Huguenot Street Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Huguenot Street Historic District is located near downtown New Paltz
, New York
, approximately 80 miles (128.7 km) north of New York City. The seven stone house
s and several accompanying structures in the district were built in the early 18th century by Huguenot
settler
s fleeing discrimination and religious persecution in France
and Belgium
. After negotiating with the Esopus Indians, this small group of Huguenots settled on a flat rise on the banks of the Wallkill River
in 1678. The settlers named the site in honor of Die Pfalz, the village in the Mannheim region of present-day Germany that had provided them temporary refuge before they came to America. Recent archaeological finds indicate that the immediate area settled by the Huguenots was occupied by Native Americans prior to European contact. The site is one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the United States.
The house museums of Historic Huguenot Street are in their original village setting. The street has been included in the National Register of Historic Places
since the Register was created in 1966, and had been designated a National Historic Landmark
in 1960.
In addition to the houses, the 20 acres (8.1 ha) site features a burying ground dating to the earlier 18th century, a reconstructed 1717 stone church, a visitor center, a library and archives, exhibit galleries and space for meetings, talk and programming. In addition, the Harcourt Preserve, a 55 acres (22.3 ha) nature preserve adjoining the site, is open to the public.
The site is owned and operated by Historic Huguenot Street (HHS), which was founded in 1894. In 1899, HHS purchased the Jean Hasbrouck House as the first house museum on the street. In the 1950s and 60s, HHS purchased all of the remaining stone houses in the district and subsequently opened them as house museums. These acquisitions were funded in large part by family associations—descendants of the original Huguenot founders. These family associations continue to help support the houses today.
In the 1980s, the organization began offering related educational and informative programming to the public—which it continues to do today. The site is open to the public and programming is offered year-round. Guided tours of the house museums are offered May through October from 10am to 5pm every day except Wednesday.
. The house was built by the Bevier family, one of the founding families, and subsequently sold to the Dutch Elting family.
Also built in 1721 by Jean's son Jacob (and perhaps incorporating elements of an early home built by New Paltz founder Jean Hasbrouck), this home is an excellent example of Hudson Valley Dutch architecture and the showpiece of Historic Huguenot Street. A National Historic Landmark
in its own right, it boasts the only remaining original jambless fireplace
of any of the Huguenot Street houses, and is one of the few surviving examples in what was formerly the New Netherland.
In 2006, the north wall of the house was carefully dismantled, repaired and reconstructed. Reproduction Dutch-style casement windows were installed. Interior restoration followed, resulting in a house that is an excellent example of how a comfortable family in the region lived in the mid-18th century.
Over the years, the interior was modernized into a 20th-century idea of a colonial home. Now used to interpret the late 1940s and 1950s in New Paltz, this house reflects how Huguenot descendants adapted their family homes over 300 years.
movement, two descendants of Pierre Deyo, Abraham and Gertrude Brodhead, inherited the house. Wanting to live on the street of their ancestors but also wanting a modern, gracious home that reflected their affluence, the Brodheads partially dismantled the original stone house and built a grand Queen Anne
home around it in 1894. They also significantly changed their surrounding property, in essence changing a small, village farm into a handsomely appointed and landscaped mini-estate. The house first passed out of Deyo family ownership in 1915. It was a private home until 1971, when it was purchased by the Deyo Family Association and donated in order to be opened to the public as a house museum. The home was most recently restored in 2003 and features circa 1915 interiors.
As the New Paltz community increased in size throughout the 18th century, a larger church became necessary. A second stone church was built down the street in 1773. That, too, became too small in time. It was torn down and a third church was built in 1839. This church survives today and is home to an active Reformed congregation.
The reconstructed church is named in honor of Antoine Crispell, one of the twelve founders or patentees of New Paltz, and was built as the result of a fundraising campaign led by the Crispell Family Association. Antoine Crispell, while one of the founders and owners of the 40,000-acre New Paltz patent, chose to remain in Kingston when New Paltz was settled. Though his daughters Elizabeth and Maria both settled in New Paltz after they married, there was not a Crispell family homestead on Historic Huguenot Street. Because the family could not buy and restore a family homestead (as descendants of other founding families did), the Crispell Family Foundation opted to create this reconstruction in their ancestor's honor. Completed in 1972, it is a valuable addition to the preserved village.
