Site of the first bridge to cross the Mohawk River west of Schenectady in 1798, the hamlet of Palatine Bridge became an obvious crossroad on the Kings Highway. Local businesses primarily serviced regional farms. Stately residences began to line Grand Street by the mid-nineteenth century. Webster Wagner, a local wagon maker, made his fortune by inventing the sleeping car and luxurious parlor car first used on the New York Central Railroad.