AUDIO PAGE NARRATION
When the video ends, play the accompanying audio page narration.
You may also pause the video at any time to listen to the narration.
In the 1890s, Coeymans, NY, was not a coal
mining town, but rather a bustling Hudson
River port for coal distribution, ice
harvesting, and brick making. Coeymans-based
merchants and regional companies facilitated
the movement and local retailing of coal.
Key Coal-Related Entities in 1890s
Coeymans:
John N. Briggs Coal Trade:
John N. Briggs, a native of Coeymans,
operated an incredibly prominent coal and
ice business. While heavily based out of
Albany, he maintained coal yards and massive
ice houses directly in Coeymans. His company
supplied both residential needs and fueled
the steamboats and barges navigating the
Hudson.
The Delaware & Hudson Canal Co.: Dominating
much of the regional coal trade in the late
19th century, they shipped anthracite coal
from Pennsylvania mines down into the Hudson
Valley, supplying riverfront hubs like
Coeymans Landing for distribution.
The William McEwan Coal Company:
While headquartered in Albany, this major
regional coal distributor actively traded in
and around Albany County during the 1890s.
The Powell & Minnock Brick Company, which
utilized coal to fire millions of bricks.
Coal was frequently offloaded from trains
onto barges and scows at Coeymans to supply
the steamboats running up and down the
Hudson River.
In 1890, coal trains
were the backbone of American industrial
expansion. Pulled by powerful 2-8-0
Consolidation or 4-4-0 American-type steam
locomotives, these trains moved vast amounts
of anthracite and bituminous coal the
primary fuel powering the nation's factories
and homes.
