Main Street, Old Hurley
- A Treasure We Can Share?
Ten
stone houses built between the late 1600’s through
1818 stretch along the picturesque quarter mile of
Main Street. The
old Hurley Burial Ground is one of the oldest in Ulster
County. The
earliest stone is dated 1780. The Dutch Reformed
Church, built in 1853, sits at the curve in the road,
more beautiful
than a picture postcard. Another fifteen stone
houses lie within a three minute drive.
This
was the temporary capital of New York State after the burning
of Kingston in 1777.
Stone
House Day, the Corn and Craft Festival, the Heritage Society's
walking tours, two antique shops, a shop with garden crafts,
and the Ulster County Genealogical Society draw people to the
neighborhood.
The
Challenges to Tourism
The
number of visitors to Main Street increases steadily. But,
today visitors face limited parking and heavy traffic. The
historic district zoning significantly limits the use of
the historic buildings and imposes unnecessary restrictions
on
those homes that don’t have historic value. We
would like to see the district become a significant tourist
destination. |
