Tides & Towns
Hudson River · NY

Kingston

New York's first capital, burned by the British in 1777.

Population
24,069 (2020 census)
First settled
1653
State capital
1777

Then

  1. 1653

    Thomas Chambers settles at Esopus. Peter Stuyvesant names the town Wiltwijck in 1661; the English rename it Kingston in 1669.

  2. 1777

    Kingston becomes New York's first capital. The British burn it on October 16.

  3. 1828

    The Delaware and Hudson Canal opens, making Rondout a coal port for New York City.

  4. 1844

    Cement quarrying begins at Rondout, and bluestone shipped from nearby Wilbur paves New York sidewalks.

Now

The Rondout waterfront, with the Hudson River Maritime Museum, has been revived. The city re-enacts the burning every other year. Tivoli and Hyde Park share this stretch of river.

4 tide stations around Kingston

Sources