New Paltz

Historic Huguenot Family Reunion, Early History Event

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Many in the Hudson Valley know of Historic Huguenot Street as a unique place. The architecture, the setting, the sense of timelessness within our modern, busy world – it is true that all of these things distinguish the site. Equally special though is the fact that descendants of the community’s founders and early leaders are still very much involved with and drawn to the Street. More continue to visit the site each year.

Embracing this, Historic Huguenot Street is hosting a “family reunion” for descendants and those interested in the special early history of the site. The Gathering, as the event is called, will be held from Friday, August 13th to Sunday, August 15th.

The event will begin with a Friday evening reception and viewing of the newly-installed portrait exhibit, An Excellent Likeness, in the LeFevre house. Saturday is the “meat” of the event, with a full day series of workshops focusing on early history. Topics such as the lives of the Huguenots and Dutch before they settled New Paltz, African-Americans and Slavery, Clothing Design and the role of women in early New York will be featured. Lunch and dinner are included and the day will be rounded out with evening options of a talk about Cultural Pluralism or an opportunity to partake in the popular Haunted Huguenot Street program. The event concludes on Sunday with options of a service in the French Church, an archaeology workshop or a tour of the museum houses.

More information about the Gathering, including workshop descriptions, can be found at www.huguenotstreet.org. The cost for the event is $50 per person or $90 per couple. Special activities are available for children and Saturday meals are included in the cost of registration. For more information, visit the HHS website or call (845) 255-1660.

Historic Huguenots Last Colonial Overnight of Season

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Of the many programs Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz offers, one of the most popular is Colonial Overnight. Just in time for one last hurrah before school starts, HHS is hosting its final Colonial Overnight. The program will be offered on Friday, August 20th.

No more than fifteen lucky participants will travel back in time to spend the night in a 300 year-old building, prepare and cook a colonial era dinner over an open fire and even get to know some of the people who lived on Huguenot street in the 1700s. There will also be colonial games and crafts, and a tour of the houses at night, some of which are said to be filled with the spirits of people who loved the street so much that they haven’t left. The night will finish off with a camp-in on the floor of the DuBois Fort.

Colonial Overnight begins at 6pm. Drop-off is at the DuBois Fort Visitor Center at 81 Huguenot Street in New Paltz. The program includes dinner and breakfast. Pick-up is at 10am. The cost is $45 per child or $40 for Friends of Huguenot Street. There is also a discount for multiple children from same family. Advance reservations are required. Contact Sarah Wassberg at (845) 255-1889 with any questions or make your reservation online at www.huguenotstreet.org.

Poughkeepsie: Historic Family Homes Reunited

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Historic Huguenot Street has announced that it has reached an agreement with Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie to transfer to it the properties and collections of Locust Lawn located in the town of Gardiner, New York. The agreement is result of months of planning to reunite the family homes of Annette Innis Young, who was responsible for establishing both estates as protected historic sites.

Transferring ownership and “reuniting” these two estates fulfills the original vision of Annette Young. It was Miss Young’s desire to jointly preserve the Locust Lawn and Locust Grove estates under one organizational umbrella hoping “the foundation will maintain these houses as an example of the lives of three generations of a wealthy and cultured Hudson Valley family.” Unfortunately, she was unable to achieve this during her lifetime.

As an alternative, she donated Locust Lawn to Historic Huguenot Street (which was then known as the Huguenot Historical Society), an organization in which she was already involved. Upon her death in 1975, Annette Young’s will established a not-for-profit educational corporation to preserve Locust Grove and its contents in perpetuity for the &#8220enjoyment, visitation, and enlightenment of the public.&#8221

The Locust Grove Estate was purchased by Annette Young’s father, William Young in 1901. The Young family cherished Locust Grove’s extensive grounds and historic buildings and added their own important collections of furniture, paintings and ceramics.

Locust Lawn is located on Route 32 South in Gardiner. It features an historic federal-style home was built in 1814 by Josiah Hasbrouck, a businessman and gentleman farmer whose ancestors were among those that founded New Paltz. Josiah Hasbrouck was Annette Young’s great-great grandfather and a U.S. congressman. The Hasbrouck family left Locust Lawn in 1885, leaving behind 70 years of finery and furnishings. The house was a repository of family history for another 70 years until it was donated to Historic Huguenot Street by Annette Young in 1958.

