When Abraham Lansing laid out his village in the 18th century he gave it a public square located in the center of the upcoming village of Lansingborough.

Here was to be built a church and an academy.

Three pretty famous people are associated with the academy — Chester A. Arthur, Herman Melville, and Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford. The Academy is now part of the Troy Public Library and recently suffered water damage. It was revealed the insurance company denied claims to restore it putting one of the more important historical structures in danger.

Ok, Chester Arthur may not have been the greatest President of this country but he is ours! His father William Arthur was a Baptist preacher in the First Baptist church (later Powers Opera House) that’s now a garage in Lansingburgh. The family lived here from about 1846 to 1849. He also preached in Schenectady.

Chester started out in Greenwich and went to grammar school in Schenectady. He also lived in West Troy. In August 1844 they moved to Schenectady where his dad preached at the Baptist Church on Union Street. William served churches in Lansingburgh (1846–49), Hoosick (1849–53), West Troy [now Watervliet] (1853–55), and Albany (1855–64).

Chester........

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