Rensselaer Valve Manufacturing Company

Rensselaer Valve Manufacturing Company - Troy, NY

Rensselaer Valve Manufacturing Company was located in Troy, New York and manufactured fire hydrants from the 1880's until around 1969. Their earliest hydrant was patented in 1889 and had a slide gate design main valve. All subsequent Rensselaer Valve models used a toggle action main valve which is the reason for the off-center operating nut. What is presumed to be the second model the company developed, the List 90, dates back to before 1895 and is commonly referred to as a "Corey" hydrant after the inventor William W. Corey of St. Louis, Missouri. Their next model, the L-90A, was produced from the 1940s to the mid-1950s. The company's final model, the L-90B, was produced from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s. Rensselaer fire hydrants can still be found in service throughout the United States.

At the time that the company went out of business, it was acquired by Ludlow Valve Manufacturing Company, another fire hydrant manufacturer in Troy, NY. After the acquisition, hydrants manufactured by the company were cast with " Ludlow - Rensselaer."