In addition to transferring the property and collections of Locust Lawn, Historic Huguenot Street will donate its adjoining properties, which include the historic Terwilliger stone house as well as the Little Wings Bird Sanctuary and Meadow. The Terwilliger House will continue to be protected as a historic building, open to the public. The existing protections on the Little Wings Bird Sanctuary and the Conservation Agreement on the Meadow also will remain in place with the transfer of the properties. Together, all of these properties preserve the core of the estate created by Josiah Hasbrouck.

The executive directors of the respective organizations have cooperated over the years to ensure that the collections and history have stayed linked to each other. These connections led to the formal transfer that is now taking place.

It is anticipated that Locust Grove will assume ownership and management of Locust Lawn by the end of August. Under the terms of the transfer, which has already been approved by the boards of both organizations, all restrictions placed on the property by Annette Young at the time she gifted the site will remain in effect. In the short term, the site will continue to be open to the public by appointment. Locust Grove plans an expanded program of public events in the future.

Photo: Locust Lawn Front Facade Courtesy of Historic Huguenot Street.

Historic Huguenot Street Elects New Board Members

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Historic Huguenot Street of New Paltz has elected three new members, including a key official from the Belgian Consulate, to the organization’s board of trustees. The elections occurred at the group’s annual meeting.

Christina Bark, Susan Ingalls Lewis and Edith Mayeux were welcomed to the board. Christina Bark is experienced as a corporate leader, attorney and entrepreneur. Most recently, Bark served as a Global Leader of Business Affairs and Chief Counsel for Oliver Wyman, a leading international consulting firm . She holds degrees from Vassar College and Stanford Law School.

Susan Ingalls Lewis is an Associate Professor of History at the State University of New York at New Paltz, where she teaches courses in American history and women’s studies. Lewis is an accomplished author and has held several leadership positions in the Mid Hudson Valley, including terms on the Rosendale Library and the Century House Historical Society in Rosendale. She holds degrees from Wellesley College and the State University of New York at Binghamton.

The third new member of the board of trustees is Edith Mayeux. Mayeux is the Trade Commissioner for the Wallonia Region of Belgium at the Consulate of Belgium in New York. Mayeux was born in French-speaking Wallonia, which is the ancestral home of the founders of New Paltz. In her current role, Mayeux helps companies from Wallonia access the U.S. market. Mayeux holds a degree in Modern Languages from the Ecole d’Interpretes Internationaux and in Applied Economics from the University of Mons, Belgium. She lives in Manhattan.

Mary Etta Schneider, president of Historic Huguenot Street, says of these new members, “We are so fortunate to have these three incredible women join our board of trustees. Each brings very special skills and perspectives. We are especially thrilled to have Edith Mayeux join our board. Historic Huguenot Street’s connection to Wallonia is a distinctive part of our history and we hope this can be the beginning of a growing relationship with our ‘homeland.’”

Also, Stephen Pratt Lumb of Dutchess County, himself a descendant of eleven of the twelve founders of New Paltz, returned to the board after a short break. Thomas E. Nyquist and Stewart P. Glenn of New Paltz were re-elected, as were Mark A. Rosen of Stone Ridge and Eileen Crispell Ford of Norwalk, Connecticut, who is also a descendant of the community’s founders.

Historic Huguenot Street, located on the banks of the Wallkill River, is where small group of French-speaking Huguenots settled in 1678. Today, just steps from downtown New Paltz, the site features seven stone houses dating to 1705, a burying ground and a reconstructed 1717 stone church – all in their original village setting. HHS offers six acres of landscaped green space and public programming to the local community and visitors from around the world. For more information about Historic Huguenot Street, visit www.huguenotstreet.org or call (845) 255-1660.

New Paltz: Moonlight Historic Harcourt Preserve Walk

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Historic Huguenot Street and the Wallkill Valley Land Trust have come together with a unique and new offering in New Paltz, on Saturday, June 26th at dusk: a moonlight walk on the 54-acre Harcourt Preserve that borders Huguenot Street. As the sun sets and the moon rises, participants will enjoy a drink on the porch of the DuBois Fort before setting off to see the historic preserve as few do – by the light of the moon. Full moons were a much anticipated treat in the days before electricity – an opportunity for people to venture out at night and enjoy the ability to see by the light of the moon.

