2. The Architecture Along First Street

In addition to visiting Casa Hudson (or staying there), the homes along First Street are equally worthy of a walk-by. Jared Rodriguez, who operates the website Haverstraw Life and gives historical tours of the town on demand contends, there is a home for nearly every architectural style, ranging from Revolutionary-era colonial, to Renaissance revival, French Second Empire to Queen Anne Victorian, and more.

Just below First Street, within what is now the Emeline waterfront park was once the brickyards. Imagine a working waterfront with piers (some remnants can be seen today), sea walls, warehouses, and steamships, providing freight transportation in the era before railroads. Ships would ply the Hudson, connecting to the Mississippi River through the Erie Canal. Below the stately houses, which were built for the officers and owners of the various industries, were underground tunnels that connected to the waterfront. If you’re interested in the brick industry here, visit the Haverstraw Brick Museum on Main Street for more.

But going even farther back time, Haverstraw was mentioned in the 1609 shipping logs of Henry Hudson (as Haverstroo, meaning “oat straw” in Dutch) on his exploration of the New World and is considered one of the oldest names in the country.  It’s also worth walking inland, up South Street for more of the eclectic mix of homes, and to get a feel of the street grid, which dates to the 1600s. Take Hudson Avenue for more great architecture.