Historic Huguenot Street Walking Tour Preview

Welcome to Historic Huguenot Street. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, thousands of French-speaking Protestants fled France in the wake of violent attacks by hostile Catholic groups. Among those Protestant refugees, known as “Huguenots,” were a group of families from northern France, located near Calais; their names were Bevier, Crispell, Deyo, DuBois, Freer, Hasbrouck, and LeFevre. They first found safety in die Pfalz, a Protestant region in present-day southwest Germany, and later emigrated to New Netherland, a Dutch colony in North America where Protestants were embraced. The seven Huguenot families settled in the Dutch towns of Wiltwijck and Nieuw Dorp, today’s Kingston and Hurley. In search of greater economic opportunity and authority over their worship and way of life, the Huguenots sought out land south of Kingston, along the Wallkill River. In May of 1677, twelve Huguenot men (known as the “patentees,” or founders, of New Paltz) arranged the purchase of nearly 40,000 acres of land from the Esopus Munsee, a local Native American community. A few months after the land agreement was signed by the Huguenot patentees and Esopus Munsee sachems, a land patent was issued by the new English Governor of New York, Sir Edmund Andros, confirming the agreement. The following year, many of the Huguenot families moved to the banks of the Wallkill and built their first temporary homes out of wood. Over the next several decades, the Huguenots, their descendants, and the Africans they enslaved constructed more permanent buildings in a Dutch style and made of stone. Those famous buildings form the foundation of Historic Huguenot Street as we see it today.

As a visitor to the site, you will be immersed in the history of the many cultural groups that shaped New Paltz, including Esopus Munsee Native Americans, French Huguenots, enslaved and free Africans and African Americans, and Dutch colonists. During your tour, you can participate in our virtual scavenger hunt and see if you can find the interesting architectural features described at each stop! For more information, visit our website: www.huguenotstreet.org.

The Freer-Louw House is unique among the stone houses on Historic Huguenot Street due to its interior, which was modernized by Reverend John Follette, a Freer descendant, when he purchased the house and lived there in the 1940s. Originally constructed in two parts circa 1760-1761, the house was built for Rebecca Freer and her husband Johannes Louw.

Rebecca was the granddaughter of Hugo Freer, one of the twelve New Paltz patentees. Shortly after acquiring the New Paltz land patent in 1677, it’s believed Hugo Freer built a modest wood frame house on this site, which was eventually replaced by Rebecca’s stone house that we see today. Due to research and data gathered since they were produced by the State Education Department in the 1930s, you will notice that some of the blue, New York State historic markers on the street provide outdated information.

Scavenger Hunt: Can you find the wooden hayloft door on the Freer House?

Constructed in phases between 1721 and 1734, the Abraham Hasbrouck House was built for farmer and community gristmill owner Daniel Hasbrouck and his widowed mother, Maria. The house was later named after Daniel’s father, Abraham Hasbrouck, the New Paltz patentee.

Today, the house is interpreted in the time period of the 1760s, after both Daniel and Maria had passed away, and Daniel’s wife Wyntje was the head of household. At this time, Wyntje was one of the wealthiest landowners in New Paltz. She was responsible for her late husband’s estate and businesses, and raised their seven children (six of whom later served in the American Revolutionary War). Wyntje’s formal parlor is curated to show her impressive wealth, featuring a mid-eighteenth century Dutch kast, a bed with colorful worsted wool dressings, and a variety of Delftware.

Census records from 1755 indicate that four enslaved individuals also lived and worked in the house. The enslaved men and women likely would have lived in the confines of the cellar—a harrowing contrast to the Hasbrouck family’s relatively comfortable lifestyle upstairs.

Scavenger Hunt: Can you find the hidden heart on the back on the Abraham Hasbrouck House?

The New Paltz Reformed Church traces its roots to 1683, five years after New Paltz was settled by Huguenots. The present church, a fine example of Greek Revival architecture, was erected in 1839. This structure was the fourth church built over time in New Paltz by the colonists and their descendants, as the growing population required larger spaces for worship. The New York State historic marker to the left of the Reformed Church indicates the area where the 1773 stone church once stood. Upon being dismantled, a large stone was taken from the 1773 church to be used as the cornerstone for the Reformed Church.

Scavenger Hunt: Can you find the cornerstone on the left side of the Reformed Church with the date “1772” etched into the stone?

Historic Huguenot Street’s main office building, known as the Roosa House, is home to the Schoonmaker Library. Dedicated to the history of New Paltz and the Hudson Valley, the Schoonmaker Library’s collection includes literature on Dutch and French settlers and the Protestant religion, Native American and African American history and culture, and archeology and architecture pertaining to the site.

In addition to our library, Historic Huguenot Street has an extensive archival collection spanning the late seventeenth century to the twentieth century. Descriptions of the archive collection and finding aids are available on the Huguenot Street website, and selections can be viewed on the New York Heritage website.

