Wawarsing, New York
Encyclopedia
Wawarsing is a town
in Ulster County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 13,157 at the 2010 census. The name means "a place where the stream bends" in the Warwarsink language and refers to the geography of the land; particularly the joining of the Ver Nooy Kill and the Rondout Creek.
The Town of Wawarsing is in the western part of the county. The southern and eastern-most portions are on the Shawangunk Ridge. Most of the hilly town is in the Appalachian foot-hills, while the northern most part is in the Catskills. It has three State Forests (Shawangunk Ridge, VerNooykill, and Witches Hole), as well as most of Minnewaska State Park and Sam's Point Preserve, and portions of the Catskill Preserve and Sundown State Park. US 209 crosses the town, passing through many principal communities: Spring Glen, Laurenkill, Ellenville, Napanoch, the hamlet of Wawarsing, Soccanissing, and Kerhonkson. US 44
begins at a junction with 209 near the east town line. N.Y. Route 52 runs east-west near the southern border. All three roads are part of the Shawangunk Ridge National Scenic Byway.
Wawarsing is located above a leak in the underground Delaware Aqueduct
, part of the New York City water supply system, which has caused subsidence and seepage problems affecting over 50 homes in the area, as well as contamination of drinking water.
, the town has a total area of 133.9 square miles (346.8 km²), of which 130.8 square miles (338.8 km²) is land and 3.1 square miles (8 km²) (2.32%) is water.
The western and southern borders of the town are Sullivan County
, New York
.
The northern part of the town is the southernmost portion of the Catskill Mountains. The eastern border is the Shawangunk Ridge . Rondout Creek
passes through the town, as do the Sandburgh, Laurenkill, Beerkill, Fantinekill and VerNooykill creeks.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Ulster County
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 13,157 at the 2010 census. The name means "a place where the stream bends" in the Warwarsink language and refers to the geography of the land; particularly the joining of the Ver Nooy Kill and the Rondout Creek.
The Town of Wawarsing is in the western part of the county. The southern and eastern-most portions are on the Shawangunk Ridge. Most of the hilly town is in the Appalachian foot-hills, while the northern most part is in the Catskills. It has three State Forests (Shawangunk Ridge, VerNooykill, and Witches Hole), as well as most of Minnewaska State Park and Sam's Point Preserve, and portions of the Catskill Preserve and Sundown State Park. US 209 crosses the town, passing through many principal communities: Spring Glen, Laurenkill, Ellenville, Napanoch, the hamlet of Wawarsing, Soccanissing, and Kerhonkson. US 44
U.S. Route 44
U.S. Route 44 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 237 miles through four states in the Northeastern region of the United States. The western terminus is at U.S. Route 209 and New York State Route 55 in Kerhonkson, a hamlet in the Hudson Valley region of New York...
begins at a junction with 209 near the east town line. N.Y. Route 52 runs east-west near the southern border. All three roads are part of the Shawangunk Ridge National Scenic Byway.
Wawarsing is located above a leak in the underground Delaware Aqueduct
Delaware Aqueduct
The Delaware Aqueduct is the newest of the New York City aqueducts. It takes water from the Rondout Reservoir through the Chelsea Pump Station, the West Branch Reservoir, and the Kensico Reservoir, ending at the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers, New York....
, part of the New York City water supply system, which has caused subsidence and seepage problems affecting over 50 homes in the area, as well as contamination of drinking water.
History
The Lenape settlement "at Wawarasinke" was burned by English militiamen, led by Marten Crieger, after the Natives attacked Wiltwyck and took captives in 1667. In 1685, Waarner Hoornbeek leased land there and was accepted as its first European pioneer. In 1703 the areas of Mombacus and Wawarasink, Ulster County, were made The Town of Rochester. During The Revolutionary War, Wawarsing, Napanoch and Pinebush (Kerhonkson area) where attacked by British raiders, who massacred many women and children and burned the farms. In 1906, Wawarsing, Napanoch, Laurenkil, Lackawack and Grenfield joined together to form The Town of Wawarsing out of Southern Rochester and parts of unincorporated Ulster County.Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 133.9 square miles (346.8 km²), of which 130.8 square miles (338.8 km²) is land and 3.1 square miles (8 km²) (2.32%) is water.
The western and southern borders of the town are Sullivan County
Sullivan County, New York
Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 77,547. The county seat is Monticello. The name is in honor of Major General John Sullivan, who was a hero in the American Revolutionary War...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
The northern part of the town is the southernmost portion of the Catskill Mountains. The eastern border is the Shawangunk Ridge . Rondout Creek
Rondout Creek
Rondout Creek is a tributary of the Hudson River in Ulster and Sullivan counties, New York, USA. It rises on Rocky Mountain in the eastern Catskills, flows south into Rondout Reservoir, part of New York City's water supply network, then into the valley between the Catskills and the Shawangunk...
passes through the town, as do the Sandburgh, Laurenkill, Beerkill, Fantinekill and VerNooykill creeks.
