Our Towne Bethlehem April: The Retreat in Retreat House Road

 Have you wondered about the retreat in Retreat House Road? We’ll get to that, but first we have to explore the way the roads have changed in that area of town including the old hamlet of Kenwood, Old River Road, Old South Pearl Street and Old Route 9W. *

The modern-day landmark to start this discussion is the Cumberland Farms on Route 9W at the top of Corning Hill Road. As you probably guessed, Corning Hill Road gets its name from the Corning family.** The Corning property used to run along the entire south side of Corning Hill Road. Erastus Corning started buying up land here with the purchase of 136 acres from Angelica Van Rensselaer in 1833 eventually assembling an estate of hundreds of acres. Much can be said about the wealthy and influential Erastus Corning, from his railroad, banking and insurance investments to his active political life (N.Y. State Senate, U.S. Congressman, Mayor of Albany) to his involvement in Albany civic projects like heading Albany’s first water commission in 1850 or his plan for the All Saints Cathedral in 1871. The man was busy and made millions. At the time of his death in 1872 his estate was estimated at $12 million.

Look for the Corning name in this snip of the 1866 Beers map showing Kenwood. Look for the V shaped roads in the middle. That is the intersection of modern-day Corning Hill Road and Retreat House Road.  At that V, you can follow River Road north to the hamlet of Kenwood.  There is a prominent J.R. near the V – that is about where Cumberland Farms is today.  Another landmark is the spot marked J. Haswell at the lower left.  That is the brick Haswell house that still stands just north of Panera on 9W 1866 Beers Map. 

And what about that Bethlehem property? During Erastus and his wife Harriet’s time it was more of simple summer retreat. Their mansion was in Albany and their more elaborate summer places were in Newport, R.I. and Sachem’s Head, C.T. It was Erastus Corning, Jr and his love of all things flora and fauna, that turned the farm into a spectacular estate. He raised Jersey and Hereford cattle, Southdown sheep and thoroughbred race horses. He was particularly known for his orchids, his collection of moths and butterflies and the many exotic specimen plants he grew. Besides a large residence, the property had greenhouses, both hot and cold, stables, barns and even a horse racing track. When Erastus, Jr died, the estate was divided into two equal farms, the upper and the lower.

Edwin Corning and his wife Louise inherited the Upper Farm (these are the parents of Albany’s longest serving mayor, Erastus Corning). Nowadays, this is the land opposite Cumberland Farms. A large portion of it is protected in The Bio-Reserve, a not-for-profit biological field reserve of 68+ acres. The driveway to this property, and the lot containing Mayor Corning’s old house, is known as Old Route 9W.

The Lower Farm, modern day Retreat House Road and River Road area, came to Parker Corning and his wife Anne Cassin McClure. Parker began to rebuild the family’s wealth (Erastus, Jr managed to run through his entire multimillion-dollar inheritance – all those orchids were expensive!) especially through the development of the Albany Felt Company (later Albany International) which started as a small mill at Kenwood supplied by the fleece from the sheep his father raised. Paul Grondahl describes Parker as someone who moved easily from the worlds of agriculture to society to business to politics (he served in Congress from 1923 to 1937.) Especially after his marriage to Anne in 1910, the couple embarked on a lavish, high-society lifestyle. That lifestyle included swanky parties at their Lower Farm mansion. (They also had five other homes where they lived and entertained as the seasons dictated.)

Biographies often note the couple’s passion for race horses. One of their best-known thoroughbreds was Attention, who in 1941 beat the Triple Crown winner Whirlaway. The couple had one daughter together, Mary Parker Corning, who was born in 1912. Mary Parker enjoyed a privileged childhood, entering society with balls and dinner dances in New York City and Long Island culminating in her betrothal to Philip Lawrence Birrell Inglehart in 1933. Mary shared the Corning passion for high bred horses being a frequent visitor to the track and polo fields at Saratoga. Indeed, husband Philip was a polo player of some note.

