The Cragsmoor Historic District in a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

that includes most of the Cragsmoor

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

atop the

Shawangunk Ridge The Shawangunk Ridge , also known as the Shawangunk Mountains or The Gunks, is a ridge of bedrock in Ulster County, Sullivan County and Orange County in the state of New York, extending from the northernmost point of the border with New Jers ...

in the Town of Wawarsing, part of

Ulster County 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 count ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. It is roughly bounded by Henry, Cragsmoor and Sam's Point roads, a Y-shaped area of 3,620 acres (14.5 km²). Within it are 168 buildings (mostly homes), 15 structures and 11 objects, all located amidst a quiet, heavily wooded ridgetop community. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1996. ''See also:'' Many of the buildings in the district date to Cragsmoor's founding as an

art colony 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 ...

in the late 19th century, when Edward Lamson Henry and some of his fellow painters visited what was then a small mountain hamlet for local loggers and grew enamored of the scenery. Many homes were designed by Frederick Dellenbaugh and Bert Goldsmith. George Inness, Jr. and

Charles Courtney Curran Charles Courtney Curran (13 February 1861 – 9 November 1942) was an American impressionist Painting, painter. He is best known for his canvases depicting women in various settings, as well as for his leadership role at the Cragsmoor Art Colony. ...

were among the artists who lived and worked here.

References

{{Portal, Hudson Valley National Register of Historic Places in Ulster County, New York Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Shawangunks Shingle Style architecture in New York (state) Federal architecture in New York (state) Historic districts in Ulster County, New York