The first non-indigenous settler arrived around 1770, and the town of Woodstock was established in 1787. Later, territory from Woodstock was contributed to form the towns of Middletown (1789), Windham (1798), Shandaken (1804), and Olive (1853).[citation needed]
Woodstock played host to numerous Hudson River School painters during the late 1800s. The Arts and Crafts Movement came to Woodstock in 1902, with the arrival of Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead, Bolton Brown and Hervey White, who formed the Byrdcliffe Colony. In 1906, L. Birge Harrison and others founded the Summer School of the Art Students League of New York in the area, primarily for landscape painting. Ever since, Woodstock has been considered an active artists colony. From 1915 through 1931, Hervey White's Maverick Art Colony held the Maverick Festivals, "in which hundreds of free spirits gathered each summer for music, art, theater and drunken orgies in the woods."[5][6]
A series of Woodstock Sound-Outs were staged at Pan Copeland's farm just over the town line in Saugerties from 1967 to 1970.[7] These featured folk and rock acts such as Richie Havens, Paul Butterfield, Dave van Ronk and Van Morrison and were identified with Woodstock's reputation as a summer arts colony. The Sound-Outs inspired the original Woodstock Festival's organizers to plan their concert at the Winston Farm in Saugerties. "The Sound-Outs just had a great feel", said Woodstock Festival producer Michael Lang. "And it was in the country and it provided all the guidelines that I needed."[8] However, the town turned down their permit,[9] and the "Woodstock" Festival was actually held almost 60 miles (97km) away at Max Yasgur's farm in the town of Bethel.[10]
Woodstock is also home to the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Buddhist monastery, situated at the top of Mead's Mountain Road.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 67.8 square miles (175.7km2), of which 67.3 square miles (174.3km2) is land and 0.54 square miles (1.4km2), or 0.80%, is water.[11]
The northern town line is the border of Greene County.
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 6,241 people, 2,946 households, and 1,626 families residing in the town. The population density was 92.5 peopleper square mile (35.7 people/km2). There were 3,847 housing units at an average density of 57.0 per square mile (22.0/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 94.25% white, 1.30% black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.57% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.56% of the population.
There were 2,946 households, out of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.8% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.71.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.0% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 38.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $49,217, and the median income for a family was $65,938. Males had a median income of $41,500 versus $33,672 for females. The per capita income for the town was $32,133. About 6.9% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.
The town is famous for lending its name to the Woodstock Festival, which was actually held at Max Yasgur's dairy farm almost 60 miles (97km) away in Bethel in Sullivan County. The festival was never planned to be held in or near the town of Woodstock; instead, it was first planned for Wallkill, New York, but was relocated to Bethel after Wallkill withdrew.
The 1903 Byrdcliffeart colony is one of the nation's oldest Arts & Crafts colonies.[13] It brought the first artists to Woodstock to teach and produce furniture, metal works, ceramics, and weaving and established Woodstock's first painting school. Byrdcliffe forever changed the cultural landscape of the Town of Woodstock.
Byrdcliffe Theater, located on the grounds of the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony
The Woodstock Guild, founded by Byrdcliffe artists in 1939, is now the steward of the 350-acre (1.4km2) Byrdcliffe Colony. It is a multicultural organization which sponsors exhibitions, classes, concerts, dance and theatre events and runs the oldest craft shop in Woodstock, the Fleur de Lis Gallery, which features over 60 artists. Voice Theatre currently has permanent residency at the Byrdcliffe Theater, which they renovated in 2015. Byrdcliffe is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a haven for today's artists.
On April 19–22, 2012, Woodstock hosted the Woodstock Writers Festival. Ann Hood, Augusten Burroughs, Shalom Auslander, Kurt Andersen and Ned Leavitt spoke and offered workshops on a variety of topics related to literature.
Woodstock is the home of the Woodstock Film Festival, founded in 2000. The Woodstock Film Festival is an Oscar®-qualifying festival in the short film categories - Live Action Short Film, Animated Short Film, and Documentary Short Film.
The town has long been a mecca for artists, musicians, actors, and writers, even before the music festival made the name "Woodstock" famous. The town has a separate "Artist's Cemetery". Film and art festivals attract big names, and hundreds of musicians have come to Woodstock to record. Among the major musicians were the pioneer, Bob Dylan, followed by, among others, Joe Cocker. All those musicians were performing in a bar which became world-famous, the Joyous Lake.
