Poestenkill, NY

Poestenkill is a Rensselaer County town formed from Sand Lake in 1848, with its name taken from the Poesten Kill stream. The Dutch word kil means creek, but the rest of the name has a more complicated story: local tradition connects it to ‘foaming water,’ while another explanation ties Poest to Jan Barentsen Wemp, an early farmer and miller. The town’s first settlers included the Lynd, Whyland, and Ives families, and its early industries included shirt and collar factories, a tannery, sawmill, and grist mill. Today the town is divided into hamlets including Poestenkill, East Poestenkill, Barberville, and Ives Corners. Poestenkill is old Rensselaer County with a name worth slowing down for.