Hope Farm Press 252 Main Street Saugerties NY 12477 845-246-3522
See our Table of Contents,
or send us your comments.
To see the history of all the Ulster County Towns.
excerpted from "The Concise History of Ulster County"
To see another page of Woodstock History.
- WOODSTOCK EARLY HISTORY -- The site now occupied by Woodstock village was offered for sale much earlier than other lands and soon divided among such enterprising families as the Eltinges, Newkirks, DeForests, Snyders, Elwyns, Hogans, Dymonds, etc. Captain Elias Hasbrouck, a Revolutionary veteran of the Continental Army, was the first town supervisor. He bought land from the Livingstons on Hutchins Hill (near Lake Hill) and was probably allowed to buy outright because he had served in the Quebec campaign under General Richard Montgomery, who had married a Livingston heiress. Frederick Rowe, the Tory, also bought land at Lake Hill from the Livingstons on June 1, 1787, formerly leased to Thomas and Henry Chadwick on January 1, 1762.
An interesting legend is still current among old residents as to this sale. The Livingstons at first wished to give him only the usual three-life lease, but Rowe, eager to own the land outright, wrote in the lease, first his own name; second, the name of his Negro slave, and "after leaving a blank space for Livingston's signature, added the name of the Devil, who, he declared, would never die. Livingston, the aristocrat, refused to sandwich his name between the Negro's and the Devil, and was obliged to give Rowe a clear title to the land."
It was on this three-life system that most of the settlers in the township got their lands, which went back to the proprietors when the third person named in the lease expired. Besides the rent provisions, there were burdensome clauses in regard to sale or sub-letting of the leases. As the generations succeeded one another, and the results of backbreaking toil disappeared into the landlords' pockets, dissatisfaction grew, culminating in the Down Rent War of 1845-47, for an account of which agrarian disturbance the reader is referred to De Lisser's "Picturesque Ulster."
- MAVERICK BARN -- For many years a group of top notch Philharmonic players has given Sunday afternoon concerts at the Maverick Concert Hall, built by Hervey White. Pierre Henrotte, formerly concert master of the Metropolitan Opera House, arranged summer concerts by noted musicians at the Playhouse from 1938 till lately. All of the Woodstock musicians have been exceedingly generous in giving their services for benefit performances.
- WOODSTOCK CRAFT GUILD -- started in 1940, is a cooperative enterprise with a large active membership, at present located in the old De Forest house in the village, usually called the Jack Horner Shop.
- WOODSTOCK HISTORICAL SOCIETY -- started in 1930 by Professor Martin Schuetze and others, has published a set of fourteen booklets dealing with the history of old Woodstock and of its art colony, to which the reader is referred for much interesting material. For a time it held many interesting summer meetings and it was largely responsible for the promotion of the Sesquicentennial celebration.
- WOODSTOCK ART ASSOCIATION -- operates one of the most noted summer art galleries in the East, with at least three notable exhibitions yearly, and others by special arrangement. Other art galleries, privately owned, show small collections and one-man shows to advantage.
To read more bits culled from The Concise History of Ulster County
Why Woodstock? Hope Farm was nearly ground zero for the 25th Reunion
Festival in 1994, and is only 9 miles from the Town of Woodstock. See my Hikes, Walks & Drives in the Saugerties/Woodstock Area for more
about that.
To read about Woodstock Handmade Houses or see another page of
Woodstock history
_____WOODSTOCK History of an American Town
Evers, Alf. This colorful landmark of American regional history is a must for everyone
interested in the area after reading his "THE CATSKILLS". exhaustively
reshearched with B&W photos + index 750pp H $39.50
_____WOODSTOCK HANDMADE HOUSES
Haney and Ballantine, Back in print at last! This full color, glossy paperback of
brilliant photos of all the funky, handmade traditional and unconventional abodes of the
denizens of that state of mind known as Woodstock, NY. First run sold 150,000 copies (!)
around the world. 91/2"X81/2" P $15.95
_____ ROCK & WOODSTOCK
Smart, Paul; B&W drawings by T. P. Moynihan. The story of how Rock & Roll
changed the small American town of Woodstock, NY, and how Woodstock changed Rock &
Roll. Concentrates on 1965 to the present. I suppose this is important to the
musicologists, but I loved it for the personal insights on ALL the great performers of the
era. Great fun. 192 pp P $13.00
_____WOODSTOCK FESTIVAL REMEMBERED
Lang & Young Classic account of the greatest rock concert ever by those who made it happen. color and b&w photos 127pp P $19.95
_____Woodstock Vision The Spirit of a Generation
Elliot Landy, photographer. A picture book of mostly black & white photos of the 60s
music scene through to coverage of the original Woodstock Festival - classic photos that
helped define an era! 9.5x11 128 pages 100s photos Paper $20.00
For ordering information, or to email your comments. . .
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1997 & 1998 by Richard Frisbie -- All rights
reserved.
