Old Albany Post Road is a 6.6-mile (10.6 km) dirt road in Philipstown, New York, one of the oldest unpaved roads still in use in the United States. It runs mostly north-south through the southeastern corner of the town, near the Putnam Valley town line. Starting from an intersection with Sprout Brook Road at Continental Village just north of the Putnam-Westchester county line, it ends at an oblique junction with US 9 east of Garrison. As the least improved section of the original Albany Post Road, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1982. Its history as a formal road dates to the mid-17th century, when it was built on established Native American trails. Later it would see military use, particularly by the Continental Army during the Revolution, and commercial use as part of a stagecoach route. Some of the milestones placed during the early years of American independence to more accurately calculate postal rates are still present and have been preserved and restored. It is still in public use and maintained by the town. The town has recently angered some of the residents by proposing to pave the road.
Route Old Albany Post Road passes through heavily wooded and lightly populated country along the southeastern edge of the Hudson Highlands. Houses, many on large lots, are the only development along the road, and there are no settlements along its length. The countryside is rugged, with the road going up and down several hills. Some areas are scenic, with meadows and views of the nearby hills and mountains. It branches off to the northwest at the point where Gallows Hill Road becomes Sprout Brook Road. From there it takes a west-northwestward, meandering course at first, narrowing almost to one lane at some points and climbing steadily to where the Catskill Aqueduct crosses, but soon bends to the north-northeast and widens. It climbs and then descends over the next two miles (3 km) to the Lake Celeste area, where it becomes more northerly. Then it bends to the northeast again, going up and down several hills through mostly undeveloped areas, to Chapman Road, where the Appalachian Trail crosses.
Out of that intersection it resumes its northward course, traversing around Fort Defiance Mountain, to Canopus Hill Road. There it turns to the northwest. At the corner of Travis Corners Road, a monument explains the historical importance of the road. From here it runs almost straight north-northwest past some farms and more open land to cross Philipse Brook at the junction with Philipse Brook Road. Beyond, the road remains mostly straight and northwestward, eventually returning to more wooded country along a ridgetop where the southwestern corner of Clarence Fahnestock State Park is nearby. It then turns more to the west and descends to the intersection with Indian Brook Road, near the Bird and Bottle Inn. From here it parallels nearby Route 9, reaching some more developed areas until it finally ends with a merge onto the highway.
History All of the major work of building and widening the road was done during the colonial era. Old Albany Post Road has not seen much change since the mid-18th century. Later improvements in transportation technology diverted traffic away from it and have helped to preserve the road in its historic form.
Colonial era According to the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the road, in 1669 the government of New Amsterdam designated a postal route between it and Fort Orange (today's New York City and Albany), the colony's two most important cities at the time. It was little more than a narrow path in many places, following old trails used by the Wiccopee band of the Wappinger tribe, who often carried the mail, starting two years later. The longest stretch included part of the current Old Albany Post Road. The colony eventually became the English Province of New York, and in 1703 its legislative body provided for the postal road to be a "public and common general highway" along the same route, starting in Kingsbridge in today's Bronx directly across from the northern tip of Manhattan, and ending at a ferry landing in present-day Rensselaer. That legislation authorized the road to be as much as four rods (66 feet (20 m)) wide where necessary. It was called the Queen's Road at first, after then-Queen Anne, and later the King's Road when she was succeeded by George I and II. As it became the main route between the two cities, local commerce began to serve the long-distance travelers. Inns are recorded along the road as early as the 1730s, when it was first widened for military use. The best-known, John Warren's Tavern, was built in 1756 and remains in use today as the Bird and Bottle Inn restaurant at the junction with Indian Brook Road. The road received major improvements when the British Army realized it needed to improve defenses against the French to the north in New France (today's Quebec). In 1754, it was widened again and trees were cleared to allow the transport of troops and materiel in greater numbers. Milestones were first known to have been placed in 1763, sometime after Benjamin Franklin, who had advocated their use, was appointed the colonies' Joint Postmaster General. After the French and Indian War, it would be used against the British by George Washington's Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. He retreated to what was named Continental Village after the Battle of White Plains and the road remained fortified and defended throughout the war, used as a supply route, and often traveled by Washington and his officers. It was surveyed during the war and the first map published. Its milestone locations are not the extant ones.
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