The Virtual Walking Tour

The Virtual Walking Tour
of New Hamburg

The Hamlet of New Hamburg

The hamlet of New Hamburg is one of the few communities on the Hudson River located primarily between the railroad tracks and the river.  It began at the turn of the 19th century as a port and producer of lime.  These two industries developed along the river at the northern and southern ends of the hamlet.  The deep channel and wharf facilities created both freight and passenger services;  sloops, schooners and steamers would soon stop in New Hamburg.
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By 1820, a grid plan was developed by the major landholders, JD (Drake) and SB (Bogardus).  This was the first demonstration of a planned residential community which would later be expanded by Asa Conklin to include the eastern portion of this peninsula.

By the mid-19th century, with the completion of the railroad, the commercial center of the hamlet shifted from the waterfront to Main Street.  The 1876 map show three hotels, five stores, two blacksmith shops, a print shop and a lumber & coal yard.  This was the economic highpoint for the community.

For the next hundred years, the railroad would leave its mark on the physical and social development of New Hamburg.  Streets and structures would come and go to accommodate the railroad's expansion and reduction.  Many Italian immigrants who were part of the early railroad construction chose to make New Hamburg home.

The 20th century brought a close to the development in the hamlet.  With the rise of the automobile, replacing river and train traffic, new Hamburg was fortunately left to rest.

Today New Hamburg offers an excellent collection of modest 19th century village architectural styles, as well as a clear timeline of the development of transportation in this country.  The river still plays a major role, but has not become a recreational feature, as opposed to the commercial and industrial factor it was in the 19th century.

With the emphasis on residential and recreational use and its protected geographic location away from major thoroughfares, New Hamburg remains an intact, living waterfront hamlet.