Those Places Thurday: New Paltz, NY

New Paltz was founded in 1678 by the French Huguenots. The name of the town is said to have been suggested by Christian DEYO in 1675. The name he gave was probably that found in the record of the first meeting of the New Paltz Reformed Church in 1683. Deyo - and his son Pierre - were among the "Twelve Men of the Duzine" acquired the royal patent of over 33,000 acres, which stretched all the way from the Shawangunk Mountains to the Hudson River. The other patentees were Louis DuBois and his sons Abraham and Isaac, Simon and Andries LeFevre (brothers), Jean and Abraham Hasbrouck (brothers), Antoine Crispell, Louis Bevier, and Hugo Frere

The early settlers built their homes along the area now known as Huguenot Street. That area today is home to seven museums, an old cemetery, library, archives and more. The area is home to several historic houses of those "Twelve Men of the Duzine." They include: The LeFevre House, The Jean Hasbrouck House, The Deyo House, The French Church, The DuBois Fort Visitor Center, The Bevier-Elting House, The Abraham Hasbrouck House and the Freer-Low House. The Deyo house - seen at left - was built in 1692 and was remodeled in 1890.

New Paltz is located in Ulster County. Ulster (in yellow at right) adjoins Greene County and Columbia County to the north. Our DEYOE line comes from those three counties.

The town was incorporated in 1785. The first post office was established in 1810. The Huguenot Historical Society was formed in 1894.

Historic Huguenot Street, a National Historic Landmark District, will be holding an information session about volunteer opportunities on Wednesday, April 3 at 7:00 p.m., Deyo Hall, 6 Broadhead Ave., New Paltz. Attendees should enjoy working with the public and have an interest in local history, architecture, culture, archaeology, art and/or antiques.

Volunteer opportunities include Visitor Center Greeters and Tour Guides/Docents. Training begins mid-April for the museum season May through October. Perks for volunteers include free tours and discounted admission for events and lectures. RSVP for this session is not required.

Parking is available adjacent to and across from Deyo Hall. Light refreshments will be served. For additional information, please call Rebecca Mackey, Director of Visitor Services at 845-255-1660, ext. 105 or email rebecca@huguenotstreet.org.

Sources:

Historic Huguenot Street
www.huguenotstreet.org

New Paltz
http://www.newpaltz.org/

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