Event
Walkway Connections: The First Known African Residents of New Paltz
Sunday, August 16, 2026 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
In July 1680, New Paltz Patentee, Christian Deyo, purchased an enslaved African man named Jack from New York City physician, Hartman Wessels. Nine years later, Christian's son, Pierre Deyo, purchased an enslaved African girl named Betty from a trafficker in New York City named James Barré. These are the first recorded purchases of enslaved Africans in the community of New Paltz, and Jack and Betty are the earliest recorded African residents of the town. On Sunday, August 16 from 2-3 p.m. at the Ulster Welcome Center in Highland, Ulster County Historian Eddie Moran will guide attendees through documentary sources to discuss what we know about Jack and Betty, and what their lives in New Paltz may have been like. All Walkway Connections events are free to attend and appropriate for all ages. Walkway Connections is supported in part by the Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area.
Registration: Not required
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