There is no New York State Thruway exit for the Rondout Valley. Perhaps that explains why this bucolic stretch of land is able to maintain its old-fashioned feel of distant, “true country” mystique. Surrounded by bustling Hudson Valley destinations like New Paltz, Woodstock, and nearby Rhinebeck, the Rondout Valley’s quixotic personality is a true paradox, both genuine and patently misleading. As a prime example, the majestic Shawangunk Ridge, which, along with the southeastern edge of the Catskill Mountains forms the Rondout Valley itself, is anything but unknown. Home to the tens of thousands of nature conservancy acres that make up the Mohonk Preserve, the Minnewaska State Park Preserve, and Sam’s Point Preserve, the Shawangunk Ridge is one of the most sought-after locations in New York State for nature enthusiasts.
Still, there is no denying the transformational effect of continuing past the ridge and into the valley proper. Valley residents from 200-year-old families live side by side in harmony with a constant influx of both part-time and full-time transplants—an eclectic array of artists, craftspeople, musicians, farmers, and everything in between—and it is a point of pride for lifetime denizens and fresh arrivals alike. “I’ve always thought that it took a hardier kind of soul to come up over the mountain, and I think that’s the difference,” says Carl Pezzino, a 40-year Marbletown resident and community activist. “It’s the blending of the new and the old that keeps it special. It isn’t about individuals, it’s about community.”
The Trail, and the Bounty
The modern Rondout Valley began in a Wall Street coffeehouse in 1825, where brothers Maurice and William Wurts staged an impromptu demonstration of the miraculously hot-burning anthracite coal. The Wurts brothers garnered an improbable $1 million in investment money for their Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, allowing them to begin digging the 108 miles of canal that would open a trade route between the coalfields in Pennsylvania, and the Hudson River in Kingston.
The D&H canal, completed in 1828, cut a path along the sparsely populated Rondout Creek basin, giving rise to burgeoning way stations like Ellenville and High Falls along its route. A success for decades, the D&H barges added Rosendale cement, bluestone, and other products to its list of cargo, helping to foster local economy. Toward the end of the 19th century, the canal barges gave way to railroad lines, which followed the same trade route through the valley.
As the economic vitality of the Rondout Valley once hinged upon those routes, many here now believe that those same pathways can offer a new generation of economic hope. Across New York, and beyond, out-of-use railbeds have been made into hiking and biking trails. Recent advancements in the Hudson Valley in pursuit of linking the trails—such as the completion of the Walkway Over the Hudson, and the recent purchase of 11.5 miles of additional trail, through Rosendale, by conservancy groups —have inspired the local government and business leaders within the valley to focus on the same purpose.
“For years, we have been searching for an answer to the question: How do we foster economic growth in the Rondout Valley? This is it. A continuous rail trail is the single most important thing we can do to help this economy,” says Richard Travers, president of the Rondout Valley Business Association (RVBA). Some months ago, an inter-municipal agreement was reached between the Towns of Rochester, Rosendale, Wawarsing, Marbletown, and the Village of Ellenville; with the RVBA acting as facilitator, the stated goal of the “Rail Trail Initiative” is to create a trail that will span the full length of the Rondout Valley.
If completed according to plan, the newly continuous rail trail will bring waves of new visitors to the valley, and its design will take much-needed foot traffic through the town centers of Accord, and Kerhonkson. Yet Travers makes clear that his vision for success is not intended to change the fundamental nature of the community. “What we are going to have here will stay a bucolic valley, of true beauty,” says Travers. “The Rondout Valley is a destination, and that tourism will support the small businesses and the wonderful farming we already have here. There are big-box stores a few miles up, in Kingston,” he says, and smiles. “That’s close enough.”
Diversity of the 209 Corridor
Of course, the Wurts D&H crew were hardly the first true inhabitants of the Rondout Valley. When the first settlers first arrived here in the 18th century, they came to find what the Lenape Indians had already discovered: This valley was blessed with miraculously rich soil for farming. Maintaining the health and solidity of the precious open space that lines sides of Route 209, the valley’s main thoroughfare, has been a combination grassroots effort, with a large amount of the support from the Open Space Institute, whose active Farm Preservation program has been invaluable to the region in keeping the valley’s tracts intact and free from commercialization. Both the RVBA and the solidarity of the Rondout Valley Growers Association, formed in 2003, have been at the forefront of encouraging the reinvigoration the Rondout economy by buying locally and acting locally.
Still, that special Rondout Valley ethos is one of inclusion rather than exclusion, says Elizabeth Ryan, who manages the 200-year-old Stone Ridge Orchard, located on Route 213 right off the junction with Route 209. “It’s not that this is a forgotten place, a separate place,” Ryan explains. “It is a community making conscious decisions about how they want to live, and what they want it to look like. Regardless of background, it’s a shared set of values.” Three years ago, orchard owners Dan and Suzanne Hauspurg, responding to vocal community dissent, elected to turn down offers for a “green” housing development to be built on the orchard site, then signed on Ryan to help revitalize the historic business.
Beyond the myriad farming and growing businesses that are the valley’s core, the variety of unique attractions and destinations that spring up from Route 209 further exemplify the many faces of the Rondout Valley. One such unmistakable example is the work of artist and gardening enthusiast Maria Reidelbach. It is difficult for those passing by Kelder’s Farm, on Route 209 in Kerhonkson, to miss her singular creation, which has become something of a Rondout Valley icon: the 14-foot smiling garden gnome, known affectionately as “Gnome Chomsky.” The gnome heralds another unique invention by Reidelbach: her Home Grown Mini Golf, the world’s only sustainable, edible miniature golf course, also located on Kelder’s Farm.
