Editor, The Spotlight:
“Old Slingerlands is a lovely place and the people we prize so dearly, for we always find them running with grace and that is why we live here yearly.”
These sentiments appeared in the Altamont Enterprise, on Nov. 21, 1891. One hundred and twenty years later, town officials and residents gathered on Sept. 30 to designate the Slingerlands National Historic District. The autumn day was fittingly perfect. A spirited community celebrated this event — simply, on the steps of the Gothic Revival Slingerlands United Methodist Church (circa 1871), over cider and donuts.
The district was listed on the National and New York State Register of Historic Places in 2012. It stretches from Couse Lane, (located across New Scotland Road from Maple Avenue, home to the Pine Hollow Arboretum) to Helderberg Parkway along New Scotland Road and includes Mullens Road and Bridge Street, contiguous to the new Helderberg Hudson Rail Trail.
New signs will soon mark “bookend” entrances to the district and a self-guided walking tour brochure is now available to highlight sites along the way. Congratulations to Bethlehem Town Historian Susan Leath and dedicated residents who spearheaded, organized and achieved this milestone in the heart of our community!
Sheri Sanduski-Rutherford
Slingerlands