A Brief History of Saugerties

by Michael Sullivan Smith

Overview

Beginning as a Dutch settlement, Saugerties is scenically positioned between the Hudson River and the base of the Catskills. In 1609, the great explorer Henry Hudson's first mate, Robert Juet, recorded a meeting with Native Americans in the area. In its early days, the land was part of the Kingston Commons, one of the first municipalities in the colonies to be governed by an elected body. The town's history was shaped by industry. In the nineteenth century, bluestone quarries and paper and lead mills drove its economy, and a century later, Saugerties became a commuter town for IBM's plants. Michael Sullivan Smith chronicles the rich history of Saugerties.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467135948
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	06/20/2016
Series:	Brief History
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Michael Sullivan Smith is an artist and a local history enthusiast. He is a founding member of the Town of Saugerties Historic Preservation Commission, and his digital History Atlas of Saugerties can be found in the Saugerties Public Library. More on his art projects and history research can be found on his website, greatknot.com.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Prologue 9

1 Colonial Saugerties 19

2 Birth of the Town of Saugerties 29

3 The Countryside 39

4 The Village of Saugerties 55

5 A Community Lost to History 67

6 A Closer Look at an Icon 83

7 The Historic Landscape of Saugerties 89

8 The History of Mill and Water Rights Ownership 113

9 The Sources of History 125

10 A Historical Perspective 135

Epilogue 145

Bibliography 149

Index 151

About the Author 157