Reference questions and research appointments for the library and archives can be made by contacting the library at library@huguenotstreet.org or (845) 255-1660.

The Roosa and Schoonmaker families, whom our main office and library are named after, have long ties to the Hudson Valley and the Huguenot patentees of New Paltz.

Scavenger Hunt: Can you find our flower garden behind the Roosa House? Feel free to take a seat on the bench and enjoy the view!

Believed to be the oldest surviving stone house on Huguenot Street, the Bevier-Elting House was built for Louis Bevier and his family between 1698 and 1703. The original structure was a modest one-room home, in which the family of seven all shared living quarters prior to its expansion. According to a 1709 tax assessment, there were also two enslaved individuals living in the one-room house, though their names were not recorded.

Louis’ son Samuel inherited the house in 1720 and enlarged it in two phases, also creating a cellar kitchen. This cellar, as with several of the houses on Historic Huguenot Street, is most likely where the enslaved slept, and where much of the heavier domestic chores and cooking occurred.

In the 1730s, the Eltings, a Dutch family, began renting the house from the Beviers, and later purchased it. The Eltings were also slave owners, recorded as enslaving at least six individuals between 1789 and 1800. The Bevier-Elting house remained in the Elting family until it was obtained by Historic Huguenot Street in 1963.

This house is a prime example of the Dutch influence on early New Paltz architecture, particularly with its steep roof, Dutch door, and gable end of the house facing the street.

Scavenger Hunt: Can you find the mortar seams where the additions were made to this historic house?

This structure, built by the Issac DuBois branch of the DuBois family, was originally constructed circa 1705 in a form similar to the Bevier-Elting House across the street. It was greatly enlarged around 1830 with the addition of a full second story, a kitchen wing (with its beehive oven), an attached carriage barn, and a striking two-tier porch.

Little of the 1830s fabric of the building has been altered over the years. After being occupied as a residence, the house served as a tea room in the 1920s. In the 1930s, it became a long-standing restaurant called “The Old Fort,” managed by Elsie Oates. In 1976, Alice Crans continued the operation of this homestyle restaurant until retirement in 1990.

The building was purchased by Historic Huguenot Street in 1968 with funds donated by the DuBois Family Association, and it currently serves as our Visitor Center, Museum Shop, and exhibit space. The Museum Shop specializes in merchandise of local interest and artisan gifts, including fine art, jewelry, and home goods.

Visit our Museum Shop website.

Scavenger Hunt: On the street side of the DuBois Fort, can you find the metal shapes that represent the building’s original construction date—1705?

In 2017, Historic Huguenot Street constructed a replica Munsee wigwam to honor the 340th anniversary of the signing of the 1677 land agreement between the Esopus Munsee sachems and the Huguenot colonists. The land agreement provided for the twelve Huguenot founders to “purchase” nearly 40,000 acres of land from the Esopus Munsee people who had villages in the lower Wallkill Valley. This acreage stretched from the Hudson River all the way to the Shawangunk Mountain Ridge. The Huguenot village that developed within the border of this land is now known as New Paltz. The wigwam will serve as an ongoing testament to the Esopus Munsee people who first settled this land and built dwellings similar to this replica.

The Esopus (meaning “the small river, or “creek”) were a branch of the Munsee nation, and a sub-group of the Lenape people, who spoke a dialect of the Algonquian language. A matrilineal society, the Munsee traced lineage through the female line. Women had recognized authority roles within the family and the community, and signed land agreements with Europeans alongside male sachems (leaders of Native communities).

Today, Historic Huguenot Street preserves hundreds of thousands of artifacts from Native habitation dating as far back as 7,000 BC. Many descendants of the Munsee people of this region currently live in Bowler, Wisconsin, and are members of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians, a federally recognized tribe. The modern-day Stockbridge-Munsee community is dedicated to keeping their history and culture alive, and tribe members frequently visit their ancestral lands here in the Hudson Valley.

Scavenger Hunt: Can you identify the types of plant materials used to construct the replica wigwam?

Owned continuously by the Deyo family and their descendants for over 200 years, the Deyo House was originally constructed in the early 1700s as a modest two-room Dutch farmhouse. In the late 19th century, the estate was inherited by Abraham Deyo Brodhead, a prosperous local businessman who undertook a major renovation of the house. He and his wife Gertrude, also a Deyo descendant, transformed their colonial homestead into the grand and modern Queen Anne Colonial Revival style house that we see today. This significant transformation of an original colonial house caused controversy in New Paltz, particularly among local patentee descendants. It was this controversy that would spearhead the founding of the Huguenot Patriotic, Historical, and Monumental Society (today, Historic Huguenot Street) in 1894. This society was created to preserve and celebrate the town’s history and historic buildings. Ironically, Abraham Deyo Brodhead was a founding member!

Scavenger Hunt: Can you identify the porte-cochère, or “carriage porch” on the Deyo House? This architectural feature functioned as a grand passageway and shelter for those entering and leaving carriages.

