CENTURIES-OLD STONE HOUSES OPEN FOR TOURS
71st Annual Event next July in Hurley, New York
The 71st Annual Stone House Day, depicting pre-revolutionary life in the Hudson Valley, will be held from 10 AM to 4PM July 10, 2021 in the 1661 Dutch Village, Hurley, NY. Featured are old stone houses built as early as 1685.
Once a year, on the second Saturday in July, several owners of these historic homes open them to the public for tours. Hundreds of visitors come to the village each year to see how early colonists lived, to admire the massive beams and walls, Dutch ovens, and hand-forged hardware. They come and hear authentic stories of spies, witches, ghosts, and Indian attacks.
Hurley is about 90 miles north of New York City, 60 miles south of Albany, and four minutes from I-87, the New York State Thruway. From I-87, take Exit 19 Kingston, then NY-28 west, and then south on US Route 209 toward Ellenville for two miles. Free parking is available on a first come, first served basis, at 11 Main Street in Hurley.
The Spy House. Photos courtesy Stone House Day.
Tour tickets cover all events, stone house tours, bus to outlying homes and parking. They are priced as follows: Children age 5 and under: free; Children 6 through 12: $2; Seniors & Students: $15; and Adults: $20. A $2 discount coupon for the cafeteria is included with each adult, senior and student ticket. Tickets are available on the day of the event at ticket booths on Hurley’s Main Street. For more information and to order discount tickets ahead of time, go to www.stonehouseday.org.
Revolutionary war re-enactors
Visitors to Stone House Day will enjoy colonial craft demonstrations, a blacksmith, children’s 1700’s candle-dipping and tin candlestick making. When walking the quarter-mile stretch of Hurley’s National Historic Landmark, Main Street, visitors will experience period musical presentations, revolutionary war re-enactors, and an old burial ground with stones up to 300 years old. One highlight of the day is a re-enactment, by accomplished actress, Deborah Zuill, of an historic speech originally given by abolitionist, Sojourner Truth, in 1851 titled “Ain’t I a Woman?” Visitors of all ages will see, touch and hear the sights of a 1777 Militia Encampment. They’ll watch and hear the firing of colonial muskets, and talk with the members of the Militia. Re-enactors welcome questions regarding their clothing, cooking skills, guns, knives, tents, etc.
The Old Guard House
For week-enders, the area offers many attractions. These include FDR’s home and Library, the Vanderbilt Mansion, Olana, West Point, Woodstock, the Catskill Mountains, Ashokan Reservoir, Kingston’s Senate House, the Rondout Waterfront, Hudson River cruises, and extensive rail trails. Also within a short drive, are the popular Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park (the world’s longest elevated pedestrian bridge), and Mohonk Mountain House (a National Historic Landmark that is one of America’s top hotels favored by presidents and princes).
Stone House Day is a community event, arranged and sponsored by the Hurley Reformed Church.
The laundry and its prices.