Portal:Hudson Valley/Selected article/45

Rosendale Village is a hamlet and census-designated place within the town of Rosendale in Ulster County, New York, United States. It was originally settled in the late 17th century, but did not become a major population center until the 1825 discovery of Rosendale cement in the region. The development of the cement industry, and the growth of the Delaware and Hudson Canal along the Rondout Creek as a means of transporting goods through the region, caused Rosendale to develop economically. The Wallkill Valley Railroad reached the village in 1871, and constructed the Rosendale trestle over the canal and creek. In 1895, the village was almost destroyed by a fire. Throughout the 20th century, the decline of the natural cement industry caused Rosendale to suffer economically, and to lose population. By the 1970s, the village was having severe problems with its municipal utilities and its tax code, and was no longer producing cement. In 1977 it chose to disincorporate to solve its issues, and as an exercise in conceptual art. The hamlet currently hosts many street festivals; its population is roughly 1,500 people.