Piney Rest Farm

Thanks to a group on Facebook (thank you Bethlehem Central Randomness!), this wonderful postcard sent me down a small research rabbit hole this afternoon. Procrastination at its finest if you ask me!

And since it is easier to write up said research here instead of on Facebook, and because typing in "Piney Rest Farm" into the Old Fulton newspaper website turned up exactly one lonely, but very informative article, I've got good stuff to share. So here goes...

Please meet Mrs. Milton Slingerland, the former Carrie Mae Wiltsie, age 88.  This profile appeared in the May 8, 1962 Albany Times Union.  

In this delightful and long article about Gram Slingerland we learn some interesting facts about the Piney Rest Farm.   

Carrie Mae Wiltsie was born in 1874 and raised on the Wiltsie farm in Bethlehem.  She married Milton Slingerland when she was 19 and went to live with Milton at his family homestead. The 32 acre farm, where Milton was a truck farmer, was located on River Road in the town of Coeymans. It sat high with the land sloping down to the Hudson River. Carrie Mae and Milton lived there their entire married life - Milton died in 1947 and Carrie in 1963.  Carrie was a busy member of the household - well let me just quote the article...

"She helped to garden, sold eggs and home-made cottage cheese from a Model-T Ford truck, provided breakfast and lodging for tourists and, in spare moments, knitted and crocheted, sewed, painted pictures and tended her flowers.   The tourist business was discontinued at "Piney Rest Farm" 15 years ago, when her son brought his wife and three daughters to join her in the big house."

So there you have it, Carrie Mae Wiltsie Slingerland ran Piney Rest Farm as a tourist rest stop from about the time she got married until 1947 - which was the time her husband passed - say about 50 years. Pretty cool.

I did take a quick look through the census. Piney Rest Farm was on River Road in North Coeymans, town of Coeymans, but did not have a street number, so I can't exactly place the homestead.  I did find Milton and Bessie's son Carmen's WWII draft card and that shed some light.  In the 1940 census he and his wife Ruth lived right next door to Milton and Bessie. (Remember the article says they moved into the "big house" in 1947.) His draft card says his address is "RFD Selkirk"  That's it.  No street name or number.  His phone number was Ravena 14f2.  And his draft registration was filed by the town of Coeymans.  

So, once again I am going to blame the post office delivery system for the above postcard labeled Selkirk, even though the building it shows is really in Coeymans.

Do any of you out there have more information on Piney Rest?  Let me know!

PS: Please search for the the exact phrase "Piney Rest Farm" on https://fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html and read the whole article about Bessie Mae - she was quite the gal!

UPDATE (7-27-2020)

Here she is - 42 Fox Street, Selkirk, Town of Coeymans.  Owned by Carmen Slingerland until 2004.

Thank you Facebook and Blog commentators for the helpful hints!

Another Update (8-11-2020)

I was at Schodack Island State Park over the weekend and lo and behold what do I see across the Hudson, but a distinctive roof line. Confirmed it is our very own Piney Rest by checking with Google maps.  I was wondering why that cupola was added, must be an amazing view!