Albany County  ·  Town of New Scotland  ·  ZIP 12067

Feura
Bush

Deep roots. Open hills. Good neighbors.

Local etymology

The name likely derives from the Dutch vurenbosch—"fire bush"—for the reddish glow of sunlight reflecting off the pine-clad hillsides that have surrounded this valley for centuries.

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Welcome

A hamlet
worth knowing

Feura Bush is a small hamlet tucked into the southeastern corner of the Town of New Scotland, about eight miles south of downtown Albany. You might drive through on Route 32 without quite realizing what you've found: Victorian and Colonial homes along a shaded road, a church that has stood since the 18th century, hills that go amber in October.

It's a place where people know their neighbors and the volunteer fire department has answered calls for generations. The hamlet borders Delmar, Clarksville, Voorheesville, New Salem, South Bethlehem, and Coeymans—connected to the whole region, but with a quiet character all its own.

Feura Bush is an unincorporated hamlet within the Town of New Scotland. Day-to-day services—parks, water, roads, planning—are handled by the Town and Albany County. What the hamlet itself contributes is something harder to quantify: a sense of community that has outlasted every change of name and circumstance.

People have known this valley for thousands of years. The Mohican people were here long before any map gave it a name. Families have come and gone, farms have changed hands, and the hamlet has quietly kept its character across generations. The thing that has never changed is this: neighbors here look out for each other. Whoever you are, you belong here.

County
Albany County, New York
Town
Town of New Scotland
ZIP Code
12067
Distance from Albany
Approximately 8 miles south
Main Route
New York State Route 32
Historic District
Onesquethaw Valley (NRHP, 1974)

Our Past

Three centuries
of story

Feura Bush has been called Moaksville, Jerusalem, and finally—beautifully—Feura Bush. Every name tells part of the story of a community that has been here since before the nation was.

1754

Van Der Zee Manor is built by Harmon Van Der Zee, a major early landowner and grandson of Storm Bradt, born at sea in 1636. The manor anchored what would become the heart of the Onesquethaw Valley historic district. Source: New Scotland Historical Association

1791

The Jerusalem Reformed Church is established—the first congregation in the area immediately south of Albany. The current building dates to 1826 and still stands on Route 32 today. Source: Jerusalem Reformed Church · NSHA Historical Marker

1825

The Onesquethaw Reformed Church is built using stone rejected during construction of the Erie Canal—a detail that connects this small valley to one of the great infrastructure projects of early America. Source: NSHA Historical Marker

1832

The Town of New Scotland is incorporated, carved from the western part of the Town of Bethlehem. Feura Bush—still called Jerusalem at the time—finds its permanent municipal home, where it has remained ever since. Source: Wikipedia: New Scotland, NY

1854

A plank road is established through Feura Bush and officially designated a US Post Road by Congress. This route is today's New York State Route 32, still the hamlet's main artery. Source: Wikipedia: Feura Bush, NY

1974

The Onesquethaw Valley Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, recognized for its architectural integrity and its exceptional record of early American agricultural community life. Source: National Park Service / NRHP

1866 Beers atlas map of New Scotland Township, showing Fura Bush and surrounding hamlets
New Scotland Township, from the New Topographical Atlas of Albany & Schenectady Counties, 1866 · New York Public Library View full map at NYPL
🏛 New Scotland Historical Association 📚 Books on New Scotland History 📖 Feura Bush on Wikipedia

Local Life

The places
that make us

The Town of New Scotland provides the services and infrastructure that keep community life running. Within that framework, the hamlet has always maintained its own identity through the organizations, traditions, and gathering places that neighbors built and continue to support.

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Jerusalem Reformed Church

Established in 1791 and rebuilt in its current form in 1826, Jerusalem Reformed is the oldest congregation in the area immediately south of Albany. Its building on Route 32 is a centerpiece of the Onesquethaw Valley Historic District.

Visit Website
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Onesquethaw Reformed Church

Built in 1825 from stone rejected during Erie Canal construction, this historic church has been a spiritual and communal anchor for the Onesquethaw Valley for two centuries.

Visit Website
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Onesquethaw Volunteer Fire Company

The Onesquethaw Volunteer Fire Company has served Feura Bush and the surrounding area for generations. It runs on the simple idea that neighbors look out for neighbors—and that door has always been open to everyone.

Visit Website
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Feura Bush Farm & Craft Market

On Sunday mornings during the warmer months, the Feura Bush Farm and Craft Market Tailgate Fair brings the community together with local produce, handmade goods, and the easy pleasure of a summer morning among neighbors. Open to all.

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Charley Houghtaling Park

The Town of New Scotland maintains Charley Houghtaling Park in Feura Bush, with a recently updated playground and open green space for families. It's a gathering place for kids and parents in the warmer months.

Town Parks Info
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Schools

Most Feura Bush students attend the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District, with elementary students at A.W. Becker, middle at R-C-S Middle, and high school at R-C-S High. Small pockets of the hamlet fall within the Bethlehem Central School District.

Nature & Environment

Outside
your door

The wooded Helderberg hills around Feura Bush have always been its most defining feature. The Onesquethaw Creek watershed running through the area supports remarkable biological diversity, and some of New York's finest natural areas are within a short drive.

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Five Rivers Environmental Education Center

Just a short drive away in Delmar, Five Rivers is a 450-acre living museum of fields, forests, and wetlands managed by the NYS DEC. Over 12 miles of trails, 16 ponds, and more than 225 recorded bird species make it exceptional for naturalists of all experience levels. Free admission, with accessible trails and exhibits.

56 Game Farm Road, Delmar · (518) 475-0291
Visitor Center: Mon–Sat, 9 AM–4:30 PM · Trails: Daily, sunrise to sunset

Visit Five Rivers
🏔️

John Boyd Thacher State Park

Perched atop the Helderberg Escarpment—one of the richest fossil-bearing geological formations in the world—Thacher State Park offers panoramic views of the Hudson-Mohawk Valleys, the Adirondacks, and the Green Mountains. Over 25 miles of trails lead to waterfalls, hidden caves, and the escarpment's edge.

Visit Thacher Park
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Lawson Lake County Park

This 420-acre Albany County park sits on the eastern escarpment of the Helderberg Plateau near the New Scotland–Coeymans border. A lake, wetlands, forested upland, open fields, waterfalls, and streams support beaver, white-tailed deer, red fox, and a wide variety of woodland birds.

Albany County Parks

Your Community

Be a
good neighbor

Feura Bush is a place worth caring about, and caring about a place means showing up for it. Whether that means attending a Town of New Scotland board meeting, knowing who represents you in Albany, or simply keeping your voter registration current, civic engagement is how communities stay strong and voices stay heard.

Local governance for Feura Bush residents runs through the Town of New Scotland and Albany County. The Bethlehem Public Library in nearby Delmar is one of the finest public libraries in the Capital District and available to area residents.

Local elections are often decided by very small margins. School boards, town supervisors, county legislators: these positions shape the daily life of the community, and every vote counts.

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Register to Vote in New YorkNY State Board of Elections · Check or update your registration online
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Find Your Polling PlaceLook up where and when you vote in Albany County
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Albany County Board of Elections260 South Pearl Street, Albany · (518) 487-5060
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Town of New ScotlandLocal government, services, and board meeting schedules
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Bethlehem Public Library451 Delaware Ave, Delmar · Library cards available to area residents
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Friends of Five RiversSupport conservation education in the Capital District
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