HUNTER-WINDHAM

Hunter NY History

Native Americans lived in some parts of the lowlands but not in the mountains. Although they were familiar with them as hunting grounds the Native Americans chose not to settle there. During the American Revolution, they used a path through the mountains as a route when they took their captives to Fort Niagara. They had a small retention area when they were forced to stop for a period. This was located near what is known as “Tory Swamp” below a ledge used by Joseph Brandt as a lookout to the valley below. It was never an actual fort.

The early records of the first settlers in the Town of Hunter are sparse but the first settlers recorded were Grishom Griffen and three brothers, Elisha, John and Samuel Haines, who probably arrived in what is now the Platte Clove area.

The Town of Hunter, then known as Greenland was formed from what had been the territory of Windham and the act was officially enacted on January 27, 1813 and town office were named on April 6, 1813. Greenland was later renamed Hunter in 1814.

Hunter NY Real Estate Today

There are two incorporated villages within the township. Hunter Village, which was originally called Edwardsville and later became Hunter and was incorporated in 1894 and Tannersville in 1895. Both villages became commercial centers in the area providing needs of local residents and souvenirs and nick-knacks for tourists.

Early settlers lived by what the land provided. Although the land was hilly and rocky most settlers had farms of some description even if they were only sufficient to support their own family. Tanneries were set up where there were streams and hemlock trees. The abundance of hardwood trees and water power were responsible for the presence of lumber mills along the streams. Furniture factories were a result of the many lumbering companies. Quarries throughout the mountains, though mostly small, were mined and the stone shipped to cities for sidewalks.

Later settlers arrived through one of the three cloves, Kaaterskill, Platte Clove, or Stony Clove. Each of the first two were very steep and narrow, following the streams running between mountains on either side. Today a modern, but winding road, leads the traveler into the Mountains. Because of very limited space for width in Platte Clove, the road, though surfaced, is winding and the grade steeper. (This road is not maintained during the winter months.) Each offers spectacular views and vistas.

A large part of the Town (outside villages) is classified as wild, forested, conservation lands and public parks ‐ about 30,000 acres of land is government owned. That limits development potential to a smaller, more focused area along Route 23a. Currently about 14% of the Town is in residential use, 10% is considered vacant land, and 2% are used for commercial purposes.

The Town gained a small number of new residents while both villages and the County lost some population. The Town has an aging population with a growing number of people aged over 60 years old.