225th Anniversary
225th Anniversary – Town of Halfmoon
In 1772 Albany County formed two districts, Half Moon and Saraghtoga. This district organization lasted 16 years until
the 7th day of March, 1788, when Half Moon became one of the Original Four Towns along with Balls Town, Saraghtoga and Stillwater. The First day in April, 1788, the new Town of Halfmoon had its first Town Meeting at the house of Cornelius C. Van Den Berg for the purpose of electing Town Officers.
March 7, 1788 – Half Moon became one of the Original Four Towns
April 1, 1788 – First Town Meeting in Half Moon to Elect Officers
1791 – Saratoga County was formed from Albany County
1816-1820 – Half-Moon was briefly named Orange
1816 – Waterford Township separated from Half-Moon
1828 – Clifton Park Township separated from Half-Moon
1910 – Mechanicville separated from Half-Moon
One can only imagine the land size of Half-Moon before Waterford, Clifton Park, and Mechanicville separated off from it. The Census of 1790 showed Halfmoon as having a population of 3,602 and 21,535 in the 2010 census, making Halfmoon one of the fastest growing towns in the County.
We are very proud to have the original minutes that were taken at that first Town Meeting on April 1st, 1788, 225 years ago. The pages that contain these minutes are from one of the two earliest Minute Books the Town of Halfmoon has in its possession. These books survived the Great Fire in 1853 that destroyed most of our records. We are thrilled to have these books available to share with you today and be able to take a glimpse back in our rich history 225 years ago.