The Toll Gate at Slingerlands on the old plank road was torn down in 1908. The view looking toward where it would have been is filled with modern sights, but the former printing company building (now apartments) is still there on the left and Kenwood is off to the right. The Toll Gate would have straddled what is now New Scotland Avenue just before the railway overpass. The Slingerlands post office was placed on the right side of the Gate for some time. Next to the printing company building is the Zautner family Toll Gate restaurant famous for its home-made ice cream treats since 1949. A painting of the Toll Gate building hangs inside.

The Slingerlands toll house was one of four gates on the Albany to Schoharie plank road. The gate could be closed to prevent someone from skipping their toll. One side would be opened to let rider and horse or team pass through. The toll was five cents for a one-horse rig and ten cents for a team or load-cheaper than a thruway toll. For those who wanted to bypass or shun the gate, Bridge Street between New Scotland and Kenwood served as a shunpike.

Source of photo: Bennett, Allison. Times Remembered. Newsgraphics of Delmar, Inc., 1984.