Albany

History

Albany was laid out in about 1832. It was incorporated as a village in 1842. The small rural village had at least four routes leading into it and became a major stop in Athens County for the Underground Railroad, as fugitives could come upriver on the Hocking River from the Ohio River. Former slaves, many of whom had migrated from the Upper South to escape its slavery and discrimination, settled the village in the mid-19th century. The black population increased during the 1850s from four in the township to 174 by 1860. Although Ohio laws made attending public schools difficult for African-American children, private schools in Albany offered educational opportunities to them that were unavailable in most parts of the state. In 1848, William S. Lewis founded the Lewis Academy, which admitted students regardless of race or gender. Lewis's admission policies were influenced by the liberal ideals of Oberlin College, which he had attended as a student. The school continued to admit students of all genders and races. Slaveholders were not permitted to become shareholders. Students with financial need could borrow money from the institution and repay their tuition by working two hours a day in the manual labor department: farming land owned by the school, operating the school's saw-mill, or making bricks. To ensure the education of their children, African Americans from the county and state founded the private Albany Enterprise Academy in 1862. It was the first school in Athens County founded exclusively by and for African Americans. With the increase in students, a second building for a girl's dormitory was built in 1870. By the late 1870s, many blacks had left the area for work in larger cities and local public integrated schools were available. As a result, the…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,580
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,026
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  7,524
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  7,454
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  7,213
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  7,058
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  7,017
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  6,911

Largest nearby schools

• Alexander Jr. / Sr. High School
  High · Albany · 731 students · 14.1:1 ratio
• Alexander Elementary School
  Elementary · Albany · 693 students · 16.5:1 ratio
• Athens Middle School
  Middle · Athens · 385 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• Morrison Gordon Elementary School
  Elementary · Athens · 385 students · 22.6:1 ratio
• East Elementary School
  Elementary · Athens · 363 students · 15.8:1 ratio