The Jean Hasbrouck House was built in 1721 for Jacob Hasbrouck, the son of Anna Deyo and New Paltz patentee Jean Hasbrouck. This house is considered to be one of the most remarkable historic houses in the United States. Its massive form and distinctive Hudson Valley Dutch architecture set it apart, making the structure a visual marvel from the time it was built to present day. Visitors to the house today learn about the evolution of the New Paltz community in the 1700s, as part of a British colony, through the American Revolution. Visitors will also learn about what life would have been like for Garret and James, the first enslaved men to live in this home, as well as the stories of other African men, women, and children who were enslaved in New Paltz for 150 years.

Scavenger Hunt: Can you find the cellar entrance to the Jean Hasbrouck House?

In September of 1908, the historical society unveiled a grand monument made with stone from the nearby Shawangunk Mountains. The society’s intention for the monument was to convey the ideas of “strength, permanence, and substantiality,” in honor of their Huguenot ancestors.

According to Ralph LeFevre, one of the historical society’s founding members, the monument was “not pretty” from his perspective, but he believed it was nonetheless the finest boulder monument in the United States. Set into the rough stone is a memorial tablet that lists each of the twelve New Paltz patentees’ names, along with a brief statement about their journey to America, and the founding of New Paltz.

The church was the focal point of the early New Paltz community. The original French Reformed congregation was founded in 1683 in a primitive log structure. What you see today is a reconstruction of the 1717 stone church that was used by the Huguenot families for both worship and education. The 1717 church was reconstructed in 1972 based on surviving information, with funds donated by the Crispell Family Association.

The adjacent burying ground preserves the remains of many early members of the New Paltz community and was used through the middle of the 19th century. The Crispell Memorial French Church is available for weddings, memorial services, and selected performances.

Visitors to the church today learn about the Huguenots’ French Reformed faith, and how they practiced their religion and new way of life after settling in the Hudson Valley.

Scavenger Hunt: Can you find the rooster on the French Church?

The original Huguenot burying ground dates to 1683, and was used by the community until 1864. Although records indicate just one of the twelve New Paltz patentees having been interred on this site, there are memorial plaques for each of the patentees and their spouses placed amongst the other gravestones. Most of the headstones you’ll see are from the early 19th century, with only eight from the 1700s: many of the earliest graves likely had wooden markers that rotted away over time, or random fieldstones may have been placed on burial sites that were not recognizable as markers to later generations.

The early community’s free and enslaved black families were forced to segregate their burial sites, and many laid their loved ones to rest in the African American Burial Ground up the street. Although there are no visible markers or designations, Historic Huguenot Street also acknowledges that these lands encompass an existing Munsee burial place.

Scavenger Hunt: Can you find all twelve of the New Paltz patentees’ memorial stones?

In the left corner of the burying ground, across from the entrance, there is a unique headstone with an engraving that reads “Sankofa” under an image of a bird. Although the community did not use this burying ground after 1864, one last private burial happened here in November of 2013. A small crowd gathered to rebury human remains that were uncovered in the year 1900, near the property of the Deyo House on Huguenot Street. Due to the underdeveloped museum standards and practices of the early twentieth-century, this individual remained in collections storage until he was properly identified in 2011. Upon examining the remains, a physical anthropology professor from SUNY New Paltz determined they belonged to an African male who died between the age of 20 and 50. It is possible that this man was enslaved by members of the Deyo family, and buried on their property after his death.

The reburial place is marked by a thick fieldstone slab featuring a carving of a Sankofa — a bird symbol from present-day Ghana in West Africa. The Sankofa represents the importance of learning from the past. The inscription beneath it is a translation from a proverb from Ghana; it reads, “It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.” Its application of this term to the burial site was a twenty-first century attempt to honor and acknowledge the common experience of Africans from multiple, unidentified ethnic groups who had been captured in West Africa and enslaved in the Hudson Valley. This message has become an essential part of Historic Huguenot Street’s mission as we continue the conversation about the enslavement of Africans in New Paltz and its deeply rooted impression on the town today.

A short distance down the street from the family’s modest stone home, merchant and businessman Ezekiel Elting supervised the construction of a large Federal-style house in 1799. Ezekiel positioned his house right across the street from the ferry landing on the Wallkill River. The house and its interiors are suggestive of the development of a more cosmopolitan and consumer-driven society in the early years of the United States. The LeFevre Family Association, whose original family homestead was torn down in the late 1700s to make way for the new church, have “adopted” Ezekiel’s home and help support its upkeep and preservation.

Scavenger Hunt: Can you find the hidden heart on the back of the LeFevre House?

Thank you for visiting Historic Huguenot Street! We hope you enjoyed your time on our beautiful grounds exploring the multicultural history of New Paltz. If you have any questions or comments about your tour today, please contact us by email at info@huguenotstreet.org or by calling (845) 255-1660. You can help keep history alive by becoming a member or making a donation. Hope to see you back on the street soon!