Another one-time Woodstock resident, Lee Marvin, was employed at the Woodstock Heckeroth Plumbing Company whose career was launched when the main actor of the defunct Woodstock Theater was sick, leading to Marvin being called in as a replacement.
Local communities and landmarks
Artists' Cemetery – A cemetery for Woodstock artists and luminaries on Rock City Road.
Bearsville – A hamlet at the junction of State Route 212 and County Route 45, west of Woodstock village.
Byrdcliffe – Site of the original art colony east of the junction of Routes 212 and Glasco Turnpike (County Route 33), northwest of Woodstock village on the lower slopes of Mount Guardian above Glasco Turnpike. At one time it was home for the Turnau Opera and now the Byrdcliffe Theater.
Cooper Lake – Kingston reservoir located south of Lake Hill, northwest of Bearsville and west by northwest of Shady.
Daisy – A hamlet east of Woodstock in Saugerties associated with Woodstock through the Woodstock Jewish Congregation, sometimes called East Woodstock;[18] here it is said are the most "documented" stone cairns, mounds and other possible ancient sites associated with Woodstock folklore traditions. Many of those are threatened by development.
Echo Lake – A mountain lake within the Indian Head Wilderness of the Catskill Mountains.
Mead's Meadow (Woodstock) – Formerly a cow pasture, "The Magic Meadow" is a quarter mile past the summit of Mead Mountain Road and the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Tibetan Buddhistmonastery. It is an entrance to the Devil's Path.
Montoma – A hamlet south of Woodstock near the town line with the Town of Hurley.
Mount Guardian – A mountain to the west of Overlook Mountain, below which is the hamlet of Shady.
Mount Tobias – A mountain in the central part of the town.
Ohayo Mountain – A mountain to the south, between the Ashokan Reservoir and Woodstock village, bordering West Hurley.
Opus 40 – a large free-form sculpture carved out of the local bluestone by Harvey Fite in the Saugerties hamlet of High Woods, four miles from the central Woodstock hamlet.[20]
Overlook Mountain – A mountain to the northeast, on whose lower slopes much of Woodstock is situated.
Phoenicia, NY - hamlet of Shandaken in Ulster County, New York - 13.5 miles west of Woodstock.
Saugerties, New York – A nearby town that includes the 800-acre Winston Farm, a proposed site for Woodstock '69 and home to Woodstock '94,[20] and host to the Garlic Festival and Horse Shows In The Sun (HITS) north of the village.
Saw Kill – A stream that rises in Echo Lake, flows west through Shady, then south to Bearsville, east to Woodstock, and southeast to Zena on the way to its confluence with the Esopus Creek near Kingston.
Shady – A hamlet northwest of Byrdcliffe, past the intersection of Glasco Turnpike and Route 212.
Willow – A hamlet in the northwest part of the town on Route 212.
Wittenberg – A hamlet at the junction of County Routes 40 and 45, southwest of Bearsville. It contains Yankeetown Pond and Kenneth Wilson State Campground.
Woodstock – The hamlet of Woodstock and the principal center of local services for the town.
Zena – A hamlet east of Woodstock hamlet in the southeast part of the town.
Sullivan County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,624. The county seat is Monticello. The county's name honors Major General John Sullivan, who was labeled at the time as a hero in the American Revolutionary War in part due to his successful campaign against the Iroquois. The county is part of the Hudson Valley region of the state.
Ulster County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston. The county is named after the Irish province of Ulster. The county is part of the Hudson Valley region of the state.
Art colonies are organic congregations of artists in towns, villages and rural areas, who are often drawn to areas of natural beauty, the prior existence of other artists, art schools there, or a lower cost of living. They are typically mission-driven planned communities, which administer a formal process for awarding artist residencies. A typical mission might include providing artists with the time, space, and support to create, fostering community among artists, and providing arts education, including lectures and workshops.
Bethel is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was estimated at 3,959 in 2020. The town received worldwide attention after it served as the location of Woodstock in 1969, which was originally planned for Wallkill, New York, but was relocated to Bethel after Wallkill withdrew.
Cochecton is a town located in west-central Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 1,448 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from the Lenape word "cushetunk" meaning "place of red stone hills".
