Heading east from Albany across the Hudson River toward the Massachusetts state line, US-20 follows Columbia Avenue through the warehouse and factory town of Rensselaer, then climbs a long, retail-lined hill past innumerable liquor stores, mini-marts, gas stations, and motels into the Taconic Mountains. Also here: the full-throttle oval of the Lebanon Valley Raceway (518/794-9806), with racing throughout the summer.
After this 25-mile barrage of contemporary culture, the tranquil hillside remains of Mount Lebanon Shaker Village, on the south side of US-20 a few hundred yards west of the Massachusetts border, come as a welcome relief. Of the 20 Shaker communities once scattered over the eastern United States, practicing a passionate but celibate form of Christianity, Mount Lebanon was the head ministry, founded here in 1785. The community endured until 1947, and some two dozen historic buildings still stand, including a 192-foot stone barn—the largest stone barn in the world when constructed in 1859—and a no-frills, but cleverly constructed, 1854 washhouse boasting hidden wall drawers and perfectly fitted floorboards. All of which is testimony to the Shaker edict, “Hands to work, hearts to God.”
The quickest route east from Troy is Hwy-2, a rural back road across the Taconic Mountains to Williamstown, Massachusetts. Alternately, you can follow old US-20 east through New Lebanon to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, then follow a short stretch of the Appalachian Trail route along US-7 north to Williamstown and North Adams.
