Kerhonkson, New York

How Kerhonkson is governed

Kerhonkson appears to be an unincorporated community or a census-designated place, so it may have no city government of its own — services usually come from the county. The chart below is a generic template; readers can correct it if Kerhonkson does have local officials.

Form of government not yet listed.

0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.

• Mayor

  Executive

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  The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.

  • City Manager / Administrator

    Executive

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    The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).

    • Police Chief

      Administration & departments

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      Leads the police department.

    • Fire Chief

      Administration & departments

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      Leads the fire and emergency services department.

    • Public Works Director

      Administration & departments

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      Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.

    • Finance Director

      Administration & departments

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      The budget, taxes, and city accounts.

    • Planning & Zoning Director

      Administration & departments

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      Land use, zoning, building permits.

    • Parks & Recreation Director

      Administration & departments

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      Parks, programs, and public facilities.

• City Council

  Legislative

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  The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.

  • City Clerk

    Administration & departments

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    Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.

  • City Attorney

    Administration & departments

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    The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.

  • Boards & Commissions

    Legislative

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    Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.

• Municipal Court

  Judicial

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  Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.

  • Municipal Judge

    Judicial

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    Presides over the municipal court.

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Population over time

From 1,684 in 2010 to 1,722 in 2020 (+2.3%).

History

Colonial Era

Kerhonkson was the site of a colonial fort, on Deyo's Hill, that served settler-colonial interests.

Before the Burning of Kingston on October 12, 1777, all the important documents of the nascent New York state government and government officials were moved to Kerhonkson, remaining for two weeks until they were moved to Albany, making Kerhonkson briefly the capital of New York.

Canal Era

The Delaware and Hudson Canal was completed in 1828. This opened up local industries such as coal, lumber, dairy, and hotel. Barges towed by mules transported goods along Rondout Creek from Pennsylvania to the Hudson River. In the canal era, Kerhonkson was known as Middleport

Railroad Era

The Delaware and Oswego Railroad was constructed in 1909 along the old canal towpath and a station was constructed along Main Street to ship out dairy products. The Summitville to Kingston segment was acquired by the New York, Ontario and Western. In the line's waning years, passenger service was reduced to Sunday and holiday service, and summer only. The tracks were pulled up in 1957 once products were being moved by truck upstate. The path is now a popular local hiking and biking destination known as the Rail Trail. It is 3.5 miles long.

Peg Leg Bates

In 1951, the famed tap dancer Peg Leg Bates became the first African-American resort owner in the Catskills when he opened the Peg Leg Bates Country Club in Palentown, a hamlet in the northern end of the Kerhonkson Zip Code. His wife Alice E. Bates died in 1987, and Bates leased the property to a new owner, Doreen Richardson, in 1989. Part of Route 209 in Ulster County was named “Clayton Peg Leg Bates Memorial Highway” in his honor.

Richardson operated the former Peg Leg Bates club as the "Mountain Valley Resort" until her death in 2012.

The Peg Leg Bates resort played an important role in the history of the civil rights movement in 1966 when a meeting of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) held there voted to expel whites from its staff.

Rainbow Acres resort was open to African American customers.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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