Glasco is a hamlet in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 2,013 at the 2020 census.
Hunter is a town located in Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 3,035 at the time of the 2020 census. The town contains two villages, one named Hunter on the west, and the second called Tannersville, as well as a number of hamlets such as Haines Falls, Platte Clove, Lanesville and Edgewood. Additionally, there are three residential parks location within town limits: Onteora Park, Twilight Park and Elka Park. The town is on the southern border of Greene County and abuts the towns of Woodstock and Saugerties, located in Ulster County.
Max Bernard Yasgur was an American farmer. He was the owner of the 600-acre (240 ha) dairy farm in Bethel, New York, where the Woodstock Music and Art Fair was held on August 15–18, 1969. He sold his farm in 1971 and retired to Florida, where he died in 1973.
Samuel Stephen Yasgur was an American attorney and Sullivan County, New York official. He was the son of Max Yasgur, who leased land on his 600 acres (2.4 km2) dairy farm in Bethel, New York for the Woodstock Music & Art Festival in August 1969. Yasgur said that his "consultations with his father" played a crucial role in the concert coming to Bethel. He grew up on his father's farm, and was a graduate of Cornell University and the University of Chicago Law School.
New York State Route 212 (NY 212) is an east–west state highway located entirely within Ulster County, New York, in the United States. It runs for 21.92 miles (35.28 km) from an intersection with NY 28 in the interior of the Catskill Park to a junction with U.S. Route 9W (US 9W) and NY 32 on the west bank of the Hudson River, providing a key interchange with the New York State Thruway along the way. The mostly rural two-lane route serves the communities of Woodstock and Saugerties while passing Cooper Lake, Kingston's reservoir. NY 212 was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York.
White Lake is a hamlet in the town of Bethel, Sullivan County, New York, United States, on the southeastern shore of a lake of the same name. It was the closest community to the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in 1969.
The Byrdcliffe Colony, also called the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony or Byrdcliffe Historic District, was founded in 1902 near Woodstock, New York by Jane Byrd McCall and Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead and colleagues, Bolton Brown (artist) and Hervey White (writer). It is the oldest operating arts and crafts colony in America. The Arts and Crafts movement arose in the late nineteenth century in reaction to the dehumanizing monotony and standardization of industrial production. Byrdcliffe was created as an experiment in utopian living inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement.
Edward Leigh Chase (1884–1965) was an American painter and illustrator, and an early member of the Byrdcliffe experiment which gave rise to the artists' colony at Woodstock, New York. A gifted sketch artist and watercolorist, he was one of the group of young Art Students League humorists who called themselves the Fakirs.
Elliot Michael Tiber was an artist, professor, and screenwriter who wrote a memoir about the Woodstock Festival held in Bethel, New York in 1969. He claimed responsibility for the relocation of the festival after a permit for it was withdrawn by the zoning board of a nearby town.
Woodstock Revisited is a 2009 documentary film by David McDonald that tells the story of how the countercultural movement associated with The Woodstock Festival came into being.
Woodstock Sound-Outs or soundouts were mini-festivals held outside Woodstock, New York from 1967 to 1970. They were the brainchild of John "Jocko" Moffitt, a roofer and drummer. He had heard about a number of folk festivals in his native California, and he wanted to stage a rock festival in a country setting. Planning for the event began in 1966 and by the early spring of 1967 performers like Richie Havens were being tentatively booked.
Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead was an English philanthropist and the founder and chief benefactor of the Byrdcliffe Arts and Crafts Colony located in Woodstock, New York.
Maverick Concert Hall was built in 1916 and was part of the Maverick Artist Colony in Hurley, New York.
Saugerties is a town in the northeastern corner of Ulster County, New York. The population was 19,038 at the time of the 2020 Census, a decline from 19,482 in 2010. The village of the same name is located entirely within the town.
Hervey White (1866–1944) was an American novelist, poet, and community-builder. He was one of the original founders of the Byrdcliffe Colony in Woodstock, New York, then went on to create a more radical artists' colony, the Maverick. Both Byrdcliffe and the Maverick are part of what is today called the Woodstock Art Colony.
↑ See Tom Wolf, "Byrdcliffe's History: Industrial Revolution," in Byrdcliffe: An American Arts and Crafts Colony (Ithaca: Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, 2004), pp. 16–35
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