The pulpit was placed in a central location, and the pews were placed so that everyone could see and hear more equally. This was a demonstration of the idea that each person is believed to be connected directly to God, rather than through a church hierarchy. The led to a greater sense of equality among individuals of the Reformed Church.
and the Huguenots. Some results of research can be found at the HHS site at "Relations between the Huguenots of New Paltz, NY and the Esopus Indians .
in New Paltz begins in 1674, three years before its founding, when Louis DuBois purchased two African slaves at a public auction
held in Kingston (then called Esopus). The two slaves ran away the following spring and were captured in the colony by Lewis Morris of Barbados
. From 1675 to 1680, Morris and DuBois engaged in a lengthy custody battle for the two slaves.
Settlers continued to buy slaves for laborers in New Paltz, to support the settlement's growth. The Deyo family bought slaves in 1680 and 1694. Throughout the next 125 years, historical records of the settlement included references to slaves. In 1703, the population included 9 slaves out of a total of 130 residents. Jean and Jacob Hasbrouck owned several slaves: named in Jean's will as "Gerritt," "James," and "Molly." By 1755, slavery was a well-established part of the New Paltz community: the census from that year lists 28 slave holders, who collectively owned 78 slaves over the age of 14 years. The majority of slave holders (82%) owned between one and four slaves, and used them as domestic servants and farm laborers. The overall population of New Paltz grew rapidly to 2,309 in 1790, when there were 77 slave holders owning a total of 302 slaves, or 13% of the population. For more information pertaining to the Slavery in New Paltz, visit "The Society of Negroes Unsettled": The History of Slavery in New Paltz, NY . HHS also has an online exhibit called The Missing Chapter: Untold stories of the African American Presence in the Mid-Hudson Valley
New Paltz (village), New York
New Paltz is a village in Ulster County in the U.S. state of New York. It is about north of New York City and south of Albany. The population was 6,818 at the 2010 census.The Village of New Paltz is located within the Town of New Paltz...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, approximately 80 miles (128.7 km) north of New York City. The seven stone house
Stone House
- Place or building in England :* Stone House, Cumbria, England* Stone House, Deptford , one of the oldest and most distinctive buildings in the London Borough of Lewisham- Place or building in Hong Kong :...
s and several accompanying structures in the district were built in the early 18th century by Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
s fleeing discrimination and religious persecution in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. After negotiating with the Esopus Indians, this small group of Huguenots settled on a flat rise on the banks of the Wallkill River
Wallkill River
The Wallkill River, a tributary of the Hudson, drains Lake Mohawk in Sparta, New Jersey, flowing from there generally northeasterly to Rondout Creek in New York, near Rosendale, with the combined flows reaching the Hudson at Kingston....
in 1678. The settlers named the site in honor of Die Pfalz, the village in the Mannheim region of present-day Germany that had provided them temporary refuge before they came to America. Recent archaeological finds indicate that the immediate area settled by the Huguenots was occupied by Native Americans prior to European contact. The site is one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the United States.
The house museums of Historic Huguenot Street are in their original village setting. The street has been included in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
since the Register was created in 1966, and had been designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1960.
In addition to the houses, the 20 acres (8.1 ha) site features a burying ground dating to the earlier 18th century, a reconstructed 1717 stone church, a visitor center, a library and archives, exhibit galleries and space for meetings, talk and programming. In addition, the Harcourt Preserve, a 55 acres (22.3 ha) nature preserve adjoining the site, is open to the public.
The site is owned and operated by Historic Huguenot Street (HHS), which was founded in 1894. In 1899, HHS purchased the Jean Hasbrouck House as the first house museum on the street. In the 1950s and 60s, HHS purchased all of the remaining stone houses in the district and subsequently opened them as house museums. These acquisitions were funded in large part by family associations—descendants of the original Huguenot founders. These family associations continue to help support the houses today.
In the 1980s, the organization began offering related educational and informative programming to the public—which it continues to do today. The site is open to the public and programming is offered year-round. Guided tours of the house museums are offered May through October from 10am to 5pm every day except Wednesday.
Bevier-Elting House
Dating to the very early 18th century, the house was originally a one-room building built with the narrow or gable end facing the street—then the prevailing style of the low countries of Northern Europe. Two expansions were built later, and a small cellar housed African slavesSlavery in Colonial America
The origins of slavery in the colonial United States are complex and there are several theories that have been proposed to explain the trade.In 1607, English settlers established Jamestown as the first permanent English colony in the New World. Tobacco became the chief crop of the colony, due to...
. The house was built by the Bevier family, one of the founding families, and subsequently sold to the Dutch Elting family.
