Stone Ridge

There’s no shortage of quaint towns filled with historic houses in the Hudson Valley and the Catskills, but Stone Ridge, a tiny hamlet in Ulster County, is especially picturesque—particularly if you’re a fan of old stone houses, a dominant vernacular building type in the region, and one that’s in abundance in Stone Ridge. 

Though Dutch settlers lived in the area in the late 17th century, it wasn’t until the years immediately before the Revolutionary War that some of the town’s oldest structures—such as the Cornelius Wynkoop House, a circa-1767 home made from gray limestone that’s notable for having once hosted George Washington—were built. Now, many of those are part of the Main Street Historic District, which stretches along much of Route 209 (the main thoroughfare through town) and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Alas, many of Stone Ridge’s most exquisite properties are private homes—some of which are on the market for upward of $1 million—but there are a few historic buildings that let the public in. One of the most spectacular is the Hasbrouck House, built as a country estate in the 1750s and recently renovated into a 30-room hotel. The property comprises three different lodgings (the main house, a carriage house, and a stable house), and while the rooms themselves have gotten a modern refresh—there’s even an in-ground pool on the premises—there’s no denying that you’re sleeping in a place that has lived many lives. (Despite its name, the nearby 1712 House is actually much newer—and another nice lodging option.) 

A slightly more humble structure is the Stone Ridge Library, also on Route 209, which is situated in a stone building from 1798 that originally served as a home; now, it’s a living link to Stone Ridge’s past, one of many that exist in this small town.