LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 350th Anniversary of the Town
of Hurley, to be celebrated on Saturday, September 15, 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 350th Anniversary of the Town of Hurley in Ulster County, New
York, to be celebrated on Saturday, September 15, 2012; and
WHEREAS, In the Spring of 1662, Governor General Peter Stuyvesant,
established the village of Nieuw Dorp on the site of an earlier Native
American Settlement; on June 7, 1663, during the Esopus Wars, the Esopus
Indians attacked and destroyed the village, and took captives who were
later released; and
WHEREAS, England took over the Dutch Colony on September 6, 1664, and
on September 17, 1669, the village, abandoned since the Esopus Indian
attack, was resettled and renamed Hurley; it was named after Francis
Lovelace, Baron Hurley of Ireland; and
WHEREAS, In 1708, two large land patents from the New York Colonial
government expanded the bounds of Hurley northward to near the present
boundary with the Town of Woodstock and southward to the old boundary of
the Town of New Paltz; and
WHEREAS, The town is composed of the hamlets of Old Hurley, West
Hurley and Glenford; Old Hurley's Main Street is part of the National
Register of Historic Sites due to its well-preserved stone houses which
have served as residences for more than 300 years; and
WHEREAS, A museum highlight notes that in 1777, the Town of Hurley was
briefly New York State's capital after the residents of Kingston, the
capital at the time, fled when the British burned it during the Revolu-
tionary War; and
WHEREAS, West Hurley is the primary location of New York City's prin-
cipal reservoir, the Ashokan, which was begun in 1906 with the site
purchase by the New York City Water Department; the Town of Hurley is
further noted for its extensive sweet corn fields and its wonderful
views of the mountains; and
WHEREAS, Remaining fruitful over the ebb and flow of decades of growth
and change, the Town of Hurley continues its commitment to enhancing the
quality of life of its citizens, ensuring a positive business, institu-
tional and educational climate, and providing all essential services;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 350th Anniversary of the Town of Hurley, to be cele-
brated on Saturday, September 15, 2012, recognizing the significance of
the role it continues to play in the life of the community of the State
of New York; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Town of Hurley.