NEWS RELEASE: Historic Huguenot Street Exhibit Features Revolutionary War Objects From the Archives and Permanent Collection

NEW PALTZ, NY (June 26, 2015) – The Historic Huguenot Street Curatorial Department has developed a new exhibit in honor of the upcoming Independence Day. On display now in the DuBois Fort Visitor Center (81 Huguenot Street), “’By the Grace of God, Free and Independent:’ The Revolutionary War in Ulster County” features a selection of Revolutionary War-era documents and objects from the Historic Huguenot Street Archives and Permanent Collection.

“The Hudson Valley played a pivotal role during the Revolutionary War,” explained Curator Josephine Bloodgood. The presence of highly productive farmland and the trading network established on the Hudson River meant commanders on both sides of the conflict considered the area essential and made significant effort to control it. These efforts were felt not only in decisive battles such as Saratoga or Yorktown, but also in the daily life of Ulster County residents, which can be seen in the records they left behind. Items on display include selected personal effects of Lieutenant Colonel Johannes Jansen, Jr., a bicorne hat, New York State paper currency, and a rare orderly book from Fort Montgomery in 1776 (only 1,000 Revolutionary War orderly books have been accounted for out of the estimated 20,000 produced by the Continental Army throughout the war).  

This exhibit is free and open to the public, now through Sunday, August 2. The DuBois Fort Visitor Center is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends, 10 am – 5 pm, and Fridays 10 am — 8 pm.

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