Historic Huguenot Street has announced the release of a new book, Legacies on the Land: Historic Houses, Hamlets, and Landscapes of Southern Ulster County, edited by HHS Board Vice Chair Vals Osborne.

The content of the book comes from the Wallkill Valley Land Trust’s popular “Houses on the Land” historic house tours, which have been in operation for the past decade. Across ten communities, over 150 architectural gems in every style are explored, from early Dutch fieldstone houses to 21st-century modernism.

Together, these houses tell the story of Southern Ulster County, one of the first regions to be colonized by Europeans in what is now New York State. Early settlements by the Dutch, Huguenots, Walloons, English, Palatines and enslaved Africans on Munsee Lenape land are still evident, even as the original 17th-century subsistence farms have been replaced by a more modern way of life.

A diverse group of volunteer writers came together to research and write the book, including historians and noted authors. The result is a collection of in-depth essays about the history of our area, understood through the land, people and architecture.

Osborne, a real estate specialist active in the historic preservation community, said "It gives me great joy and a sense of fulfillment to share with a wider public the fruits of more than a decade of inspiring collaboration by many dedicated volunteers including regional and architectural historians, special librarians, historical societies, and local enthusiasts. We hope readers will enjoy this adventure as much as we have loved creating it.”

The book will retail for $35 and will be available for both in-person and online sales in the HHS Museum Shop and through the publisher, Black Dome Press (blackdomepress.com). The book’s official release date will be July 5, 2024.