For nearly a year, I’ve been working on a project with Columbia Economic Development Corp. (CEDC) that has taken me all around Columbia County in upstate New York, to write travelogues about each of the county’s often-underrated towns. Because I’ve been spending so much time getting to know Columbia County, I haven’t given my own county, Renssealer, all that much thought. But after attending a networking event in Hoosick Falls, New York, the wheels began turning. My own county has just as many fascinating nooks and crannies, and is just as worthy of some small-town exploration. (Renssealer County Tourism, care to take me up on the offer?)

So let’s dedicate today’s Snapshot Travel Guide to Hoosick.

Battle, Burning & Rebirth: Hoosick, New York, History

Hoosick is one of those quintessentially rebellious Northeastern towns forged out of battle, burning, and rebirth. It was set ablaze during the French and Indian War, and rebuilt in time to rise during the Revolutionary War. In its village of Wallomsac, a group of American militiamen came together to fight one of the decisive battles of the war: the Battle of Bennington.

Hoosick transformed into an industrial powerhouses in the nineteenth century, with a variety of mills lining the Hoosick River and bolstering its economy into the 1900s. After manufacturing petered out, the town fell victim to the same lengthy somnolent period that characterizes much of upstate New York.

Hoosick’s Modern Renaissance

Over the past ten years, Hoosick, led by its village of Hoosick Falls, has started to wake up. A variety of creatives and entrepreneurs have set up shops, studios, restaurants, and cultural venues that are worth a look. And an economic-development plan is underway to restore some of Hoosick’s luster, including creative repurposing of its many striking historic buildings.

Take a quick tour of Hoosick Falls in my Snapshot Travel Guide on the Greylock Glass.