here for information on local architecture.
Cemeteries
Disasters: blizzards, floods and fires
Foreign Locations
Group Portraits
Individual Portraits
Landscapes
Objects: Burden Water Wheel, equipment, commercial products, plaques and trophies
Panoramic Views
Parades
Recreation and Sports
Special Events
Transportation: air, land, water
Waterways and Bridges

Special Collections

Cluett, Peabody & Co. Papers, Troy, NY
Congressman Dean P. Taylor Papers
Organizational Papers such as Troy Chromatics, Thursday Morning Club, Troy Day Home
Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing Papers
Hart Family Papers (owners of the Hart-Cluett Mansion)
Papers of Rensselaer County families
Cable Flax Mill Papers, Schaghticoke, NY
Burden Iron Company Papers, Troy, NY
Marshall Mills Papers, Troy, NY

Other local repositories with special local history collections:

Troy Public Library
100 Second Street
Troy, New York 12180
274-7071

Emma Willard School Archives, Troy
274-4440

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Archives, Troy
276-8340

Russell Sage College Archives, Troy
270-2249

There are also many records still in the hands of local businesses, organizations, clubs, churches and individuals.

Secondary Sources - 19th and 20th centuries

Maps/Atlases - early 19th century - 1990

Photographs

Special Collections

Other local repositories with special local history collections:

Other links: