34 Jlen and Things in Albany Two Centuries Ago. 



There was the old Stone tavern, kept by James Colvin, 

 and on the corner of Beaver was Dunn's coffee house, while 

 on the upper corner of Green and Beaver was the City 

 tavern, kept by Peter Germond, and previously by Hugh 

 Denniston, known in colonial times as the King's Arms. 

 The ancient sign of this house bore the effigy of King 

 George, and one of the early outbursts of patriotism in the 

 revolution spent its fury in wresting that obnoxious em- 

 blem of royalty from its haugings, and it was burnt in 

 State street. 



The mansion of Gov. Tayler, on the lower corner of 

 State and Greene streets, is still dimly remembered, a 

 broad two story house with a hipped roof, the front door 

 divided in the centre into an upper and a lower door, like 

 most of the old doors, the stoop provided wdth a bench on 

 each side of the door, where he often sat in pensive con- 

 templation after the manner of early times. 



On the opposite corner of Green street, is still standing 

 the store of the renowned William James, the merchant 

 prince of the time, but less imposing in appearance now 

 than when surrounded by one and a half story gable enders, 

 and when five-story edifices were unknown. Mr. James 

 died in 1832. His conspicuous position among the mer- 

 chants of Albany, and his almost unparalleled prosperity 

 in those days of lesser things, can hardly be appreciated 

 by the younger portion of merchants. Another magnate 

 w^as James Caldwell, whose residence was the present 

 store of Smith & Covert, and his place of business was the 

 Gable hall adjoining it. In my recollection portions of 

 nearly all the houses from Pearl street to Broadway on 

 the south side of State street, were occupied by families, 

 and not a few gable enders were among them. Mr. John 

 Van Zandt, the ancient cashier of the Bank of Albany, 

 who was then nearly ninety years old, told me it was tradi- 

 tional that in those days of primitive simplicity and 

 honesty, the houses on that side had an area or grass plat 



