Niskayuna (corrupted from Native language "Canistigone" possibly meaning "corn flats") was a term referring to the southern flats of the Mohawk River - located east of Schenectady and north of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck.

Located beyond the jurisdiction of the Van Rensselaers, New Netherland-era farmers first occupied the bottomlands during the 1660s. Some of them including Jan Clute and Ryckert Claese Van Vranken and his son, Maas Ryckse, were or became residents of Albany. Captain Marte Cregier and his son also were prominent residents of Canastigione.

Variously spelled, Niskayuna was shown on most contemporary maps. It was connected to Albany by a primative wagon road. A Dutch Reformed church served local settlers from the 1750s.

About 1776, Ann Lee's Shakers settled in the area near today's Albany Airport. They cleared the land and erected a meeting house as early as 1784. In 1790, David Meacham and Hezekiah Noble were prominent in the Niskayuna Shaker community which mostly was referred to as Watervliet.

Originally part of old Albany County, Niskayuna then was a part of the town of Watervliet and in 1809 was erected into a separate town within Schenectady County.

posted: 5/1/02