Saugerties (Postcard History Series)

By: Marjorie Fallows Block

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Synopsis: Saugerties, nestled between Esopus Creek and the Hudson River on one side and the Catskill Mountains on the other, is an old village first settled by the Dutch. Following the opening of the Erie Canal, industrialist Henry Barclay set into motion plans to use the area's waterpower to turn Saugerties into an industrial community. The village became home to the Ulster Iron Works and Barclay's paper mill, and a rich supply of some of the world's most beautiful bluestone was discovered. Sidewalks for Boston and New York City came from the quarries in the area, and the blossoming industry caused Saugerties to grow from approximately 20 families in 1825 to over 4,000 citizens by the 1880s. Today the village of Saugerties is lined with beautiful Victorian buildings and is home to the first business district in the country to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.