Where History Continues to be Written

Binary Visions: 19th Century Woven Coverlets from the Collection of Historic Huguenot Street

This online exhibit builds upon the exhibition of the same name, currently installed at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at the State University of New York at New Paltz (SDMA).  This exhibit is a collaboration between SDMA and Historic Huguenot Street (HHS).  Featured here is a selection of 19th century woven coverlets, along with photographs, and historical documents from the Permanent Collection of HHS that provides additional information about woven coverlets and carpet weaving.

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As the Seasons Turn: The Greeting Card Collection of Historic Huguenot Street

A Sampling of the hundreds of greeting cards in the collections of Historic Huguenot Street.  Christmas, Valentines, Birthdays and more. 

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The Colonial Manuscript Collection

The Archives at Historic Huguenot Street contains wills, legal papers, letters, receipts and additional documents dating back to the mid 1600s.  They are an excellent resource for those seeking to learn more about the earliest years of an immigrant community such as New Paltz. Viewed together, these documents also offer a window into colonial New York.

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Before Hudson: 8,000 Years of Native American History and Culture

This exhibit, which complements a traditional exhibit currently installed in our DuBois Fort Visitor Center, illustrates the history of the people living in this area prior to European contact. Based on archaeological finds from Historic Huguenot Street, this exhibit demonstrates that the history of this area did not start with Henry Hudson. Rather that for thousands of years prior to “discovery”, the people who inhabited this land had a developed, fascinating culture. More than eighty projectile points, pottery fragments, trade beads and other artifacts have been unearthed and cataloged into Huguenot Street’s collection.

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The Missing Chapter: Untold Stories of the African-American Presence

in the Mid-Hudson Valley 

Based largely on documents found the Archives at Historic Huguenot Street, Archives Specialist Susan-Stessin Cohn has brought to life an important of the area's local history that more people need to know about.  Presented in cooperation with Hudson River Valley Heritage, a project of the Southeastern New York Library Resources Council.

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A Notion to Sew: The 19th Century Needlework of Hylah Hasbrouck and Her Daughters at Locust Lawn

A Notion to Sew came out of a two year project to inventory the furnishings and household items of the Hasbrouck family at Locust Lawn, a striking Jeffersonian manse and farm complex built in 1814 by Josiah Hasbrouck. In 1885, the family locked away all their personal effects and furnishings in part of the house. The house was rented to tenant farmers for almost 75 years before it was given to Historic Huguenot Street in 1958. The exhibit showcases the handiwork of four Hasbrouck women and puts their work into context with the social movements of their time. 

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Education in a Valley Fair

The early American education system began with the small quaint interior of a local church and later flourished to include large institutions that prepared young adults for the world ahead. New Paltz experienced a similar development in its education system.  It began in 1689, in the modest log Walloon Church, when the small French-speaking community hired schoolmaster Jean Cottin. What followed was the New Paltz Academy, the Normal School, our Central School District and the State University of New York at New Paltz -- an institution that sits high on its hill to show stature of a great college that came about through these extraordinary changes in education.

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I Regret to Inform You: The Civil War Letters of Johannes LeFevre

This collection of letters reveals the story of young Civil War soldier Johannes Lefevre. While mustered in with the 156th New York Volunteer Army, Johannes fights in many battles including the famous Battle of Winchester. His letters cover many topics, from concern for girls to discussion of camp life and the horrors of war. Although he is severally wounded at the Battle of Cedar Creek, doctors assure his family that he will recover shortly. Tragically, however, Johannes succumbs to gangrene in a Virginia hospital far from his family back home in New Paltz.

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Mary Ann Thorne Chadeayne's Legacy

This collection contains photographs, genealogical information, letters, a signature album and images of quilts and other textiles, pertaining primarily to the family of Mary Ann Thorne Chadeayne.

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The Civil War Collection of James T. Thitchner

James T. Thitchner grew up in a small hamlet in the town of Plattekill, which is just south of New Paltz.  He was born in 1835 to Quaker parents.  Despite the Quakers' pacifist beliefs, he enlisted to serve for the Union in the Civil War at the age of 27.  This collection focuses on the letters written by Thitchner during his service.  Unlike the glorious, lofty letters written by wealthy, learned officers and later used to craft period novels, Thitchner's writings represent a rarer and perhaps more interesting glimpse into the realities of the War from the perspective of a poor soldier.  From his letters, we learn of the actual woes of combat and the fears of war from the front lines, where frequently not an officer was to be found.

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Hidden Heritage: The Story of Reverend James Murphy

In the course of routine work in the Archives at Historic Huguenot Street, Archives Specialist Susan Stessin-Cohn and then intern Brandon Pendergast stumbled upon an intriguing document from the early 1800s, Letter to Rev. Particular, Synod of Albany, concerning "The Memorial of Ann Bevier and Rachel Westbrook, members of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Rochester."  Thinking it was a memorial testament, they read on.  It turned out to be nothing like what they thought.  This well-composed letter revealed a sad and forgotten tale involving a charismatic and loved minister, slavery, race and a lie.  The stage was rural Ulster and Dutchess Counties.  This exhibit illustrates the reality of race in early New York state and the lengths a man had to go to in order to live out his chosen destiny.

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The Photography of Erma Dewitt

An Exhibit Created by the Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection

of the Elting Memorial Library

Erma Dewitt, who lived in New Paltz for over 70 years, documented life in this very special small town.  Her photographs of the 1940s and 1950s feature the stone houses that dot Ulster County, as well as events large and small.  A remarkable treasure of images curated by Susan Stessin-Cohn with the financial support of Dirk Dewitt, Erma's son.

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The Civil War Letters of MEEKER G. GRIFFIN

The seven letters in this small collection detail some of the events relating to the Civil War experience of Private Meeker Griffin. Griffin mustered in Company C of the 56th Regiment of the New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry in 1861 and later transferred to the Navy on December 31, 1863. One of the highlights of the collection is Meeker's mention of his visit with President Abraham Lincoln.

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The Life and Death of Leah Catherine Deyo

Leah Catharine Deyo was born in New Paltz, NY in 1818 and resided in the Hudson Valley until her death in 1849. John and Katia Jacobs, descendants of Leah Catharine preserved a collection of her correspondence, daguerreotypes, clothing and photographs. They generously donated it to the Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection at the Elting Library in the 1980s. This exhibit chronicles different aspects of Leah Catharine's life and offers a glimpse into the daily life of a mid-nineteenth century woman. All of the digitized materials in the Leah Catharine Deyo Jessup Collection are available on the Hudson River Valley Heritage website. Selected items from the collection are featured throughout this exhibit.

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Around the Table: Early Cooking in the Hudson Valley

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the kitchen was not only the physical center of the household, but also the social center of the home. The hearth was used for warmth, cooking and as a place for the older generation to teach skills to the younger generation. Food served as the bond between family, friends and neighbors making it’s preparation very important. A fully stocked kitchen as Harriet Beecher Stowe described above was not essential, but useful; each cooking utensil helped to simplify meal preparations. A woman could manage her kitchen with a few essential items and could cook without the direction of a recipe. As time progressed, newer tools were created and recipe books became more common but the hearth and the food that was made there remained at the center of life on Huguenot Street.

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