Abraham Hasbrouck House
The structure known as the Abraham Hasbrouck House was built in three phases in the 1720s and 30s. The first room of the house—the center room—was constructed in 1721 by Daniel Hasbrouck, the son of Abraham Hasbrouck the patentee. The date 1721 is based on recent dendrochronology, which is a process by which wooden structural members are dated. This house represents a New World innovation in Dutch-style architecture. The initial houses in the Dutch region of New York, such as New Amsterdam, Albany, and Kingston, were built in the tradition of Dutch cities, with the gable-ends to the street, which conserves street frontage. The basic structure of the house consists of a series of H-bents which spread the weight of the house across the entire expanse. The original one-room house exhibited several defining elements of Dutch architecture, the jambless fireplace being the principal and most recognized feature in the house.Jean Hasbrouck House
Also built in 1721 by Jean's son Jacob (and perhaps incorporating elements of an early home built by New Paltz founder Jean Hasbrouck), this home is an excellent example of Hudson Valley Dutch architecture and the showpiece of Historic Huguenot Street. A National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in its own right, it boasts the only remaining original jambless fireplace
Fireplace
A fireplace is an architectural structure to contain a fire for heating and, especially historically, for cooking. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue allows gas and particulate exhaust to escape...
of any of the Huguenot Street houses, and is one of the few surviving examples in what was formerly the New Netherland.
In 2006, the north wall of the house was carefully dismantled, repaired and reconstructed. Reproduction Dutch-style casement windows were installed. Interior restoration followed, resulting in a house that is an excellent example of how a comfortable family in the region lived in the mid-18th century.
DuBois Fort
Built in 1705 for the DuBois family, it served as a fortified place for protection for the small community if needed. This second purpose was one of the conditions set down by the English governor when he provided a patent to the Huguenots after they purchased the land in 1678. Originally a smaller 1½ story structure, this building was expanded to its current size in the late 1830s. The loop holes (gun ports) made it a "fort", although the inhabitants of New Paltz never needed to use the building as a place of refuge. The DuBois Fort serves as Visitor Center, with an introductory exhibit and the Museum Shop. Guided tours leave from this building. Over the last 300 years, it has also been a home and a restaurant.Freer House
The Freer House is one of the six 18th-century stone houses owned by Historic Huguenot Street. It was altered in various points in its approximately 250 years of occupancy, with its most recent major alterations occurring in 1943 when it was purchased by Rev. John Wright Follette, a direct descendant of its original builder, Hugo Freer.Over the years, the interior was modernized into a 20th-century idea of a colonial home. Now used to interpret the late 1940s and 1950s in New Paltz, this house reflects how Huguenot descendants adapted their family homes over 300 years.
Deyo House
The original portion of the house was built around 1720 by Patentee Pierre Deyo. It began as a one-room house, was subsequently expanded to two rooms, and ultimately to three when a stone addition was added off the rear by Pierre's grandson Abraham. Circumstances for this house changed dramatically when, at the height of the Colonial RevivalColonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
movement, two descendants of Pierre Deyo, Abraham and Gertrude Brodhead, inherited the house. Wanting to live on the street of their ancestors but also wanting a modern, gracious home that reflected their affluence, the Brodheads partially dismantled the original stone house and built a grand Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
home around it in 1894. They also significantly changed their surrounding property, in essence changing a small, village farm into a handsomely appointed and landscaped mini-estate. The house first passed out of Deyo family ownership in 1915. It was a private home until 1971, when it was purchased by the Deyo Family Association and donated in order to be opened to the public as a house museum. The home was most recently restored in 2003 and features circa 1915 interiors.
Crispell Memorial French Church
Since the community's founding, there have been four sanctuaries built on what is today called Huguenot Street. The French-speaking Protestants who settled New Paltz built their first church in 1683 -- a simple log building. This was replaced in 1717 with a straightforward, square stone building that reflected the permanence of the settlement. The existing building is a reconstruction of the 1717 building; it is set in the community's early burying ground, as the original was.As the New Paltz community increased in size throughout the 18th century, a larger church became necessary. A second stone church was built down the street in 1773. That, too, became too small in time. It was torn down and a third church was built in 1839. This church survives today and is home to an active Reformed congregation.
The reconstructed church is named in honor of Antoine Crispell, one of the twelve founders or patentees of New Paltz, and was built as the result of a fundraising campaign led by the Crispell Family Association. Antoine Crispell, while one of the founders and owners of the 40,000-acre New Paltz patent, chose to remain in Kingston when New Paltz was settled. Though his daughters Elizabeth and Maria both settled in New Paltz after they married, there was not a Crispell family homestead on Historic Huguenot Street. Because the family could not buy and restore a family homestead (as descendants of other founding families did), the Crispell Family Foundation opted to create this reconstruction in their ancestor's honor. Completed in 1972, it is a valuable addition to the preserved village.
