An archaeological dig at the Quarles farmstead

scott 28 May 2022

"Finding archaeologist Karen Hunt is kind of a hassle. She’s hidden, sort of like the artifacts she and volunteers dig for during September weekends at the Mark Twain Archaeology Dig. It’s home to the former farmstead of John Adams Quarles, Mark Twain’s uncle. Twain spent summers on the farm, and here he became acquainted with the Quarles’ slaves. One in particular, Uncle Dan’l, might have been the inspiration for Twain’s character Jim."

New York Central and Hudson River RR

scott 28 May 2022

In 1867, Cornelius Vanderbilt acquired control of the Albany to Buffalo-running NYC, with the help of maneuverings related to the Hudson River Bridge in Albany. On November 1, 1869, he merged the NYC with his Hudson River Railroad to form the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. This extended the system south from Albany along the east bank of the Hudson River to New York City, with the leased Troy and Greenbush Railroad running from Albany north to Troy.

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