New Paltz Historical Society

09/20/2026

Join us for "'In' the Afterlife of the American Dream: Race, Mythology, and a Requiem of Promise," presented by Dr. Shelton Johnson
Saturday, October 3, 2026 from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM.

For the 4th year in a row, the New Paltz Community Partner Organizations (the Elting Memorial Library, Dr. Margaret Wade-Lewis Black History Cultural Center, Historic Huguenot Street, New Paltz Historical Society and Ulster County Historian ) have come together to bring the New Paltz community free programming that explores and celebrates Black strength, history, and culture.

This year we are honored to host Dr. Shelton Johnson of the SUNY New Paltz Black Studies Department. Dr. Johnson's talk will examine the American Dream as a racialized political mythology, tracing its historical formation, its enduring authority in shaping ideas of merit, mobility, and belonging, and the ways Black intellectual and political traditions have imagined freedom beyond its inherited terms.

Join us at the Elting Memorial Library (93 Main Street, New Paltz, NY 12561) on Saturday, October 3rd from 4:00-5:30 pm for this engaging, in-person presentation.

Shelton K. Johnson, F. Csc., Ph.D., is an imagineer, author, cultural and educational sociologist, and social foundations scholar whose intellectual formation is rooted in the Black South. An Alabama native, he earned a bachelor’s degree in English/African American Literature from Alabama State University, a Master of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction and English from Faulkner University, and a Ph.D. in Instructional Leadership, with concentrations in Social and Cultural Studies and Qualitative Educational Research, from The University of Alabama. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Black Studies at the State University of New York at New Paltz, where he also holds affiliate appointments in Educational Studies and Leadership and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

This program is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required as limited seating is available.

For more info and to register: huguenotstreet.org/calendar-of-events/2026/10/3/american-dream

09/16/2026

Join us in the Steinberg Room on Monday, September 28th at 7 PM for the latest program by New Paltz Historical Society. Anthony Musso will be discussing the best of the hidden treasures of the Hudson Valley.

Registration is optional and registrants will receive an email reminder the day before the program. Register by going to: https://eltinglibrary.libcal.com/event/16158877

06/15/2026

The reunion is almost here. Be sure to come out for 6th Annual Juneteenth Celebration!

Bring your lawn chairs, post this in your group chats, get your fits ready cause it will be live!

Stay connected with us for more updates.

06/15/2026

06/14/2026

Join us at the MWL Center in New Paltz as we gear up for an unforgettable Juneteenth celebration! Get ready for a day filled with joy, community, and vibrant festivities.

This community event is free and we are also accepting donations! To Register for the event or Donate to this community program - Visit to MWLcenter.org

On June 19, 2026 - Bring your friends and family to honor this important occasion with music, food, and plenty of fun activities. LeHistoric Huguenot Streeter to celebrate freedom and achievements while enjoying the warm summer vibes. Mark your calendars—you won’t want to miss this!

06/14/2026

Celebrate Juneteenth with Elting Memorial Library and the Dr. Margaret Wade-Lewis Center for Black History and Culture! Learn about this important emancipation celebration, celebrate Black American history, and create a fun craft together!

Registration is preferred and guarantees your spot at this program.

The Dr. Margaret Wade-Lewis Center at the historic Ann Oliver House preserves the Black experience in the Hudson Valley using the lens of free and enslaved lives in Ulster County, New York. The mission of the center is to engage, empower, educate, and heal the community through history and culture. To learn more, visit mwlcenter.org.

This program is part of Revolutionary New Paltz, a series of family-friendly events, tours, talks, reflections, exhibits, and gatherings discovering and honoring New Paltz’s history, people, place, and culture at America’s 250th—taking place between May 4 and July 4, 2026. More information can be found by going to: revolutionary-newpaltz.org/

06/02/2026

An illustrated presentation with the chairs of the Town and Village Historic Preservation Commissions that will focus on the last quarter century of architectural preservation efforts in New Paltz!

06/01/2026

Join us in the Steinberg Room on Monday, June 15th, at 7 PM for a talk by New Paltz Town Historian Susan Stessin-Cohn on the Ulster County Poorhouse. Register to get an email reminder the day before the program. Registration is encouraged and saves your seat. Register by going to: https://eltinglibrary.libcal.com/event/16819665

Between the years 1828 and 1976, the Ulster County Fairgrounds was the site of the Ulster County Poorhouse. A poorhouse was a tax-supported residential institution to which people were required to go if they could not support themselves without community assistance. Thousands of individuals, including the indigent, the destitute, the insane, the intemperate, transient farm workers, freed slaves, unemployed canal and aqueduct builders, "debauched" women, u***d mothers, the friendless, the elderly, the disabled and the sick, called this site their home.

This lecture is part of Revolutionary New Paltz, a series of family-friendly events, tours, talks, reflections, exhibits, and gatherings discovering and honoring New Paltz’s history, people, place, and culture at America’s 250th—taking place between May 4 and July 4, 2026. More information can be found by going to: https://www.revolutionary-newpaltz.org/