Olympiad team has strong showing in regionals

By Melanie Lekocevic

Capital Region Independent Media

ALCOVE — Since 1848, the chimney that soars above the Valley Paper Mill Park just off Route 143 in Alcove has stood sentry above the town.

But over the years, the chimney — which survived two massive fires and countless winter storms — has sustained deterioration.

In 2012, the top portion of the chimney, known as the chimney capital, was removed, eliminating the top 6 ½ feet of the structure due to safety concerns. Now, the town of Coeymans received a grant from the county to rebuild the top of the chimney and put it on display at ground level.

“The town partnered with the Alcove Preservation Association in applying for a grant from Albany County Parks and Recreation this past August,” said Tom Sweeney, president of the Association. “We received grant funds and we are going to rebuild the chimney capital that was removed in 2012 on a concrete foundation at ground level in the spring of 2025.”

Sweeney declined to specify the amount of the grant.

He said the group would prefer to see the capital rebuilt and then placed atop the chimney in its original location, but that endeavor would be too involved and far too costly.

“That is a very expensive proposition and obtaining grants is a very difficult process,” Sweeney said.

Instead, the rebuilt capital will be on display on the ground, with a placard detailing when it was removed and when it was rebuilt.

With an original height of 98.9 feet, before the capital was removed 12 years ago, the chimney is still the tallest manmade structure in the town at its current 92.4 feet tall, other than area cell towers, Sweeney estimated. It has stood in Alcove for well over 150 years, and over the years has seen restoration work done to preserve it.

“The chimney has been a landmark in the community,” he said. “It was built in 1848 and it has survived. We have been slowly refurbishing the lower portion of it by replacing bricks and repointing the joints so it withstands another 200 years of weather.”

Originally built for the Valley Paper Mill, that building burned down in January 1892, leaving only the chimney still standing. After the paper mill burned down, a new building was built as a creamery back in 1897. After the creamery went out of business the building became the Chimney Top Bar and Dance Hall before being transformed into a private home. The home burned down in 1987 and was never rebuilt.

But through all those changes, the chimney has remained standing and eventually the Valley Paper Mill Park and the attending kiosk were built acknowledging the site’s place in local history. The chimney and the site were placed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places in 2004.

Work on the chimney capital is expected to begin in spring 2025.