Columbia County History & Heritage
County’s History Goes Back More Than Four Centuries
Columbia County’s documented history dates back to Native American times, and our area is rich with ways to view and celebrate the diverse peoples who came to call Columbia County their home. Hendrick Hudson was the first European to explore the area when an accident to his vessel, the Half Moon, forced him to come ashore at what is now Stuyvesant Landing. A lively trade with the native Mohican Indians quickly took hold, and early settlers began to colonize the region by 1612.
When counties were established in the Province of New York in 1683, the present-day Columbia County was part of Albany County, a vast parcel that included northern New York State and present-day Vermont. Over time, Albany County was reduced in size and finally, in 1786, Columbia County was split off from what remained.
Historic Venues
Local museums and historical sites, as well as active historical societies in many communities, provide a wealth of easily accessible information and hands-on ways to experience our history. The county’s historic homes and churches represent a variety of architectural styles spanning centuries. The Columbia County Historical Society operates a museum in Kinderhook and three historic sites — the 1737 Luykas Van Alen House, the c1820 James Vanderpoel House and the Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse (circa 1850). The U.S. Park Service’s Martin Van Buren National Historic Site pays homage to our eighth president. Visitors can tour his recently refurbished home or hike the surrounding trail system.
The Shaker Museum and Library in Old Chatham owns the most extensive collection of Shaker artifacts in the country.
The Friends of Clermont run a variety of events throughout the year at the Clermont State Historic Site, and historical societies in Austerlitz, Canaan and the Village of Chatham are also active year-round. Olana State Historic Site, the Persian-style home of famed Hudson River artist Frederic Church, is a popular tourist destination offering stunning views of the river valley. Historical markers denoting memorable moments in local history dot the countryside, and the villages of Valatie and Chatham and the city of Hudson offer self-guided historical walking tours.
The FASNY Museum of Firefighting is the home of the premiere collection of American firefighting artifacts in the world. They are located on the grounds of the Fireman’s Home in Hudson. It is a place where visitors can explore, discover and learn.
Communities Rich in History
The City of Hudson, chartered in 1785, was the first planned city in the United States. In the 19th century, Hudson was a thriving center of the American whaling industry. As the railroad replaced water transportation, the city became a general manufacturing and retail center. Over the last decade, Hudson has reinvented itself as a retail and tourist center.
Ancram, originally part of Gallatin, was founded in 1803. The name is derived from the Livingston homestead in Anchoram, Scotland, where Robert Livingston, one of the first European settlers here, was born. Ironworks on the Roeliff Jansen Creek were the first of their kind in the state, and manufactured ammunition for the Battle of Saratoga. In the 1800s, a paper mill replaced the ironworks and the operation remains the longest continuously operating mill in the state.
Founded in the 1750s, Austerlitz is a small town along the Taconic Mountain Range bordering Massachusetts, favored for its scenic vistas and low population density. Early settlers served in the Revolutionary War. Streams gave rise to industries such as farming, raising sheep and mills. Saw mills, grist mills, wool carding, and making cider, shingles and planes enabled early settlers to make a living. Vestiges of early gravesites and historic buildings remain. Canaan, another town abutting the state line, is nestled at the foot of the Berkshire Mountains, and also boasts picturesque vistas. Home to the popular Queechy Lake, Canaan was founded by settlers from Canaan, Connecticut, in 1759 and was once a stop along the Boston & Albany Railroad. Canaan is home to several historic cemeteries and churches, and town history is well documented by local historians.
Chatham (pronounced chat-am) includes most of the Village of Chatham, once an important rail junction and now home to leading plastics manufacturer Sonoco Plastics, plus downtown shops and restaurants that make it a regional destination. Chatham Village was originally named Groats Corners, after one of its most prominent citizens. The Town of Chatham includes four other hamlets, each with a distinctive history — Old Chatham, East Chatham, Chatham Center and North Chatham.
Claverack was originally part of the lower region of Van Rensselaer Manor, and became a township in 1788. Among the early settlers were the Palatines, who had moved inland from Livingston Manor. Their names can still be found among the town’s current residents. Several examples of Dutch colonial architecture survive, too, including the Reformed Dutch Church (1767).
Clermont, located at the southwest corner of the county, comprises 11,000 acres containing farmland, country places and two hamlets. Situated on the east bank of the Hudson River, immediately opposite the Catskill Mountains, the town offers amazing views. The town is noted for its agricultural products and fruits — pears, apples, plums, blueberries and grapes.
