Hurley

History

In the spring of 1662, Petrus Stuyvesant, Director General of New Netherland, established the village of Niew Dorp on the site of a Native American settlement. On June 7, 1663, during the Esopus Wars the Esopus attacked and destroyed that village, and took captives who were later released. The English acquired the Dutch colony on September 6, 1664. On September 17, 1669, the village, abandoned since the Esopus attack, was resettled and renamed Hurley. It has been stated that the resettled village was named after Francis Lovelace, Baron Hurley of Ireland. However, no such title existed and it is more likely that Lovelace renamed the settlement Hurley somehow in reference to, or solidarity with, his kinsmen and fellow royalists, the Barons Lovelace of Hurley in Berkshire, England (contemporaries as well as modern historians often confuse Francis Lovelace the colonial governor with a son of Richard, 1st Baron Lovelace (1564–1634) of Hurley, Berkshire. This earlier Francis was to be the grandfather of the John Lovelace (1672–1709) a later colonial Governor). 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. The southern section was quickly settled by farmers and the villages of Bloomingdale and Wagondale (later Creeklocks) were established. The discovery of limestone suitable for cement made this a valuable economic area and the village of Rosendale became its center. These villages and the surrounding area became the core of the town of Rosendale, established in 1844. The northern section of the town was a forested wilderness until the discovery, in the 1830s, of a fine quality shale. Known as…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36 square miles (93.2 km2), of which 30 square miles (77.6 km2) is land and 6 square miles (15.6 km2) (16.74%) is water. Esopus Creek, a tributary of the Hudson River, flows through the town. The eastern part of the Ashokan Reservoir is in the northern part of the town. U.S. Route 209 passes through the eastern part of the town, and NY 28 crosses it east to west.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  17,421
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  17,013
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  15,951
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  14,921
• White-breasted Nuthatch

  Sitta carolinensis Latham, 1790 · Aves
  13,776
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13,721
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  13,585
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  13,409

Largest nearby schools

• KINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL
  High · KINGSTON · 1,856 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• J WATSON BAILEY MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · KINGSTON · 968 students · 9.6:1 ratio
• M CLIFFORD MILLER MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · LAKE KATRINE · 822 students · 9.4:1 ratio
• RONDOUT VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
  High · ACCORD · 569 students · 10.5:1 ratio
• GEORGE WASHINGTON SCHOOL
  Elementary · KINGSTON · 449 students · 11.2:1 ratio
• HARRY L EDSON SCHOOL
  Elementary · KINGSTON · 418 students · 10.4:1 ratio
• RONDOUT VALLEY INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL
  Middle · ACCORD · 386 students · 9.4:1 ratio
• JOHN F KENNEDY SCHOOL
  Elementary · KINGSTON · 359 students · 10.6:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2025-08-05
  1 km N of Hillsdale, New Jersey
• M 2.79 — 2015-09-27
  New York
• M 2.76 — 2011-08-27
  5 km WSW of Altamont, New York
• M 2.69 — 2011-08-25
  5 km WSW of Altamont, New York
• M 3.15 — 2009-12-13
  15 km N of Medusa, New York
• M 2.56 — 2009-12-13
  14 km N of Medusa, New York