NEWS RELEASE: Historic Huguenot Street to Host Joint Meeting of the Village and Town of New Paltz

August 27th Meeting Will Take Place at the 1799 LeFevre House on Huguenot Street 

NEW PALTZ, NY (August 14, 2014) - Historic Huguenot Street announced this week that the August 27 joint meeting of the Village and Town of New Paltz will take place at the 1799 LeFevre House in the National Historic Landmark District. Usually hosted at Village Hall or Town Hall, the monthly joint meeting is an opportunity for the Village and Town Boards to meet and discuss matters of importance to both municipalities. The 7:30pm meeting will be open to the public. Additional presentations will be made by the Village of the New Paltz Historic Preservation Committee and by Historic Huguenot Street. Municipal parking is available across the street.

Founded in 1678, the original democratic governing structure of New Paltz was a critical component of its history and success. Town meetings were commonplace throughout the Hudson Valley and an integral component of local government here and elsewhere in pre-revolutionary America. The earliest documented New Paltz town meeting dates to February 1712.  The first election of town representatives took place in 1728, and democratic voting principles were never weakened in New Paltz  - as occurred in other English-governed settlements.

Inspired by local history, New Paltz Town Councilman Daniel Torres suggested the change of venue in discussions with Historic Huguenot Street and the Town and Village Boards, respectively.

"New Paltz is one of the earliest democracies in what is now America, where a melting pot of cultures has sustained until today” said Torres. “Having a meeting between the Town and Village at Huguenot Street presents a unique opportunity to see our past while working for our future."

“Historic Huguenot Street is honored to host this special joint meeting of Village and Town officials and community residents," said Mary Etta Schneider, Board President. “Democracy in New Paltz dates to 1678, and continued through colonial reign until today. We feel privileged that the Town and Village have chosen to return to Huguenot Street, where a democratic New Paltz started and sustained for more than 335 years.”

A National Historic Landmark District, Historic Huguenot Street is a 501(c)3 non-profit that encompasses 30 buildings across 10 acres that was the heart of the original 1678 settlement, including seven stone houses that date to the early eighteenth century.  It was founded in 1894 as the Huguenot Patriotic, Historical, and Monumental Society to preserve their French and Dutch heritage.  Since then, Historic Huguenot Street has grown into an innovative museum, chartered as an educational corporation by the University of the State of New York, that is dedicated to protecting our historic buildings, conserving an important collection of artifacts and manuscripts, and promoting the stories of the Huguenot Street families, from the sixteenth century to today. 

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Contact
Kaitlin Gallucci
Communications & Marketing Manager
(845) 255-1660
media@huguenotstreet.org