Ulster County Honors Peter  Sinclair,  Preservationist and Hudson Valley 
Dutch Culture  Leader
 
On Friday, December 15, 2006, Peter Sinclair of West Hurley  was presented  
the  Pride of Ulster County  Proclamation by David Donaldson, Chairman of the 
Ulster County Legislature and  Karlyn Knaust Elia, Ulster County Historian.  
The presentation took  place at the Thompson House at the Northern Dutchess 
Hospital,  Rhinebeck, New York,  where Sinclair is recovering from a stroke. 
 
Ulster County recognizes and honors Peter Sinclair for these major  
contributions:

 
Peter Sinclair has made  significant contributions in the area of  
preservation, education and our understanding of early Dutch culture in Ulster  County, 
the Hudson Valley and in New York State. 
 
In 1991, Peter Sinclair began publishing Living  History, a quarterly 
publication that provided insights and information  about our relationship to our 
past focusing on the study and preservation of  America's material culture, 
architecture, tools and objects of our rural past  and the heritage of our regional 
traditions.  
In the mid 1990's Peter Sinclair formed the  Mid-Hudson Chapter of the Dutch 
Barn Preservation Society which eventually led  him to found the Society for 
the Preservation of Hudson Valley Vernacular  Architecture (HVVA). This Society 
studies and preserves vernacular architecture  and material culture in Ulster 
County and the Hudson Valley. The society  continues to arrange tours of 
early Dutch houses and barns, assist with  workshops in teaching the skills of 
thatching, hay barrack construction, and  barn moving.  
Peter Sinclair has selflessly provided advice to  historical societies and 
owners of early stone homes. He has been a curator  for numerous exhibits 
pertaining to Dutch culture.  
For the past ten years Peter Sinclair has  published and edited the 
newsletter for the Society for the Preservation of  Hudson Valley Vernacular 
Architecture, an invaluable resource of surveys of  local and regional dwellings, 
agricultural structures, and information that  accurately interprets the past.  



------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------
Karlyn Knaust  Elia
Ulster County Historian
11 Main Street
Saugerties, NY  12477
Phone: 845-246-4754
FAX: same
Please visit the Ulster County  website: _http://www.co.ulster.ny.us/_ 
(http://www.co.ulster.ny.us/) 

In  2009, New York State will commemorate landmark passages in American 
history: the  400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage of exploration aboard the 
Dutch ship,  Half Moon; Samuel de Champlain's historic expedition to Lake 
Champlain  also 400 years ago; and Robert Fulton's maiden steamship journey up the 
Hudson  in 1807, launching a new era of travel and commerce on the river. 
These  remarkable voyages established New York State's identity as America's 
gateway  and its first frontier. 
Ulster  County will join other counties across NYS in this  commemoration.