The towns and cities of the Hudson Valley were created by the U.S. state of New York as municipalities, in order to perform the services of local government.[2] In 1683, prior to the creation of modern towns, the Province of New York was divided into twelve counties for administrative purposes by the Colonial Governor of New York. In the Hudson Valley, these divisions included Dutchess, Orange, and Ulster counties. Dutchess and Orange remained unorganized until 1713, with Dutchess administered from Ulster;[3] Orange would be administered from New York County.[4] Future counties would be formed and towns exchanged over time, with Rockland County split from Orange in 1799, at which time the southern towns of Ulster were transferred to Orange as compensation for the loss; and Putnam County from Dutchess in 1812, these county's towns can trace their origins to towns and precincts that were formed in their parent counties.[3] Another change that occurred was the transfer of Dutchess County's northern section, the Livingston Manor, to Columbia County. Greene County was formed in 1800 by the combination of the southernmost towns of Albany County with the northernmost towns of Ulster. The history of the towns of Greene and Columbia counties can be found at the Timeline of town creation in New York's Capital District.
New York experimented with different types of municipalities before settling upon the current format of towns and cities occupying all the land in a county,[5] and all previous forms were transformed into towns (or divided into multiple towns) in 1788 when all of the state of New York was divided into towns.[2] Some early forms of government in earlier years included land patents with some municipal rights, districts,[6] precincts,[7] and boroughs.[8] Though originally intended to be mere "…involuntary subdivisions of the state, constituted for the purpose of the more convenient exercise of governmental functions by the state for the benefit of all its citizens" as defined by the courts in 1916 (Short v. Town of Orange), towns gained home rule powers from the state in 1964, at which time towns became "a municipal corporation comprising the inhabitants within its boundaries, and formed with the purpose of exercising such powers and discharging such duties of local government and administration of public affairs as have been, or, maybe [sic] conferred or imposed upon it by law."[9]
The following is a timeline showing the creation of the current towns from their predecessors stretching back to the earliest municipal entity over the area. The timelines only represent which town(s) a particular town was created from and do not represent annexations of territory to and from towns that already existed. All municipalities are towns unless otherwise noted as patent, township, borough, district, or city.
Dutchess County
edit
| Beacon 1913[10] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wappinger 1875[10] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rombout Precinct 1737–1788[10] | Fishkill 1788 | East Fishkill 1849 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Freedom 1821 (LaGrange from 1828) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Union Vale 1827 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Beekman Precinct 1737–1788 | Beekman 1788 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pawling's Precinct 1768–1788 | Pawling 1788 | Dover 1807 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crum Elbow Precinct 1737–1762[10] | Amenia Precinct 1762–1788 | Amenia 1788 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Charlotte Precinct 1762–1788 (Clinton from 1786) | Washington 1788[2] | Stanford 1793[10] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pleasant Valley 1821 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rhinebeck Precinct 1737–1788 | Clinton 1788 | Hyde Park 1821 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rhinebeck 1788 | Red Hook 1812 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Poughkeepsie Precinct 1737–1788 | Poughkeepsie 1788 | Poughkeepsie City 1854 | |||||||||||||||||||
| North Precinct 1737–1746[3] (Also known as Northeast)[7] | Northeast 1788 | Milan 1818 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pine Plains 1823 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Notes
edit- Dutchess County was one of the twelve original counties formed in 1683 in the Province of New York; but was under the governance of Ulster County until a county government was erected in 1713 at which point it received separate representation in the General Assembly. [3] In 1737 Dutchess was divided into seven precincts,[7] six of which descended into the present towns of Dutchess County while the seventh became the progenitor of the towns of Putnam County.[3]
Putnam County
edit
| Fredericksburgh[A] Precinct 1772–1788 | Frederickstown[B] 1788 (Frederick from 1795 Kent from 1817) | Carmel[B] 1795 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Franklin[B] 1795 (Patterson from 1808) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Precinct[A] 1737–1772[10] | South East[A] Precinct 1772–1788[6][10] | Southeasttown[B] 1788 (Southeast from 1795) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Philips[A] Precinct 1772–1788 | Philipstown[B] 1788 | Quincy[C] 1839 (Putnam Valley from 1840) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes
