Upstater Destinations: Hurley Heritage Society and Museum

  |  April 12, 2012

Main Street, Hurley via Town of Hurley Website

The denizens of the town of Hurley in Ulster County take their history seriously. It’s no wonder; Hurley is a great place to get down and dirty with the past, thanks in part to the Hurley Heritage Society.

Established in 2001, the HHS resides in the The Col. Jonathan Elmendorf House (c. 1783-1790) on Main Street in Hurley, surrounded by a number of other historical houses. In fact, the Hurley Main Street houses are the oldest concentration of stone houses in the country, some dating back as far as 1680.

The HHS is one-stop shopping for anyone interested in the history of Hurley, Ulster County, and the state itself. Not only does the HHS serve as a clearing house for information, the Elmendorf house and home of the HHS is a museum and museum shop, which is open from May through October, Saturdays and Sundays.

There are number of lectures and events scheduled at the HHS and other locations in Hurley throughout the year, and many are free. On April 26th, local historian Joe Diamond will be offering a free lecture at the Hurley Reformed Church on “The Dutch and Native American Contact Period”.  And for those interested in the Main Street stone houses, the HHS offers guided walking tours, including a “ghost walk” in October, which definitely has us intrigued.

The museum opens again for the season on May 5th. You can find out what’s going on at the HHS by visiting their website’s calendar of events page. Looking for a crash course in Hurley history? They’ve got that, too.

GMAP

Hurley House, via Town of Hurley website

About Kandy Harris

Kandy is a writer and musician/music teacher living in Saugerties, NY.

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