History

The Town of Ulster, youngest of the twenty towns in the county, was created by an act of the Ulster County Board of Supervisors on November 28, 1879 when the supervisors voted to form the new township with land taken from the Town of Kingston.

The newly created town contained approximately 27.5 square miles of land. It bordered the City of Kingston on three sides and was bordered by the Hudson River and the Towns of Kingston, Saugerties, Hurley, Woodstock, and Rosendale.

The Township was a collection of hamlets united only by the act which created the town. In 1879 Eddyville was probably the "hub" of activity because of its proximity to the Delaware and Hudson Canal. Flatbush or East Kingston, with its ice houses and brick yards was the commercial area of the town.

The town was originally governed by a Supervisor and four Justices of the Peace. In the 1940's, the town board had two councilmen and two justices. In 1975 the Town of Ulster Board went to a four concilman system, freeing the justices from legislative duties.

Town business was conducted from the homes of the office holders, in hotels, in the Town Highway Garage on old Route 9W, the Lake Katrine Grange Hall, or the Trooper Barracks on 9W, until September of 1975, when the new office building located off route 209 near Neighborhood Road was occupied. Bruce Burgher was Town historian for 42 years, from 1929 to 2002. After his demise a Historian Committee was formed to continue his work.