IMPORTANT!Read this first!Before you press “Start”, please read this Introduction to the audio tour first. You can also listen to it. Scroll down the text and at the bottom touch the audio icon. The Introduction will give you a short history of Schenectady’s Stockade and of people and events that shaped it, and it will provide you with a brief explanation as to how to use this audio tour. IntroductionWelcome to Schenectady’s Historic Stockade audio tour. The tour is intended to provide you with interesting facts about this historic 350-year old urban neighborhood. You can explore the major streets, descriptions of architectural styles, and important people and events. The Historic Stockade is a residential village within one of America’s oldest cities: Schenectady, NY. In 1962, the neighborhood known as the Stockade was designated the first Historic District in New York State. All the buildings within the Stockade and down to the river are on the National Register of Historic Places.The Historic Stockade gets its name from the several fortifications that protected the early settlement. The original 1661 settlement by Dutchman Arendt Van Curler and 15 other patentees on the Mohawk River had strategic importance to Schenectady’s development. Besides the river location, the development history of today’s Stockade was influenced by several important events which you will hear about throughout the tour; the 1690 massacre, the American Revolution, destructive fire, the building of the Erie Canal and the growth of General Electric, and the American Locomotive Company. The Stockade has more than 40 pre-Revolutionary War houses including elegant and ancient churches, as well as houses in fifteen architectural styles all within a walkable area. As you walk around, you’ll notice historic markers that show the location of early forts and stockades as well as plaques on homes, and easily recognizable blue and yellow New York State Education signs. We hope you enjoy the tour. The tour starts at the intersection of Church and Front Streets. Once you are there, press Start.