edit| [A] = A part of Dutchess County. | |||||
| [B] = A part of Dutchess County until 1812, thereafter Putnam County. | |||||
| [C] = A part of Putnam County. | |||||
Ulster County
edit
| Hurley[A] Precinct 1708[3]–1788[2] | Hurley[A] 1788[2] | Hardenburgh[A] 1859 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Woodstock[A] township 1787[3]–1788[2] | Woodstock[A] 1788[2] | Shandaken[A] 1804 | Denning[A] 1849 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Windham[D] 1788 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gardiner[A] 1853 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rochester[A] Patent 1703–1788 | Rochester[A] 1788 | Wawarsing[A] 1806 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Paltz[A] Patent 1677[3]–1788[2] | New Paltz[A] 1788[2] | Lloyd[A] 1845 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rosendale[A] 1844 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marbletown[A] Patent 1703[3]–1788[2] | Marbletown[A] 1788[2] | Olive[A] 1823 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Esopus and Wiltwyck[B] Village/town 1661[11]–1702 (Kingston from 1669) | Kingston[A] Township 1702[3]–1788[2] | Kingston[A] 1788[2] | Kingston[A] City 1872 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saugerties[A] 1811 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shawangunk[A] Precinct 1743–1788 | Shawangunk[A] 1788 | Esopus[A] 1811 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ulster[A] 1879 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highlands[A] Precinct 1709[12]–1763 | New Windsor[A] Precinct 1763–1788 | For further descendants see Orange County[C] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Newburgh[A] Precinct 1763–1788 | Marlborough[A] Precinct 1772–1788 | Marlborough[A] 1788 | Plattekill[A] 1800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| For further descendants see Orange County[C] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes
edit| [A] = A part of Ulster County. | |||||
| [B] = A part of the Dutch colony of New Netherland until 1664, thereafter English, Ulster County after 1683. | |||||
| [C] = A part of Ulster County until 1799, thereafter Orange County. | |||||
| [D] = A part of Ulster County until 1800, thereafter Greene County. For further descendants see Timeline of town creation in New York's Capital District. | |||||
- Wiltwyck and Esopus were a dependency of the Village of Beverwyck (Court of Fort Orange and Beverwyck) prior to 1661.[3][13]
- Dash lines are used for leading to the town of Olive from its antecendants only help in tracking those lines, which due to space constraints cross other town's lines. No significance should be interpreted with the use of dash lines leading to the town of Olive.
Orange County
edit| Highlands[A] 1872 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cornwall[A] Precinct 1764–1788 | New Cornwall[A] 1788[2] (Cornwall from 1797) | Blooming Grove[A] 1799 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Woodbury[A] 1890[14] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chesecocks[A] 1799 (Southfield from 1801–1808 thereafter Monroe) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tuxedo[A] 1890[14] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warwick[A] 1788[2] | Chester[A] 1845 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Goshen[A] 1788[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Goshen[A] Precinct ?–1788 | Hanover[B] Precinct 1772–1788 (Montgomery after 1782) | Montgomery[C] 1788 | Crawford[A] 1823 | Hamptonburgh[A] 1830 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wallkill[B] Precinct 1743–1788[12] | New Windsor[B] Precinct 1763–1788 | New Windsor[C] 1788 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highlands[B] Precinct 1709[12]–1763 | Newburgh[B] Precinct 1763–1788 | Newburgh[C] 1788 | Newburgh[A] City 1865[15] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| For further descendants see Ulster County section [B] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wallkill[C] 1788 | Middletown[C] City 1888[16] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wawayanda[A] 1849 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minisink[A] 1788[2] | Greenville[A] 1853 | Calhoun[A] 1825 (Mount Hope from 1833) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mamakating[B] 1788[2] | Deerpark[A] 1798 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Port Jervis[A] City 1907[17] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes
edit| [A] = A part of Orange County. | |||||
| [B] = A part of Ulster County. | |||||
| [C] = A part of Ulster County until 1799, thereafter Orange County. | |||||
- In 1863 the Orange County Board of Supervisors erected two new towns from part of Monroe, named Highlands and Southfield. This was declared overruled by the state legislature in 1865 and therefore those towns are not shown here.[18]
- In 2019, part of Monroe became the Town of Palm Tree pursuant to a 2017 referendum. (The above diagram has not yet been updated to include this development.)
