The New Paltz Historic Documents Project is a three-year effort to preserve and digitize significant New Paltz historical documents, ranging from the mid-1600s to about 1830. With the help of professional conservators and digital imaging technicians, the project partners have conserved, digitized, and made available online at NYHeritage.org more than 24,000 pages of documents.
The project includes legal, financial, and religious records, as well as a wealth of personal letters, which together provide detailed insight into the lives of New Paltz diverse residents and how their communities overlapped and evolved.
The New Paltz Historic Documents Project is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The documents come from the archival collections of Historic Huguenot Street, the Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection at Elting Memorial Library, the Reformed Church of New Paltz, and the Town of New Paltz.
The translation of Dutch language documents is supported as part of the Dutch Culture USA program by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York.
Upcoming Event
On Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 7 pm, Historic Huguenot Street (HHS) will present a virtual discussion about the Project. Josephine Bloodgood, Director of Curatorial and Preservation Affairs; Donna Dixon, Digital Librarian and Project Manager; and Beth Patkus, Archivist and Librarian, will give an overview of HHS and the project and its significance in local, state, and national history as well as demonstrate how to navigate and search the New Paltz Historic Documents online collection, including early documents that have been recently translated.
This program will be presented entirely online via a link provided after registration.
To complement the project, HHS also commissioned translations of Dutch documents (most of which had not been previously translated) by Dr. Jaap Jacobs and Julie van den Hout, supported as part of the Dutch Culture USA program by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York.
Registration for the program is $8 General Admission, $5 Discounted admission for seniors, students, active military personnel and their families, and veterans. This program is free for HHS members.
This program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and sponsored by HKM Employment Attorneys.
Illustrations, from above, from the New Paltz Historic Documents Project: Articles of Association, New Paltz, April and May 1775; and an accounting of estate of Cornelius Jansen by Cornelius Louw and Christina his wife as Administrator, which includes listings for sales of three enslaved people: a man named Claus sold to Simeon Depuy; a boy named Frank sold to E. Foot; a woman named Rose sold to Joh. Robinson.