The tour will begin at 8:30pm at the DuBois Fort Visitor Center at 81 Huguenot Street in New Paltz with a toast to the rise of the full moon with a glass of sparkling cider or wine. The easy, flat one-and-a-half-mile walk is the perfect opportunity to experience the kind of summer nights the original inhabitants of Huguenot Street once did.

Advance reservations are not required, but are suggested. To make a reservation, visit www.huguenotstreet.org or call (845) 255-1889.

Historic Huguenot Street (HHS), located on the banks of the Wallkill River, is where small group of French-speaking Huguenots settled in 1678. Today, just steps from downtown New Paltz, the site features seven stone houses dating to 1705, a burying ground and a reconstructed 1717 stone church – all in their original village setting. HHS offers six acres of landscaped green space and public programming to the local community and visitors from around the world. For more information about Historic Huguenot Street, visit www.huguenotstreet.org or call (845) 255-1660.

Photo: Moonlight over the serene Harcourt Preserve along the Wallkill River in New Paltz.

Stories in Stone: New Paltz Graveyard Walk and Talk

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So much of Huguenot Street in New Paltz seems quiet, almost as if time has stopped. No place on the street is this more true than in the Old Burying Ground that surrounds the reconstructed 1717 stone church. Stories in Stone, a walk and talk to be held on Saturday, May 22nd at 10am.

Some may consider it tiny, but small plot contains over 100 markers. In all likelihood, even more people are buried here, but with time, decay and change, their headstones have disappeared. Still, what remains is a remarkable burying ground that contains many interesting stories from the community’s earliest years.

One such story is that of young Ann Eltinge, whose small marble stone rests under one of the majestic trees that ring the burying ground today. Her stone tells the story of a young couple, Roelof and Dina Eltinge, who lost their infant daughter. Next to Ann’s stone is the stone marking the burial of another of Roelof and Dina’s children, this one a boy who died just eleven days after birth.

“What is fascinating to me are the many stories that can be found in this burial ground,” says Richard Heyl de Ortiz, Director of Marketing and Community Relations for Historic Huguenot Street. “Stories such as the Dutch and Huguenots intermarrying. The courageous widows who outlived their husbands by decades. The ‘newer’ immigrants that arrived here after the Revolution and how they integrated into the town.” Heyl de Ortiz will be leading the program on the 22nd.

Stories in Stone will leave from the DuBois Fort Visitor Center at 81 Huguenot Street. The program is approximately 90 minutes in length. Admission is $10 per person ($8 for Friends of Huguenot Street). Reservations, while not required, may be made in advance at www.huguenotstreet.org or by calling 255-1889.

Huguenot Street Opens with Wickets and Wine

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Starting Saturday, May 1st, the DuBois Fort Visitor Center Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz will be open six days a week from 10:30am to 5pm every day except Wednesday. Guided Tours of the iconic stone houses are offered on a walk-in basis during these hours, and the Museum Shop, gallery and exhibits are also open to the public during these hours. These hours continue through October. Weekend only hours start in November.

To mark the “opening,” Historic Huguenot Street is offering its popular Wickets and Wine event on May 1st from 4 to 6pm. With the Deyo House as a backdrop, players enjoy a relaxing game of croquet on the sweeping lawns. The setting is perfect for this Victorian favorite. Wine, homemade lemonade and light noshes round out the fun.

Players of all levels, including novices, are welcome. “One of the great things,” says Richard Heyl de Ortiz, Director of Marketing and Community Relations at Historic Huguenot Street, “is how more experienced players help out ‘newbies’ and gently teach them technique and the rules of the game.” Wickets and wine is $12 per person or $10 for Friends of Huguenot Street.

The first guided house tour of the day leaves the Fort at 11am. More information about guided tours or Wickets and Wine can be obtained by calling (845) 255-1889 or by visiting www.huguenotstreet.org.

Archaeologist to Discuss Historic Huguenot St. Finds

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Professor Joseph Diamond, head of the summer Archeological Field School sponsored by the State University of New York at New Paltz, will be the featured speaker at Historic Huguenot Street’s Second Saturday talk on Saturday, April 10th.

