Feura Bush, New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Feura Bush
hamlet
Etymology: From Dutch vurenbosch meaning fir woods
Feura Bush Location in New York
Country	United States
State	New York
Region	Capital District
County	Albany
Elevation	266 ft (81 m)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	12067
Area code(s)	518

Feura Bush is a small community called a hamlet in New York. It's located in Albany County, within the town of New Scotland. Feura Bush is in the southeastern part of the town, close to the border with Bethlehem. It is about eight miles south of the city of Albany. The name "Feura Bush" comes from a Dutch word that means "fir woods." The local ZIP Code (12067) also covers parts of the town of Bethlehem.

History of Feura Bush

Feura Bush has a long and interesting history. It was first known by other names before it became Feura Bush.

Early Names

Originally, this area was called Moaksville, named after a family who lived there a long time ago. Later, it was known as Jerusalem. This name came from the Jerusalem Reformed Church, which was an important part of the community.

Important Landowners and Churches

In the mid-1700s, a man named Harmon Van Der Zee owned a lot of land in the area. At that time, Jerusalem was part of the town of Bethlehem. In 1832, New Scotland became its own separate town. The Jerusalem Dutch Reformed Church was started in 1790. It was the very first church in this area south of Albany. In 1825, the church building was moved to Jerusalem (which is now Feura Bush).

Railroads and Roads

In the 1920s, some land from the Van Der Zee family was used to build the West Shore Railroad's Selkirk rail yard. Even though the rail yard is now in the Selkirk ZIP Code, it was first thought of as being in Feura Bush because it was closer to this hamlet.

In 1854, a special type of road called a plank road was built through Feura Bush. This road went to Houcks Corners. Today, this part of the road is known as New York State Route 32. From Houcks Corners, the road continued to Bethlehem Center, which is now New York State Route 910A. The US Congress even made this road an official "post road," which meant it was used for mail delivery.

Schools in Feura Bush

The first Feura Bush School was a one-room schoolhouse built in 1885. It was part of the Bethlehem School District. In 1929, this small school closed. Over the years, it was used for different things. In 1987, the Feura Bush Neighborhood Association turned it into a library.

Also in 1929, a larger brick school was built for students from kindergarten to eighth grade. This school was used until around 1950. Around 1870, the West Shore Railroad opened a station here. Students used this train station to travel to Ravena for high school. The train station closed around 1940.

The Post Office

The post office in Jerusalem (later Feura Bush) was once located inside the Mathias Store. In 1946, the store was sold and became a home, so the post office moved to the hamlet's hotel. A brand new post office building was constructed in 1989.

Geography of Feura Bush

Feura Bush is located along Indian Fields Road, which is also known as New York Route 32. It sits right on the border with the neighboring community of Delmar. The hamlet also extends to other borders with places like Clarksville, Voorheesville, New Salem, South Bethlehem, and Coeymans.

Where is Feura Bush?

Feura Bush is surrounded by several other communities and towns. Here's a look at its location:

		Hamlet of Unionville	Town of Bethlehem Hamlet of Houcks Corners
	Hamlet of Clarksville		Town of Bethlehem SABIC Innovative Selkirk Plant CSXT Selkirk Rail Yard
		Hamlet of Feura Bush
			Town of Bethlehem Hamlet of South Albany

Architecture in Feura Bush

The homes in Feura Bush mostly feature two main styles: Victorian and Colonial. You can also find some more modern homes. Several of the buildings are quite old, dating back to the mid-1700s.

Education in Feura Bush

Most children living in Feura Bush attend schools in the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District (R-C-S).

• For kindergarten through fifth grade, students go to A.W. Becker Elementary School.
• For sixth through eighth grade, they attend R-C-S Middle School.
• For high school, from ninth through twelfth grade, students go to R-C-S High.

A small number of homes in Feura Bush are part of the Bethlehem Central School District instead. Feura Bush also has its own library. This library is located in a building that used to be a one-room schoolhouse, right next to the Jerusalem Reformed Church.