[National Park Service (2021)] of Albany, and to pick up information to plan the rest of your visit to the city. The New York State Museum hosts an exhibit on the culture of the Haudenosaunee Indians in upstate New York, as well as a Mohican display and a new exhibit on the city’s origins as the Dutch trading post Fort Orange. The Papscanee Island Nature Preserve is named for 17th-century Mohican sachem Papsickene, and is a noted Mohican village site dating back thousands of years. This 156-acre nature preserve is free to the public and offers access to over 2 miles of the Hudson River shoreline. The annual Albany Tulip Festival takes place every May in Washington Park and celebrates the enduring Dutch heritage of the Capital Region. MID-VALLEY The city of Kingston was originally land farmed by the Esopus Indians, and in 1652 Dutch colonists founded the village of Wiltwijck. Visit the Senate House Museum and the Matthewis Persen House to learn the history of the Uptown Stockade District, the largest identified area of early Dutch settlement in New York State. Walk through the Hudson River Maritime Museum for a fascinating look at how the Hudson River has shaped the evolution of life and industry in the region since prehistoric times. In 1663, Swedish farmer Pieter Bronck purchased land from the Mohicans and built a farm near present-day Coxsackie. Over 350 years later, the Bronck Museum preserves the Dutch colonial heritage of Greene County and maintains several buildings from the farmstead’s history, including the Bronck family’s original 1663 house, believed to be the oldest surviving dwelling in Upstate New York. Built in 1737, the Luykas Van Alen House is a designated National Historic Landmark and restored home museum authentically representing rural Dutch colonial life in the 18th century. The Martin Van Buren National Historic Site honors the 8th President of the United States, who was born and raised in nearby Kinderhook. Van Buren purchased this mansion and named it Lindenwald in 1839 during his presidency, then lived here until his death in 1862. President Franklin Roosevelt was proud of his family’s Dutch roots in the Hudson River Valley, and he personally built this heritage into his home in Hyde Park. The Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site includes FDR’s lifelong home Springwood, his personal retreat Top Cottage, and his wife Eleanor Roosevelt’s cabin Val-Kill. LOWER VALLEY Hike through the Hudson Highlands State Park or Clarence Fahnestock State Park and immerse yourself in the Hudson Valley’s exquisite natural scenery, imagining the world as it would have appeared to the Dutch explorers when they arrived in 1609. The Ninham Mountain Fire Tower honors the Wappingers sachem Daniel Ninham and offers a fantastic view of the Hudson River and surrounding mountains. Bear Mountain State Park and Storm King Mountain State Park are among the recreation areas protected and maintained by the Palisades Interstate Parks Commission, an organization co-founded by New York State Governor Theodore Roosevelt, before he went on to become our nation’s first “Conservationist President.” Washington Irving, America’s first internationally famous writer, is remembered for works including Knickerbocker’s History of New York, a satirical depiction of Dutch culture in the Hudson River Valley. Fans can visit Irving’s home Sunnyside for an enchanting look at the writer’s life and rise to fame. Explore the setting of Irving’s most famous short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” with a walk through the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow, and visit around Halloween to catch a performance of the spooky tale! A tour through Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate, offers a glimpse into the Gilded Age lifestyle of one of New York’s most prominent families. Learn about the Rockefellers’ contributions to business, government, and philanthropy as you take in their art collections, spectacular gardens, and the breathtaking scenery of the surrounding Hudson Valley. Van Cortlandt Park was the site of the Battle of Kingsbridge on August 31, 1778. Indian Field honors the Native Americans who died fighting the British in this battle, including Chief Daniel Ninham, his son Abraham, fifteen other Stockbridge Munsee Mohican warriors, and others. This site was previously occupied by the Wiechquaskeck Lenape until Europeans arrived to settle in the Bronx in 1639. Inwood Hill Park offers hiking trails and recreation areas amid the last natural forest and salt marsh in Manhattan. The Shorakkopoch Rock landmark commemorates Peter Minuit’s infamous exchange with the Lenape to allow Dutch settlement on Manhattan, which took place on this site in 1624. Around the corner, the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum is the oldest surviving Dutch homestead in Manhattan. Works Cited “Albany Tulip Festival.” Albany Office of Cultural Affairs, The City of Albany, 2018, www.albanyevents.org/events/Albany_Tulip_Festival_2_event_main.htm. Accessed 18 Apr. 2018. Benjamin, Vernon. The History of the Hudson River Valley: From the Civil War to Modern Times. The Overlook Press, 2014. Benjamin,