Huguenot Street Historic District

The Huguenot Street Historic District is located near downtown New Paltz, New York, approximately 90 miles (140 km) north of New York City. The seven stone houses and several accompanying structures in the district were built in the early 18th century by Huguenot settlers fleeing discrimination and religious persecution in France and Belgium. After negotiating with the Esopus Indians, this small group of Huguenots settled on a flat rise on the banks of the Wallkill River in 1678. The settlers named the site in honor of Die Pfalz, the region of present-day Germany that had provided them temporary refuge before they came to America. Recent archaeological finds indicate that the immediate area settled by the Huguenots was occupied by Native Americans prior to European contact. The site is one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the United States.

The house museums of Historic Huguenot Street are in their original village setting. The street has been included in the National Register of Historic Places since the Register was created in 1966, and had been designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960.

In addition to the houses, the 20-acre (8.1 ha) site features a burying ground dating to the earlier 18th century, a reconstructed 1717 stone church, a visitor center, a library and archives, exhibit galleries and space for meetings, talk and programming. In addition, the Harcourt Preserve, a 55-acre (22 ha) nature preserve adjoining the site, is open to the public.

The site is owned and operated by Historic Huguenot Street (HHS), which was founded in 1894. In 1899, HHS purchased the Jean Hasbrouck House as the first house museum on the street. In the 1950s and 60s, HHS purchased all of the remaining stone houses in the district and subsequently opened them as house museums. These acquisitions were funded in large part by family associations—descendants of the original Huguenot founders. These family associations continue to help support the houses today.

In the 1980s, the organization began offering related educational and informative programming to the public—which it continues to do today. The site is open to the public and programming is offered year-round. Guided tours of the house museums are offered May through October from 10am to 5pm every day except Wednesday.