Welcome to RiverSpark, where water ignited a revolution.

RiverSpark is a New York State Heritage Area - a place where people can come to see and enjoy natural, cultural and historical attractions. Cohoes, Colonie, Green Island, Troy, Waterford and Watervliet, the seven communities in this heritage area at the confluence of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers are all fortunate that so many important historical structures remain, and are being preserved for this and future generations.

The theme of this area is Industry and Labor. Abundant and cheap water power sparked the nations first major industrial communities. Its strategic location along natural waterways made it a transportation hub or a network of canals and later railroads which stretched far to the north and west. It was the center of the thriving iron and textile industries, and the birthplace of some of the nation's first labor and union activities.