A drive west from 209, up the side of the valley, offers a further array of special destinations, spanning the cultural map.
A trip up Samsonville Road in Kerhonkson leads to the Bradford Graves Sculpture Park, a hidden gem that can hold court with the likes of Opus 40 in Saugerties. Owner Verna Gillis recently completed this homage to the work of her late husband, Bradford Graves, transporting thousands of pounds of limestone sculpture from Graves’s studio in New York, and lovingly crafting the interactive outdoor gallery over several acres of land.
A scant couple of miles away, on Whitfield Road in Accord, is an attraction of an entirely different ilk: the quarter-mile dirt racetrack known as the Accord Speedway. Originally opened in 1962, the speedway has played host to hundreds of races—from amateur to professional, stock cars to October’s wide-open “Run what ya brung” race—and entertains thousands each year from near and far, during its April through October schedule. “It’s loud, but it’s glorious, isn’t it?” offers one Accord resident, who can sometimes hear the motors from her backyard, a mile away. “It’s real country fun, and it’s a part of this culture.”
Not to be outdone as a Rondout Valley icon in its own right, five miles north of the speedway, in Krumville, sits the Country Inn. Since founding publican Larry Erenberg opened his doors in 1974, the winding drive up County Route 2 from Route 209 has promised the eclectic, welcoming energy of a true hometown pub, with a beer selection in the hundreds. Taken over by Peter Rinauldi eight years ago, the Inn’s menu may have expanded—pan seared duck breast, anyone?—but the cozy small-town feel remains. Local residents sit side by side with celebrities like valley homeowners Steve Buscemi and Aidan Quinn. This past summer, during the Accord-based filming of Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding, starring Jane Fonda, the cast and crew made the Country Inn their regular hangout. “It brings community together,” says Rinauldi. “Everybody knows everybody, and if they don’t, they will.”
Culinary Center
The hamlet of High Falls, once best known for Brooklyn Bridge designer John Roebling’s canal bridge over the Rondout Creek, and its captivating waterfall, has long been a destination for artists, artisans, musicians, and expatriated SUNY New Paltz students. Not to mention hungry visitors—lining Route 213 in High Falls are some of the area’s best restaurants. John Novi, an integral part of the High Falls community, and a leading advocate for locally grown food, has plied his much-acclaimed craft since 1969 in his historic Depuy Canal House. Richard Murphy’s eclectic The Egg’s Nest has been a favorite, and a constantly evolving piece of visual artwork, since 1973.
Joining a bit more recently, owner George Nagle opened his Northern Spy Café in 1993, offering a comfortable country feel, along with alluring culinary twists like Chef Marco Ochoca’s habanero and orange salsa with grilled salmon. The most recent addition, just having celebrated its five-year anniversary, is Buffy and Brian Gribbon’s High Falls Café—a well-traveled destination for carefully crafted continental fare, and a center for live music within the area. Featuring both local hopefuls and well-known talents, any given night might find Gov’t Mule’s Danny Louis, regional favorites The Trapps, WDST DJ and bluesman Big Joe Fitz, or even The Band legend Garth Hudson gracing the Café stage.
The Resurgence of Ellenville
When the D&H Canal route was established, the Village of Ellenville embarked upon an expansive development as manufacturing and business hub, which made it the valley’s most commercially active area. Over the past decades, however, with the closing of essential job providers like the Imperial Schrade manufacturing plant and the popular Nevele resort, Ellenville has fallen upon challenging economic times.
The pervasive, resilient spirit of the Rondout Valley, however, remains vibrant in Ellenville. At its center is the Shadowland Theatre. The company that is now Shadowland took residence in the 1920-built Art Deco vaudeville house on Canal Street in 1985, and has grown incrementally ever since. The nonprofit theater company, Ulster County’s only Actors Equity Association theater, is finding continued success, while offering top quality, self-produced theater, at a great value. Well-known names like Judd Hirsch and John Astin help make the theater what it is intended to be: a cultural center, and an economy-building destination for the area.
Cropping up around the Shadowland are other unique local draws: Across the street from Gaby’s Mexican Café, opened in 2008, is Marcus and Jamie Guiliano’s celebrated Aroma Thyme Bistro. Ellenville native Guiliano returned home from his culinary journey to open on New Years’ Eve, 2003, and has since carved a name for himself with an “eco-lectic” whole food-based menu, in which he draws heavily from local suppliers. “Food is powerful. My own health revolution may have saved my life, and it’s a passion for me, both personal and professional.” In addition to its healthful selection, Aroma Thyme’s popular appeal certainly helps keep Canal Street hopping on a summertime Friday night.
This year, natural health practitioner Benoit Turpin added his own contribution to Ellenville, opening his Pleasant Stone Farm natural apothecary and organic café in Liberty Square, right off of Canal Street. Turpin, a French émigré who fell in love with this valley many years ago, intends to make this location—his other shop is in Middletown—a true community center, offering live music, workshops, and a warm, inviting environment. “The Rondout Valley is the last best-kept secret in the Hudson Valley. We want to help the area, and we want to serve it.”
This article appears in November 2010.
