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...
by Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman