Friends of Uncle Sam

Who was Uncle Sam?

Samuel Wilson was born September 13, 1766 in Arlington, Massachusetts. At fourteen he joined the Continental Army, tending cattle for the troops. After the Revolution, Sam and his older brother Ebenezer settled in Troy, New York, where they built successful businesses, including the brickmaking firm E. & S. Wilson. During the War of 1812, their meatpacking operation shipped barrels of beef and pork to American soldiers, each barrel inspected and stamped “U.S.” for United States. Troy soldiers joked that the initials stood for their good-natured friend Uncle Sam, and a legend was born. In 1961, Congress officially recognized Samuel Wilson of Troy as the namesake of America's national symbol.

Uncle Sam's church

Wilson was among the most prominent members of the First Baptist Church of Troy, serving as a trustee from 1808 to 1817. Church records note that E. & S. Wilson supplied the brick for the original church building, at a recorded cost of $457.31, and the historical marker on the building today, placed by the Uncle Sam Memorial Foundation, tells this story. Crowned by its white steeple rising 177 feet above Third Street, the church remains one of downtown Troy's most recognizable landmarks.

The church today

Since 2014, the building at 82 Third Street has been home to the Tau Nu Chapter of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded at RPI in 1984. The brothers live in, care for, and carry forward the story of this historic landmark. Learn more about our house.

The campaign

To celebrate America250, Friends of Uncle Sam aims to raise $250,000, a quarter-million for the 250th, to restore the building: the roof, windows, sanctuary ceiling and painting, kitchen, floors, steeple cladding, iron fence, and heat for the sanctuary. Every dollar goes to the building. Any amount is appreciated.