Historic Huguenot Street to Celebrate New Paltz Heritage
with Huguenot Gathering, August 5

NEW PALTZ, NY (July 12, 2017) – Historic Huguenot Street (HHS) has announced that The Gathering, a celebration of the Huguenots and their descendants, will take place Saturday, August 5. This will be the third Gathering in recent years, following the inaugural event in 2010 and another in 2014. The event brings together individuals from all over the world who trace their heritage to the region, including descendants of New Paltz’s original 12 patentees – in fact, this year’s Gathering coincides with the 340th anniversary of the signing of the 1677 New Paltz land agreement between the Esopus Munsee and the Huguenot refugees who established the New Paltz Patent. Special tours and programs are planned throughout the day for both attendees of The Gathering and the public.

The day will begin at 8:30 am with a breakfast for guests of The Gathering, followed by meetings of the descendants’ family associations. Guests will also have the opportunity to take a regular guided tour of the street or the new “In Her Words” women’s history tour, which is offered to the public once a month through October. Descendants will also learn about the current roof restoration project at the Jean Hasbrouck House with Project Manager Ken Follett.

After lunch, at 1:30 pm, both guests of The Gathering and the public are invited to a performance by historical balladeer Linda Russell, entitled “Remember the Ladies: A History of American Women in Song,” in honor of the centennial of the ratification of women’s suffrage in New York. The concert will explore the role of women’s lives in society from the 18th century to the 19th Amendment, featuring broadsides, laments, murder ballads, love songs, parlor melodies, and suffrage anthems that reflect the changing status of women in society. For 30 years, Russell has explored America's past through song and has recorded eight albums of traditional and historical music. She served as 18th century balladeer at Federal Hall National Memorial in New York City, and her performances are in demand at historic sites, schools and community centers around the country. Russell has performed at Historic Huguenot Street a number of times, and her presentations never fail to be engaging, thoughtful, and informative. To register for Russell’s performance, visit huguenotstreet.org/rsvp. Registration for the performance is included for guests of The Gathering.

Following the concert, The Gathering’s descendants can partake in a local cider tasting, a game of croquet on the Deyo House lawn, and tours of the historic site.

“The Gathering is an exciting opportunity for individuals with a shared heritage to come together, meet, and celebrate,” said Kara Gaffken, Director of Public Programming. Descendants may register now for The Gathering at huguenotstreet.org/gathering.

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 New Paltz 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 the nationally acclaimed collection of stone houses. 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
Director of Marketing & Communications
(845) 255-1660
media@huguenotstreet.org