Beeren Island facts for kids

Beeren Island, also known as Barren Island or Bear Island, is a small island in the Hudson River. It is located in the town of Coeymans, New York, about 11 miles south of Albany. This island is special because it sits where four counties meet: Albany, Greene, Columbia, and Rensselaer. Its original name in Dutch, Beeren Eylandt, means "Bear Island." Some people believe its older Native American name, Mach-a-wa-meck, also meant "place of many bears."

Island History

Beeren Island has a long and interesting history, especially during the time of the New Netherland colony.

Claiming the Island

In the 1600s, a wealthy Dutch merchant named Kiliaen van Rensselaer claimed Beeren Island. He was a patroon, which was like a landlord who owned a huge area of land called a patroonship. His patroonship was called Rensselaerswijck. Beeren Island marked the southern edge of his lands.

Fort Rensselaersstein

Because of its important location, Beeren Island was chosen as a great spot for a fort. This fort would help protect the patroon's lands. In 1643, a fort named Rensselaersstein was built on the island. It had soldiers and even cannons. Nicolaes Coorn was put in charge of the fort as the watchmaster.

The Cannon Incident

The patroon wanted to control who used the river. So, every ship passing Beeren Island had to lower its flag to show respect to the patroon. They also had to pay a small fee of five stivers (an old Dutch coin).

One day, a ship called the Good Hope came by. Its captain, Govert Loockermans, refused to lower his flag. He said he would only lower it for the Prince of Orange or his own masters. Nicolaes Coorn, the watchmaster, was very upset. He fired a cannonball right through the main sail of the Good Hope!

Disputes and Changes

The Dutch West India Company, which governed the New Netherland colony, did not agree with the patroon's claim over the river. This caused a lot of arguments between them. The tension continued until 1664, when the English took over the entire New Netherland colony.

Other Uses of the Island

Over the years, Beeren Island has been used for many different things. At times, Native American hunters lived there. The Coeymans family, who the nearby town is named after, also occupied the island. It was even used as a quarantine station, a place where people were kept separate to stop the spread of sickness. And believe it or not, some people even searched the island for hidden treasure that they thought belonged to the famous pirate Captain Kidd!