History of the Hudson River in Greenwich Village
A book talk with Vernon Benjamin

The Hudson River valley has been a place of contradictions since its first settlement by Europeans. Explored by an Englishman who claimed it for the Dutch, the region soon became home to the most vibrant trading outpost for the New World colonies – the island of Manhattan – even as the rest of the valley retained the native beauty that would inspire artists from James Fenimore Cooper to Thomas Cole.

Join author Vernon Benjamin in an examination of the sense of place of Greenwich Village in its relationship to the Hudson Valley historically, including land uses and political, cultural and aesthetic ties, focused on individuals and groups associated with both areas from the DeLanceys and Bayards through William James, artists, and Native and immigrant populations.

We’ll explore the Native American footprints, the Village as a retreat from epidemics in the “city” proper, the rise of its fashionable identity, the bohemian or artistic communities that developed, and a continuing history of Greenwich Village as a desirable and stylish adjunct to the city proper.

Books will be available for purchase and signing.