Rockland County
edit
| Haverstraw[B] Precinct 1719–1788 | Haverstraw[C] 1788 | New Hampstead[A] 1791 (Ramapo from 1791) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Clarkstown[A] 1791 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Orangetown[C] 1788[2] | Stony Point[A] 1865[19] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Notes
edit| [A] = A part of Rockland County. | |||||
| [B] = A part of Orange County. | |||||
| [C] = A part of Orange County until 1799, thereafter Rockland County. | |||||
See also
edit
Citations
edit- ^ "Senate House State Historic Site". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Laws of the State of New York Passed at the Sessions of the Legislature Held in the Years 1785, 1786, 1787 and 1788, inclusive, Being the Eight, Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh, sessions. Vol. II. Weed, Parsons and Company/State of New York. 1886. p. 748. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k French 1860, p. 267.
- ^ "New York County Maps and Atlases". Genealogy, Inc. Archived from the original on March 4, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
- ^ "Governmental Units". Deitz, John B. Retrieved May 18, 2009.
- ^ a b The Colonial Laws of the State of New York From 1664 to the Revolution, Including the Charters to the Duke of York, the Commissions and Instructions to the Colonial Governors, the Duke's Laws, the Laws of Dongan and Leisler Assemblies, the Charters of Albany and New York and the Acts of the Colonial Legislatures from 1691 to 1775 Inclusive. Vol. V. James B. Lyon (State of New York). 1894. p. 383 and 395. Retrieved September 1, 2009.
- ^ a b c The Colonial Laws of the State of New York From 1664 to the Revolution, Including the Charters to the Duke of York, the Commissions and Instructions to the Colonial Governors, the Duke's Laws, the Laws of Dongan and Leisler Assemblies, the Charters of Albany and New York and the Acts of the Colonial Legislatures from 1691 to 1775 Inclusive. Vol. II. John B. Lyon. 1894. p. 956.
- ^ Howell, George Rogers; Munsell, John H. (1886). History of the County of Schenectady, N.Y., from 1662 to 1886. W.W. Munsell & Company.
- ^ "Local Government Handbook" (PDF) (5th ed.). New York State Department of State. 2008. pp. 60 (PDF 64). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 25, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Dutchess County Communities". Dutchess County Genealogical Society. 2006. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
- ^ Schoonmaker, Marius (1888). The History of Kingston, New York from its Early Settlement to the Year 1820. Burr Printing Press. p. 59.
- ^ a b c Clearwater, Alphonso T. (2007). The History of Ulster County, New York. Vol. 1. Heritage Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7884-1943-0.
- ^ New International Encyclopedia. Vol. XIII. Dodd, Mead and Company. 1915. p. 254.
- ^ a b Laws of the State of New York, Passed at the One Hundred and Thirteenth Session of the Legislature, Begun January Sixth, 1890, and Ended May Ninth, 1890, in the City of Albany. Banks & Brothers/State of New York. 1890. p. 1246.
- ^ Reamy, Martha and Bill (2007). Pioneer Families of Orange County. Heritage Books, Inc. ISBN 978-1-58549-601-3.
- ^ Laws of the State of New York, Passed at the One Hundred and Eleventh Session of the Legislature, Begun January Fourth, and Ended May Eleventh, 1888, Also, Laws Passed at the Extraordinary Session, July Seventeenth to Twentieth, 1888, in the City of Albany. Banks & Brothers/State of New York. 1888. p. 825.
- ^ Laws of the State of New York, Passed at the One Hundred Thirtieth Session of the Legislature, Begun January Second, 1907, and Ended June Twenty-Sixth, 1907, in the City of Albany, and Including Extraordinary Session, Begun July Eighth, 1907, and Ended July Twenty-Sixth, 1907. Vol. II. J.B. Lyon Company/State of New York. 1907. p. 2114.
- ^ Freeland, Daniel Niles (1898). Chronicles of Monroe in the Olden Times. The De Vinne Press.
- ^ "Town History". Stony Point, New York. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
References
edit- French, John H. (1860). Gazetteer of the State of New York. Syracuse, NY: R. Pearsall Smith. OCLC 299184938.