Where History Continues to be Written

In 1678, a small but brave group of French-speaking Huguenot refugees from what is today southern Belgium and northern France set out to create a community of their own — and so began an American Story that continues today.

Their search led them to the Esopus Indians, part of the Lenape Nation.  With them the Huguenots negotiated for the purchase of 40,000 acres in what we know as New York's Mid-Hudson Valley. This final stop on their journey they named New Paltz. Here on the banks of the Wallkill River in the shadow of the Shawangunk Mountains, they toiled and their families thrived. Around the community they started, a special and diverse village grew.

That special and diverse village is New Paltz, an eclectic, free-thinking town that attracts people from throughout the northeast, the United States and the world. Just like the Huguenots over 300 years ago, people are drawn to the natural beauty and the opportunity of area. Key to understanding and appreciating this singular place is a visit to Historic Huguenot Street, where it all began.