page_title: Huguenot Street Historic District
section_title: DuBois Fort
hierarchical_section_title: Huguenot Street Historic District / Individual houses / DuBois Fort
caption_attribution_description: Du Bois Fort House in New Paltz, New York, USA
context_page_description: Historic Huguenot Street is located in New Paltz, New York, approximately 90 miles north of New York City. The seven stone houses and several accompanying structures in the 10-acre National Landmark Historic District were likely built in the early 18th century by Huguenot settlers fleeing discrimination and religious persecution in France and what's now southern Belgium. After negotiating with the Esopus Indians, this small group of Huguenots settled on a flat rise on the banks of the Wallkill River in 1678. The settlers named the site in honor of Die Pfalz, the region of present-day Germany that had provided them temporary refuge before they came to America. Recent archaeological finds indicate that the immediate area settled by the Huguenots was occupied by Native Americans prior to European contact. The site is one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the United States.
  The house museums of Historic Huguenot Street are in their original village setting. The street has been included in the National Register of Historic Places since the Register was created in 1966, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960.
context_section_description: Built ca 1705 for the DuBois family, it might have served as a fortified place for protection for the small community if needed.  Originally a smaller 1½ story structure, this building was expanded to its current size in the late 1830s.  Some historians and antiquarians believe that the presence of "gun ports" made it a fort, but there is no evidence of the presence of any such portholes before the 19th century.  The DuBois Fort currently serves as the orientation center and gift shop, as well as a location for special events.  Guests can purchase their admission tickets and memberships at this building.  Over the last 300 years, it has also been used as a residence and a restaurant.
caption: Louis DuBois House (aka the DuBois Fort) built 1705. Pictured circa 1900.
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