Getting back to Retreat House Road, in1804, it was part of the Albany Bethlehem Turnpike road that went from South Pearl Street connecting up to River Road. Imagine, in the modern roadway, driving down Corning Hill Road by Cumberland Farms. Imagine where Retreat House Road comes in on the right. Back in the day, you could turn left and head towards Albany. This road with its bridge over the Normanskill would lead you to modern-day Old South Pearl Street and the long-gone hamlet of Kenwood.*** If you were to turn right onto Retreat House Road, this is the old route of the turnpike and River Road. Continuing down Retreat House, you come to modern day River Road. If you keep going south a little bit more, you could veer off onto Old River Road, another original section of the Albany Bethlehem Turnpike.

And that bit of River Road, the busy through fare that was the turnpike that is now Retreat House Road? It ran right in front of Parker and Anna Corning’s mansion. Bringing traffic and noise that they didn’t like. Sometime before 1935, the Cornings used their influence to have River Road moved east, preserving their privacy and creating the more direct route we know today that links River Road to South Pearl Street in a smooth transition.

Parker and Anna Corning both died in 1943 and the estate came to their daughter Mary Parker Corning Inglehart. In 1945, Mary donated 43 acres to the Catholic Diocese and it became a Jesuit Retreat House. Hence the retreat in Retreat House Road.  As the Jesuits noted in a history of the property, “Early in 1945 Mrs. Mary Parker Corning Inglehart, a Protestant, presented the beautiful Old Corning Manor House and Farm… as a gift.” They also noted its beautiful grounds and accessibility from downtown Albany. The Jesuits set about fixing up the old house. It was completely empty except for an old chair painted green and yellow, the Corning racing colors. They hosted many retreats for Catholic laymen over the years. One 1948 headline sums up nicely: “Many Catholic Laymen Find Seclusion to Meditate at Former Corning Estate, Where Gaiety Once Reigned.”

In 1968, the property no longer served the Jesuits’ needs and the retreat center was moved to Auriesville. For a brief time, the property served as the Center for Humanistic Education, loosely affiliated with S.U.N.Y, but by 1974, it had been purchased by the Emmanuel Community, now the Emmanuel Christian Church.

So now you know the back story of a unique street name. Take a drive on the old roads around Corning Hill, from the busy 9W to quiet, tree lined Retreat House Road. The old mansion is still there as are many out buildings. A little further down is the old Beth Emeth Cemetery, established about 1838.  And when you come out onto River Road you’ll be very near the entrance to the old Hurlbut estate at Halter Road – we talked about the Hurlbuts last month.

 * Now might be a good time to pull up a map. Start with your favorite modern one like Google maps. You can even check out the tax map for the area, 87.03. It still has the old roads on it. Easiest way to get there is to Google Albany County Tax Maps.  Because you are reading this online, I can add a link:

https://www.albanycounty.com/Home/ShowDocument?id=11046

** I highly recommend Paul Grondahl’s book Mayor Corning: Albany Icon, Albany Enigma. While its main focus is Albany’s longest serving mayor, Erastus Corning III, mayor from 1942 until his death in 1983, the book has excellent information about the Bethlehem farm which Grondahl describes as “the family’s heart and soul, the place where it established a sense of permanency for successive generations.”

***Kenwood was a busy hamlet boasting the usual hamlet amenities like school (District 12), store and hotel. Over the years, and taking advantage of the water power available on the Normanskill, the area was home to a variety of industries from small scale saw mills and gristmills to the huge complex known as the Huyck’s Kenwood Mills. Huyck’s knitting and felting mill burned down spectacularly 1894.  Some of the old brick houses for Huyck’s workers are still standing on Old South Pearl Street.

 **** And also because you are reading this online and you've got this far, I can add a link to Paul G's recent Times Union story on the Bio-Reserve.  Its a good one!

https://www.timesunion.com/home/article/Grondahl-A-living-laboratory-of-ancient-trees-16063692.php

A circa 1950 postcard of the Jesuit Retreat House

The house on March 19, 2021.

Mary Parker Corning with her favorite thoroughbreds, Red and Joy,
at the opening of the Washington Horse Show. Circa 1933.