1946 Map of Rensselaerville

About this map

Rensselaerville sits at the heart of this post-war landscape, where the rugged topography of the Helderbergs transitions into the Rensselaerville and Berne uplands. The map reveals a rural economy shaped by high-elevation terrain, with numerous small schoolhouses such as Brat Hollow Sch and Peasley Sch serving scattered farmsteads and small hamlets like Zucks Corners and Hawverville. The northern reaches are dominated by Fox Creek and the Switz Kill, while the central portion is largely preserved within the Partridge Run Game Management Area. Notable water bodies like Myosotis Lake, Triangle Lake, and Crystal Lake punctuate the ridges, likely serving as local focal points for recreation or conservation. The prominence of family-named crossroads and several cemeteries, including Woodlawn Cem, provides a detailed look at the 1940s community structure before the mid-century suburbanization of the broader Albany area.