This book, featuring the latest in scholarly research, shows how the onset of the Industrial Revolution transformed New York State into a center for industry and economy. This text shows that New York State industries are varied and have changed over time. This book addresses many of the local business owners, inventors, engineers, and architects helped New York grow and prosper. Primary source documents and photographs support biographies of important figures, such as Thomas Edison, Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, Nikola Tesla, Hetty Green, and Emily Roebling.