History

The city is within the original, now defunct town of Caughnawaga.^[1]
The first Europeans to settle here were Dutch immigrants about 1710. They called the community Veeders Mills and Veedersburgh after Albert Veeder, an early mill owner. After the American Revolutionary War, many settlers came from New England. Anglo-American residents changed the name to Amsterdam in 1803. In 1773, Guy Johnson built Guy Park, a stone Georgian mansion. A Loyalist, he fled to Canada during the Revolution. The mansion has been preserved and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[1]
It was incorporated as a village on April 20, 1830 from a section of the Town of Amsterdam. New charters in 1854, 1865, and 1875 increased the size of the village.^{[citation needed]} In 1885, Amsterdam became a city, which subsequently increased in size by annexation of the former village of Port Jackson on the south side of the Mohawk River; it became the fifth ward of the city.
The completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 was an economic boom to the city, which became an important manufacturing center. It was known for its carpets. In 1865, the population of Amsterdam was 5,135.^[1] By 1920, it was 33,524. Through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was a destination for immigrants from southern and eastern Europe, who initially worked in the factories.
Amsterdam experienced serious flooding damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene in late August 2011. This flooding threatened properties at the river's edge due to erosion and water damage.^[2]
Several historic buildings and sites that are mostly from the 19th and 20th centuries, including the Amsterdam (46th Separate Company) Armory, Amsterdam City Hall, Gray-Jewett House, Green Hill Cemetery, Greene Mansion, Guy Park, Guy Park Avenue School, Saint Stanislaus Roman Catholic Church Complex, Temple of Israel, United States Post Office, and Vrooman Avenue School, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[3] Chalmers Knitting Mills was added in 2010.^[4]