The Archeological Field School, which is administered by the Department of Anthropology, has been based at Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz for the past several summers. Students working under the direction of Professor Diamond conduct archaeological digs on the six-acre site where a small group of French-speaking Huguenots founded New Paltz in 1678.

The project is an excellent example of “town-gown” collaboration. Students receive credit for their participation in the field school and Historic Huguenot Street gains valuable and new information about the community’s earliest years.

Work conducted most recently on the lawn opposite the DuBois Fort Visitor Center is revealing an interesting variety of European and Native American artifacts along with what may the foundation of at least one early home and a protective stockade fence. Nothing of these two features remains above ground. “While we are fortunate to have some very early documents in our archives,” says Eric Roth, executive director of Historic Huguenot Street, “These alone do not explain what this settlement looked like in the years before the stone houses were built. Professor Diamond’s work has dramatically expanded our understanding of these years and of Native American presence before the Huguenots arrived.”

The talk will be held on Saturday, April 10th at 7pm at Deyo Hall, located at 6 Broadhead Avenue between North Chestnut and Huguenot Streets in downtown New Paltz. Because street work on Broadhead Avenue may be underway during this time, those attending are advised to enter on North Front Street and following the signs to Deyo Hall. More information or directions can be found by visiting www.huguenotstreet.org or by calling (845) 255-1889

Photo: Pit Showing Possible Stockade Fence Post Holes (Courtesy HHS).

Historic Huguenot St Hosts Candlelight Tour, Lecture

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Historic Huguenot Street (HHS), located on the banks of the Wallkill River where small group of French-speaking Huguenots settled in 1678, is today, just steps from downtown New Paltz. The site features seven stone houses dating to 1705, a burying ground and a reconstructed 1717 stone church – all in their original village setting.

This Friday and Saturday HHS is offering two unique programs. On Friday, a Candlelight Tour that features the historic Deyo and Jean Hasbrouck houses, and more on Saturday &#8220Before Stone: Early Structures of the New Paltz Region,&#8221 a talk offered as part of the HHS’s Second Saturdays lecture series.

Candlelight Tour

On Friday, March 12th at 7pm, HHS will present a special Candlelight Tour. In the Jean Hasbrouck House, guests will have an opportunity to experience the house as few do – by the nighttime candlelight that would have been part of every late winter evening in the 1700s. Guides will talk about how light, the scarcity of it and the need to capture as much natural light as possible informed both design and function of the houses. Unique lighting implements from the collections at Historic Huguenot Street, including the betty lamp, will be featured and discussed.

Across the street in the Deyo House, guests will experience one of the village’s finest houses just at the time that electric light has come to the village. The Brodheads, then in residence, take advantage of this new innovation, but continue to live by the soft, warm glow they knew from gas and candlelight. The result is a transition from the old to the new.

The tour will begin at 7pm in the DuBois Fort Visitor Center, where guests can enjoy a glass of wine or sparkling water before departing down a candlelit path to the museum houses. The DuBois Fort is located at 81 Huguenot Street in New Paltz.

Saturday, “Before Stone” Talk Focuses on Earliest Homes

&#8220Before Stone: Early Structures of the New Paltz Region, will be a talk offered on Saturday, March 13th as part of the Second Saturdays lecture series at Historic Huguenot Street.

Until recently, not much was known about what came before the iconic stone houses. Family histories told us that the stone houses dated to the late 1600s. Investigation and research conducted in the past several years have revealed that the houses were not built until the early 1700s. This begged the question of what the community’s early Huguenot founders lived in for almost thirty years. Archaeology on the site has also improved our understanding of how Native Americans lived on the site prior to European contact.

Architect Amanda Lewkowicz and Richard Heyl de Ortiz, Director of Community Relations at Historic Huguenot Street, will offer and informative and interesting talk about this evolving understanding of these structures. The talk will be offered on Saturday, March 13th at 7pm at the DuBois Fort Visitor Center, 81 Huguenot Street, in New Paltz. The talk is $7 per person ($5 for Friends of Huguenot Street).

Reservations are not required for either event, but are suggested. For more information, visit www.huguenotstreet.org or call (845) 255-1889.

HHS offers six acres of landscaped green space and public programming to the local community and visitors from around the world. For more information about Historic Huguenot Street, visit www.huguenotstreet.org or call (845) 255-1660.