Germantown

History

The area currently known as Germantown was originally occupied by the Mohican people. In the early eighteenth century, Hendrick Aupaumut recorded the movement of his people who had settled along the rivers that would later be named the Delaware and Hudson. Those who had continued north settled in the valley of the river they named the Mahicannituck (today's Hudson River), meaning 'the Waters That Are Never Still'. They named themselves the 'Muh-he-con-neok' after the river, a name that eventually evolved to the present day Mohican or Mahican. The Mohicans settled in the valley, building wigwams and longhouses. The river and woodlands were abundant with life and food, which they supplemented with the corn, beans, and squash they grew. Mohican women were usually in charge of this agriculture, along with the homes and children, while men traveled to fish, hunt, or serve as warriors. In September 1609, Henry Hudson, a trader for the Dutch, sailed up the Mahicannituck. The valley was rich with beavers and otters, whose fur the Dutch coveted, and in 1614 a trading post was established. As the fur trade expanded, making desired furs harder to find, tensions arose between the Mohicans and the Mohawk, who each sought to maintain their share in the fur trade and relations with European allies. Wars and their effects contributed to the loss of Mohican land to the point where territory in the Hudson Valley dwindled almost completely by the end of the seventeenth century. Mohicans were especially affected by European wars such as King Philip’s War where soldiers from Massachusetts and Connecticut attacked Mohicans. In general after war, Mohicans sold land to the Dutch in exchange for needed resources lost in the destruction of indigenous farming and preserved resources. As more…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 13.07%, is water. The western town line, marking the center of the Hudson River, is the border of Greene and Ulster counties.

Race & ethnicity