Riders Mills Two Centuries

Riders Mills Two CenturiesThe history of Riders Mills, a community in Columbia Country, New York, over a two century period from 1800 to 2000. The community has a rich history of hard work, family bonds, and lasting accomplishments. It has remained unchanged throughout its history, with much of its past still visible, including its mills, covered bridge, and original school house. The area where Riders Mills grew up was part of the Kings District of Albany County, which was on

The history of Riders Mills, a community in Columbia Country, New York, over a two-century period from 1800 to 2000. The community has a rich history of hard work, family bonds, and lasting accomplishments. It has remained unchanged throughout its history, with much of its past still visible, including its mills, covered bridge, and original school house. The area where Riders Mills grew up was part of the Kings District of Albany County, which was on the path of colonial migration from New England westward into New York. The Kinderhook Creek was a source of water and power for colonists settling in this new land, and the rolling land surrounding the streams was arable and fertile for farming. Early settlers were strong and self-sufficient, up to the daunting tasks of cutting down trees, clearing stumps, building stone walls, and plowing the land. The late 1700s witnessed the agricultural settlement of this area, with a strong representation of the Society of Friends, or Quakers.