A Disappearing Class Reacts
Old Albany families included names like Pruyn, Sanders, Lansing, Schuyler, and of course, Van Rensselaer. In response to the major changes that were occurring in Albany’s population, economy, and politics, many of these families looked to the past, and they actively preserved and restored their landmarks, including Schuyler and Ten Broeck Mansions, and Crailo, located just across the river. These grand old homes drew national attention as symbolizing an older and better way of life. Cherry Hill was just one such house to be featured in books, magazine articles and museum exhibitions devoted to the colonial period.
Aristocrats like Catherine Rankin also looked to the values of the past, recalling a time before either the vulgar rich or the vulgar poor held power. They celebrated the colonial era as a time of restrained elegance, in sharp contrast to what they regarded as the ostentation of the new millionaires and the coarseness of the new immigrants. This was the message of Cherry Hill as physically shaped by Catherine’s presence and vision.