Communities and locations in Wawarsing
- East Wawarsing – A hamlet southeast of Wawarsing hamlet.
- EllenvilleEllenville, New YorkEllenville is a village in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 4,135 at the 2010 census. The postal ZIP code is 12428. The telephone exchange is predominantly 647 and an overlaid 210 in the 845 area code.- Geography :...
– The Village of Ellenville is at the junction of Routes 52 and 209. The Town government building is located on Canal Street, Ellenville. - CragsmoorCragsmoor, New YorkCragsmoor is a hamlet in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 449 at the 2000 census.Cragsmoor is located atop the Shawangunk Ridge, in the south part of the Town of Wawarsing...
– A hamlet in the southeast part of the town. - Dairyland – A hamlet near the western town line on Route 52.
- Greenfield Park – A hamlet west of Ellenville on Route 52.
- KerhonksonKerhonkson, New YorkKerhonkson is a hamlet in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 1,684 at the 2010 census.Kerhonkson is a small hamlet which, along with Accord, makes up the Town of Rochester on US 209, just south of the town's boundary with the Town of Wawarsing and just north of where US 44...
– The hamlet is located by the northern town line along Route 209. - Honk Hill – Located in Napanoch, near Honk Lake.
- Honk Lake – A small lake south of Honk Hill.
- Lackawack – A hamlet northwest of Wawarsing hamlet and at the edge of the Catskill Park.
- Minnewaska State Park – A state parkState parkState parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
partly in the town. - NapanochNapanoch, New YorkNapanoch is a hamlet in Ulster County, New York. It is at the junction of routes 209 and 55. It is on the Shawangunk Ridge National Scenic Byway, and is part of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area....
– A hamlet north of Ellenville on Route 209. - Pine Bush – A hamlet at the northeast town line.
- Potterville – An abandoned community in the town.
- Rondout Reservoir – A reservoir partly in the northwest part of the town.
- Sam's Point PreserveSam's Point PreserveSam's Point Preserve, or Sam's Point Dwarf Pine Ridge Preserve, is a 4,600-acre preserve in Ulster County on the highest point of the Shawangunk Ridge in New York. It is owned by the Open Space Institute and managed by The Nature Conservancy. Its unique environment features dwarf pine trees...
– A nature preserve southeast of Ellenville. - SoyuzivkaSoyuzivkaSoyuzivka, also known as Suzi-Q or The Q, is a Ukrainian cultural center located in Kerhonkson, New York in the Shawangunk Ridge area south of the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, providing children's heritage camps, workshops, seminars, festivals, concerts, dance recitals and art exhibits...
– a Ukrainian resort in Kerhonkson - Spring GlenSpring Glen, New YorkSpring Glen is an unincorporated hamlet of the Town of Wawarsing in Ulster County, New York, United States. It is located just off US 209 just north of the Sullivan County line. It has the ZIP Code 12483....
– A hamlet by the south town line. - Stony Kill FallsStony Kill FallsStony Kill Falls is the site of one of many access points to the Delaware Aqueduct. It is located in the town of Wawarsing, on the northwestern edge of the Minnewaska Preserve on land recently acquired by the State of New York and The Open Space Institute from Napanoch Sand and Gravel Company that...
– An 87-ft. high waterfallWaterfallA waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
. - The Cape – A hamlet northwest of Ellenville on Route 52.
- Ulster Heights – A hamlet in the western part of the town.
- Wawarsing – The hamlet of Wawarsing is on Route 209.
- Yagerville – An area near the Rondout Reservoir, too small to be a hamlet.
Notable residents
- Max SchubelMax SchubelMax Schubel is an American composer of contemporary classical music. He is best known for being the founder and owner of Opus One records, a company dedicated to the recording of new music....
, composer - John Simon (record producer)John Simon (record producer)John Simon is an American musician, record producer, and composer. He is best known for his work with The Band as producer and musician on Music from Big Pink and The Band.-Biography:...
- Joe BevilacquaJoe BevilacquaJoe Bevilacqua is an award-winning voice actor, radio producer, dramatist, humorist, and documentary film producer.- Early life :Bevilacqua grew up in Newark, New Jersey, the son of a policeman and a housewife.- Career :...
, voice actor
External links
- Town of Wawarsing official website
- Village of Ellenville official website
- The Shawangunk Journal, Town Paper of Wawarsing
- Wawarsing town information
- Wawarsing historical information
- Ellenville historical page
- Wawarsing.Net Magazine archive
- Information about Potterville Ghost Town
- Ellenville portal and links
- Ellenville/Wawarsing Chamber of Commerce
- Hunt Memorial Building
- Ellenville Regional Hospital
- Ellenville Central School
- Ellenville Public Library and Museum
- Shadowland Theatre
- Ellenville-Wawarsing 4th of July Committee
- Ellenville Playground
- Sons of the Desert, Ellenville Them Thar Hills Tent