LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Red Hook,
New York, to be celebrated on May 12, 2012

WHEREAS, It is the intent of this Legislative Body to honor and commem-
orate the distinguished histories of the communities which comprise the
noble body of this great Empire State; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 200th Anniversary of Red Hook, in Dutchess County, New York;
and
WHEREAS, Legend has it that Red Hook was named by Henry Hudson and his
crew, who stopped the Half Moon at a small "hook" of land (today known
as Cruger's Island) north of the present-day hamlet of Annandale one
early autumn in 1609 when the sumac was a blazing red, and immediately
called it "Roed Hoeck"; and
WHEREAS, It would be another 100 years or so before many Europeans
began to settle in the area; the Dutch were first, then the English,
Palatine Germans and others, all displacing the Native Americans,
members of the Mahican tribe, who had lived there for thousands of years
prior; and
WHEREAS, In 1664, the English wrested the Province of Nieuw Amsterdam
from the Dutch, renaming it New York in honor of Charles II's brother
James, Duke of York; twenty years later, title to the Red Hook lands was
granted by royal patent to Pieter Schuyler, who, in turn, sold them off
in "great lots" to Dutch settlers; and
WHEREAS, It was these pioneers and a contingent of Palatine Germans,
brought in service to the Crown to what is now Germantown in 1710, who
cleared the land and established farms, first near present-day Tivoli
and the hamlets of Annandale and Barrytown, then in what is now Upper
Red Hook and the Village of Red Hook; and
WHEREAS, The pioneers built mills along the town's two major streams,
the Sawkill and the White Clay Kill, laid out roads and established
river landings and ferries; and
WHEREAS, By the end of the 18th century, the Livingston family and
their heirs had consolidated much of the area into several large estates
along the river and running inland; and
WHEREAS, Alida Livingston controlled the land now comprising the
southern half of the Town of Red Hook; General John Armstrong, her
husband, subdivided a portion of that land which eventually became the
Village of Red Hook; and
WHEREAS, During the Revolutionary war, Red Hook farmers and landown-
ers, among them David Van Ness of Upper Red Hook, went to fight the
British; and
WHEREAS, Around 1795, David Van Ness, who was the town's first post-
master, moved from Upper Red Hook to what is now the Village of Red
Hook, forever changing its name from "Hardscrabble"; he also built
Maizeland, the red brick mansion that stands adjacent to the Linden
Avenue Middle School; and
WHEREAS, Red Hook thrived after the Revolution and by 1812, had gained
enough in population and commercial activity to be separated from the
Town of Rhinebeck by the New York State legislature, approved by the
Governor on June 2, 1812; and
WHEREAS, Agriculture and local manufacturing flourished in Red Hook
throughout the 19th century; local shops made carriages, wagons, barrels
and leather harnesses; Tivoli had several boat building and fishing
businesses; ice harvesting was a major winter industry in Barrytown for

decades, and Red Hook became known for its great variety and abundance
of apples, and its productive dairy farms; and
WHEREAS, In 1842, the old manorial system that had favored large
estates and tenant farming was finally abolished, paving the way for
individual land ownership, a further increase in population, agricul-
tural output and economic development; and
WHEREAS, The arrival of the Hudson River Railroad in 1851, connecting
Red Hook to New York via stations at Barrytown and Tivoli, and the
Central of New England Railroad (CNER) in the early 1870s directly into
the Village of Red Hook, led to greater economic activity than ever; and
WHEREAS, Via the CNER, known locally as the "Hucklebush" Line, Red
Hook farmers could readily ship their meat, milk, cheese, poultry, fruit
and vegetables east into Connecticut and New England; and
WHEREAS, Local factories thrived, with Red Hook's tobacco factory and
the W.H. Baker Chocolate Company leading the way; other, smaller
concerns produced tinplate, leather, furniture, wagons, barrels and the
other myriad staples of life in the age of the horse, the steamboat and
the steam engine; toward the end of the century and well into the 1920s,
Red Hook was a major violet-growing center; and
WHEREAS, At the dawn of the 20th Century, electricity and the tele-
phone came to Red Hook, as did the "horseless" carriage; with the advent
of the automobile, roads began to be paved and the speed of life picked
up; and
WHEREAS, In 1939, the new Red Hook Central School opened, ending the
era of the one-room schoolhouse; and
WHEREAS, Life in post-World War II Red Hook gained new momentum with
construction of the nearby Taconic State Parkway in the late 1940s and,
especially in 1957, with the opening of the Kingston-Rhinceliff Bridge
over the Hudson River; and
WHEREAS, After almost two centuries of rural quiet, Red Hook suddenly
was transformed into a "bedroom community" for International Business
Machines (IBM) and other major regional employers in Kingston and Pough-
keepsie; and
WHEREAS, Between 1957 and 1960, 500 new homes sprouted from some of
Red Hook's oldest, most productive farmland to accommodate the demand
for affordable housing; and
WHEREAS, Today, Red Hook retains a fortunate balance of farming, light
manufacturing, professional services, retailing, eco-tourism, community
arts and education; and
WHEREAS, In 2003, Red Hook voters approved the Farmland Protection
Program authorizing funds to help preserve its agricultural resources
and, in 2007, the Town established a Community Preservation Fund for
preservation of farms and open space; and
WHEREAS, In 2011, Red Hook won the prestigious Pomeroy Award from the
New York Planning Federation for its Centers and Greenspaces Zoning
Amendments, which the Federation cited as promoting sound planning and
land use practice so that orderly growth and development may occur,
balanced with necessary resource conservation; and
WHEREAS, With more than 600 employees and some 2,000-plus students,
Bard College, in Annandale, is a major economic and cultural anchor to
Red Hook; and
WHEREAS, As part of the 16-mile long Hudson River National Historic
Landmark District, Red Hook's beautiful rolling hills and important
historic homes, such as Montgomery Place, attract tens of thousands of
tourists annually; and
WHEREAS, Remaining fruitful over the ebb and flow of decades of growth
and change, the Town of Red Hook continues its commitment to enhancing
the quality of life of its citizens, ensuring a positive business,

institutional and educational climate, and providing all essential
services; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Red Hook, New York, recognizing the
significance of the role it continues to play in the life of the commu-
nity of the State of New York; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Red Hook, New York.