Van Rensselaer Island
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Hudson River |
| Coordinates | 42°38′46″N 73°44′35″W / 42.64611°N 73.74306°W |
| Highest elevation | 25 ft (7.6 m) |
| Administration | |
| City | Rensselaer, New York |
Van Rensselaer Island was an island in the Hudson River opposite the city of Albany, New York. Today it is within the city of Rensselaer in Rensselaer County, and has been connected to the mainland on the east side and parts of the island's west side has been dredged away. The island has also been known as de Laet's Island, Kalebacker's Island, Boston Island and B&A Island, the last two names in reference to the Boston and Albany Railroad. The island stretched from Mill Creek north to the Livingston Avenue Bridge.
Van Rensselaer Island was also a name given to Westerlo Island in Albany, today the Port of Albany-Rensselaer.
The island went through many name changes in the 400 years since Henry Hudson saw it when he was at the present-day site of Albany. The name Kalebacker's Island may be related to the Dutch term "kale backer", translated into English it means down-and-outer, or mean fellow; the term Kalebacker was the term used by the Dutch for Native Americans who possessed guns, and were regarded as troublesome and war-like. There was a settlement of Native Americans who moved to the island after the Dutch established Fort Orange across the Hudson from the island, they apparently moved there in order to trade with the Dutch, they had a fort, village, and crop fields. The site is listed in the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation archaeological files, but not within the New York State Museum site files. The name De Laets Eylandt (de Laet's Island in English) was in honor of Joannes de Laet, given in the 1630s by Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the first Patroon of the Rensselaerswyck, a feudal estate encompassing Albany and Rensselaer counties. On May 1, 1658 Jan Baptist van Rensselaer, the director of the patroonship leased to Arent Adriessen all the tilled land on the island, which was referred to as "the island opposite the center of the village of Beverwyck". The lease was set for four years.
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