Discover the Night
People and the Night
Before there were flashlights
Bringing along a flashlight on a night hike in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve is a modern-day convenience. Hundreds of years ago, before there were battery-operated flashlights, people looked to nature for resources they could use to illuminate the darkness. Learn more about early lights and how they were made in this section of Discover the Night!
The Pine Bush by candlelight
It's likely that people once used candles to illuminate the night in the Pine Bush. Watch this video to learn about a type of candle that was used in the northeast, and possibly in the Pine Bush, hundreds of years ago.
Candlewood in the Pine Bush
Did you know that "candlewood" is another name for pitch pine? Watch this video to learn more about how pitch pine was once used as a source of pine knot for making torches to illuminate the night here in the Albany Pine Bush.
Tavern nightlife in the 18th century
As trade and travel increased in the late 18th century, several families left the protected custody of the stockaded villages and settled along the King’s highway in the Pine Bush. Few and far between, these pioneers such as Isaac Truax and his son operated their farms as taverns, refreshing weary travelers with food, drink, and nighttime lodging. Click here to learn more.