Claverack, New York

Claverack, New York
—  Town  —
Cornelius Muller House, Claverack, NY
Claverack, New York Location within the state of New York
Coordinates: 42°13′54″N 73°41′42″W / 42.23167°N 73.695°W / 42.23167; -73.695
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Columbia
Government
- Type	Town Council
- Town Supervisor	Robin Andrews (D)
- Town Council	Members' List • Clifford Weigelt (R) • James Van Deusen (R) • Michael Johnston (R) • Robert Preusser (R)
Area
- Total	48.0 sq mi (124.2 km2)
- Land	47.7 sq mi (123.4 km2)
- Water	0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2)
Elevation	522 ft (159 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	6,401
- Density	134.3/sq mi (51.9/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	12513
Area code(s)	518
FIPS code	36-16045
GNIS feature ID	0978834

Claverack is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 6,401 at the 2000 census. The town name is a corruption for the Dutch word for "Clover Fields" or "Clover Reach".

The Town of Claverack is centrally located in the county, east of the City of Hudson.

History

The town was formed in 1778 from the older "District of Claverack." In 1782, the town lost some of its land to the new Town of Hillsdale. The town was reduced again in 1785 to form the City of Hudson. In 1779 Washington Seminary was founded in the town by the local Dutch Reformed pastor. Prominent former students at the school include U.S. President Martin Van Buren. In the nineteenth century the school was renamed in Claverack College, and it closed in 1902.

Past residents of note

• Ismail Merchant and James Ivory (James Ivory still visits this property in Claverack) owned property in Claverack and were very supportive of local interests, especially Columbia Memorial Hospital in nearby Hudson, NY.
• Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton tried cases in the local courthouse.
• Martin Van Buren was admitted to the bar here.
• Margaret Sanger attended the former Claverack College (closed 1902) for two years.
• Daniela Bertol, Italian-born architect, designer and artist
• John J. Tallmadge was born here.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 48.0 square miles (124 km²), of which, 47.7 square miles (124 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²) of it (0.63%) is water.

The Claverack Creek runs through the township starting out in the Hamlet of Mellenville running southwest before turning north and going into Stockport Township.

The Taconic State Parkway passes through the town.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 6,401 people, 2,485 households, and 1,669 families residing in the town. The population density was 134.3 people per square mile (51.9/km²). There were 2,839 housing units at an average density of 59.6 per square mile (23.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.95% White, 3.31% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.78% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.47% of the population.

There were 2,485 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,647, and the median income for a family was $50,175. Males had a median income of $32,896 versus $23,925 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,848. About 3.8% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Claverack

• Brick Tavern – A hamlet in the northwest corner of the town.
• Churchtown – A hamlet on the south town line.
• Claverack – The hamlet of Claverack is in the western part of the town.
• Hollowville – A hamlet southeast of Claverack village.
• Martindale – A hamlet by the east town line, by the Taconic State Parkway.
• Mellenville – A hamlet in the northeast part of the town, west of Philmont. The Mellenville Railroad Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.^[2]
• Philmont – The Village of Philmont in the northeast part of the town.
• Red Mills – A location east of Claverack village.
• Upper Hollowville – A hamlet between Hollowville and Martindale.

References

1. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 

External links

• Official town website
• Historical information about Claverack, NY
• Claverack Library
• Village of Philmont, Located in the Town of Claverack

Coordinates: 42°13′30″N 73°44′04″W / 42.225°N 73.73444°W / 42.225; -73.73444