Copake was one of the county’s first settlements. Copake Iron Works was the site of iron mining throughout the latter part of the 19th century. The New York and Harlem Railroad came through in 1852. The town has been a vacation home since before WWII, with Copake Lake and its environs being a popular destination.
East of Livingston and South of Taghkanic lies Gallatin, which describes itself as “a Great Little Town.” Gallatin has no post office, no stores and five telephone exchanges, and residents like it that way.
Along the river south of Livingston is Germantown, named for the Palatine refugees from the Rhineland who settled there in 1710. Palatine Park pays homage to the early settlers and provides recreational facilities and a host of other amenities. The town is mostly residential and agricultural, with views of the Catskill Mountains and public access to the Hudson River.
Named for the town in Holland, Ghent (the “h” is silent) was settled by farming immigrants from the Palatine area of Germany. The town is still home to thousands of acres of farmland, including a world-class angus spread, a winery and even a grass strip airport.
Wrapped around Hudson is the town of Greenport, at once a bedroom suburb, major retail center and patchwork of fruit farms. Greenport is also home to Columbia-Greene Community College. A large town park and conservation areas offer recreation and trails accessible to everyone, with views of the Hudson River.
Hillsdale, located in the center of Columbia County’s eastern edge, was part of Van Rensselaer family lands but settled by land seekers from New England, and has long been a gateway to the Berkshires. Today, the town’s economic mainstays are second-home owners and the Catamount Ski area, which attracts skiers and snowboarders and offers year-round activities with the addition of its adventure park.
The Town of Kinderhook is the county’s most popular community. Martin Van Buren, the eighth President of the United States, was born in Kinderhook and spent his later years there as well. Legend has it the term “OK” was coined by Van Buren as an abbreviation for Olde Kinderhook, as the community was known then. Kinderhook Village, contained within the town’s boundaries, was settled by Dutch families in the 1660s. Today, the village has a small downtown retail center and is known for its historic homes, museum properties and bed and breakfasts.
Livingston is part of the Livingston Manor that once stretched across southern Columbia County to the Massachusetts border. Today, Livingston takes in the hamlets of Glenco Mills, Blue Stores and Bingham’s Mills. Near the hamlet of Burden, in an iron mine that once fed the foundries of Troy and was later used for mushroom growing, the country’s largest document storage facility, Iron Mountain, has operated since the 1950s.
New Lebanon, at the county’s northern border, was the center of the Shaker movement and home to Tilden Pharmaceuticals. New Lebanon was the birthplace of Samuel Tilden, the Governor of New York who was elected U.S. president by a majority, only to be defeated by the Electoral College vote in the disputed 1876 election. Tilden is buried in the town’s historic Cemetery of the Evergreens.
Stockport once hummed with industry, including a brick factory, paper mills and loom works powered by Claverack Creek. Sulfur springs attracted people in the 19th century, who stayed at the Columbia Springs House and bathed in the waters. Today Stockport serves as a bedroom community to Albany and a retreat for second homeowners and weekenders.
Stuyvesant was carved out of the town of Kinderhook in 1823. Named in honor of Governor Peter Stuyvesant, the town was once home to cotton and wool mills powered by Stuyvesant Falls during the 19th century. The town borders the Hudson River and its Newton Hook section is a popular spot for those interested in the river’s ecology.
The name Taghkanic is of Native American derivation, meaning “land of flowering waters.” This predominantly agricultural community is bisected by the Taconic State Parkway. Water power and proximity to mines made the town an industrial powerhouse in the 18th century. The town is the birthplace of the world-famous Taghkanic baskets, woven of the native woods.
The Village of Philmont, a 19th century manufacturing center, is located within the town of Claverack. Many homes built for mill hands and mill owners still stand, and the water power that ran the mills today is open for hiking, picnicking and fishing at the High Falls Conservation area. On the edge of Philmont, leading plastics company Novapak operates a manufacturing facility.
The Village of Valatie (pronounced va-lay-sha), also located within the town of Kinderhook, gets its name from the Dutch word for “little falls” — vaaltje — describing the small but scenic waterfall at the village’s center. The village was settled in the early 17th century by Dutch colonists and was once a powerhouse of textile and other mills. Birthplace of Governor Martin H. Glynn, Valatie has a well-documented, rich history and visitors can tour historic sites and cemeteries.