The pulpit was placed in a central location, and the pews were placed so that everyone could see and hear more equally. This was a demonstration of the idea that each person is believed to be connected directly to God, rather than through a church hierarchy. The led to a greater sense of equality among individuals of the Reformed Church.
LeFevre House
Built in 1799 by Ezekiel Elting, a prosperous merchant who got his start down the street in the Bevier-Elting House, this stone and brick building is quite different from the earlier stone houses on Huguenot Street. Its Georgian-style architecture reflects the transition of New Paltz from a French and Dutch settlement to an Anglo-American community. The house shows the changes in architectural style from the early 18th century. Settlers built more refined houses. This house reflects the several changes in the society and home life of New Paltz in the early 19th century.Deyo Hall
Formerly a glass factory, Deyo Hall is the site of the Grimm Gallery, meeting facilities and public restrooms. Collections storage is also housed in this building.Roosa House Library and Archives
Located in the Roosa House, the Library and Archives at Historic Huguenot Street is a research facility devoted primarily to the history and genealogy of the Huguenot and Dutch Settlers of the Hudson Valley. It also functions as a general repository for local history, regardless of ethnicity or religious persuasion. The collections consist of family genealogies, church, cemetery and bible records, wills and deeds, census records, genealogical periodicals, county histories, and publications relating to Huguenot ancestry. Genealogists, local historians, and other interested parties can access the collections by appointment. The colorful paint replicates the original colors of the house in 1891.Native American presence on Huguenot Street
Historians and archeologists have learned more about the relations between the EsopusEsopus
Esopus may refer to:In New York*Esopus, New York, a town in Ulster County*Esopus Creek, a tributary of the Hudson River*Esopus Meadows Lighthouse, a lighthouse on the Hudson River near Esopus, New York...
and the Huguenots. Some results of research can be found at the HHS site at "Relations between the Huguenots of New Paltz, NY and the Esopus Indians .
Slavery in New Paltz
The historical record of slaverySlavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
in New Paltz begins in 1674, three years before its founding, when Louis DuBois purchased two African slaves at a public auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
held in Kingston (then called Esopus). The two slaves ran away the following spring and were captured in the colony by Lewis Morris of Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. From 1675 to 1680, Morris and DuBois engaged in a lengthy custody battle for the two slaves.
Settlers continued to buy slaves for laborers in New Paltz, to support the settlement's growth. The Deyo family bought slaves in 1680 and 1694. Throughout the next 125 years, historical records of the settlement included references to slaves. In 1703, the population included 9 slaves out of a total of 130 residents. Jean and Jacob Hasbrouck owned several slaves: named in Jean's will as "Gerritt," "James," and "Molly." By 1755, slavery was a well-established part of the New Paltz community: the census from that year lists 28 slave holders, who collectively owned 78 slaves over the age of 14 years. The majority of slave holders (82%) owned between one and four slaves, and used them as domestic servants and farm laborers. The overall population of New Paltz grew rapidly to 2,309 in 1790, when there were 77 slave holders owning a total of 302 slaves, or 13% of the population. For more information pertaining to the Slavery in New Paltz, visit "The Society of Negroes Unsettled": The History of Slavery in New Paltz, NY . HHS also has an online exhibit called The Missing Chapter: Untold stories of the African American Presence in the Mid-Hudson Valley
See also
- Major Jacob Hasbrouck Jr. House, home built by Jean Hasbrouck's grandson, which is located farther up Huguenot Street.
External links
- Abraham Hasbrouck House, 94 Huguenot Street, New Paltz, Ulster, NY: 19 drawings, 13 photos, 95 data pages, 1 photo caption page, and supplemental material at Historic American Building Survey
- Fort Dubois, 81 Huguenot Street, New Paltz, Ulster, NY: 7 drawings and 12 data pages at Historic American Building Survey
- Hughes Freer House, 32 Hugenot Street, New Paltz, Ulster, NY: 8 drawings, 4 photos, 5 data pages, 1 photo caption page, and supplemental material at Historic American Building Survey
- Bevier-Elting House, Hugenot Street & Broadhead Avenue, New Paltz, Ulster, NY: 15 drawings, 10 photos, 11 data pages, and 1 photo caption page at Historic American Building Survey
- Jean Hasbrouck House, Hugenot Street, New Paltz, Ulster, NY: 15 drawings, 20 photos, 2 data pages, 2 photo caption pages, and supplemental materials at Historic American Building Survey
- Historic Huguenot Street