Woodstock, New York
Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 6,241 at the 2000 census.The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county. Woodstock is northwest of Kingston, New York and lies within the borders of Catskill Park.
History
The first non-indigenous settler arrived around 1770. The Town of Woodstock was established in 1787. Later, Woodstock contributed some of its territory to form the Towns of Middletown (1789), Windham (1798), Shandaken (1804), and Olive (1853).The Woodstock Elgin Creamery was established in 1898 at a site now located on the corner of Maple Lane and Deanies Alley.Woodstock played host to numerous Hudson River School painters during the late 1800s. The Arts and Crafts Movement came to Woodstock in 1902, with the arrival of Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead and Hervey White. Ever since, Woodstock has been considered an active artists colony. From 1915 through 1931, Hervey White's Maverick Art Colony held the Maverick Festivals, 'in which hundreds of free spirits gathered each summer for music, art, theater and drunken orgies in the woods.' A series of Woodstock Sound-Outs were staged at Pan Copeland's Farm on the outskirts of the village from 1967 to 1970. These featured folk and rock acts like Richie Havens, Paul Butterfield and Van Morrison. Together with the areas's reputation as an arts center, these inspired the original Woodstock Festival's organizers to plan their concert in the town.Woodstock is also home to the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Buddhist monastery.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 67.9 square miles (175.8 km²), of which, 67.5 square miles (174.8 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (0.9 km²) of it (0.53%) is water.The north town line is the border of Greene County.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,241 people, 2,946 households, and 1,626 families residing in the town. The population density was 92.5 people per square mile (35.7/km²). There were 3,847 housing units at an average density of 57.0/sq mi (22.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.25% White, 1.30% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.57% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.56% of the population.There were 2,946 households out of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.8% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.71.In the town the population was spread out with 18.0% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 38.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.The median income for a household in the town was $49,217, and the median income for a family was $65,938. Males had a median income of $41,500 versus $33,672 for females. The per capita income for the town was $32,133. About 6.9% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.
Woodstock Music and Art
The town is famous for lending its name to the Woodstock Festival, actually held at Max Yasgur's dairy farm 43 miles (76 km) away in Bethel, New York in Sullivan County.The 1903 Byrdcliffe art colony is the nation's oldest Arts & Crafts colony. It brought the first artists to Woodstock to teach and produce furniture, metal works, ceramics, weaving and established Woodstock's first painting school. Byrdcliffe forever changed the cultural landscape of the Town of Woodstock.In 1916, utopian philosopher and poet Hervey White built a 'music chapel' in the woods. It was the Maverick Concert Series, the beginning of what is now the oldest, continuous chamber music festival in America. Composers such as Henry Cowell, John Cage, Robert Starrer and Peter Schickele created works that were premiered there. Today, this hand-built concert hall with perfect acoustics, is a multi-starred attraction on the National Register of Historic Places with world-class musicians playing there from June to September.The town is home to the Woodstock Artists Association and Museum (WAAM), one of the oldest artists organizations. The WAAM Permanent Collection features work by important American artists associated with the region, including Milton Avery, George Bellows, Edward Leigh Chase, Frank Swift Chase, Arnold Blanch, Doris Lee, Marion Greenwood, Philip Guston, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and many others. WAAM founders were John Carlson, Frank Swift Chase, Andrew Dasburg, Carl Lindin, and Henry Lee McFee. The Art Students League of New York's summer school was in Woodstock for nearly fifteen years from 1906 until 1922, and again after the end of World War II from 1947 until 1979. The Woodstock School of Art has been operating since 1980.The Woodstock Guild, also founded by Byrdcliffe artists in 1939 is now the steward of the 350-acre (1.4 km2) Byrdcliffe Colony. It is a multicultural organization which sponsors exhibitions, classes, concerts, dance and theatre events and runs the oldest craft shop in Woodstock, the Fleur de Lis Gallery, which features over 60 artists. Byrdcliffe is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a haven for today's artists.In 1981, the town hosted the Woodstock Jazz Festival, a celebration of the Creative Music Studio, an organization founded in 1971 by Karl Berger and Ornette Coleman. The show featured Jack Dejohnette, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Anthony Braxton, Lee Konitz, and Miroslav Vitouš, among others.
Famous Inhabitants
The town has long been a mecca for artists, musicians, and writers, even before the music festival made the name 'Woodstock' famous. The town has a separate 'Artist's Cemetery'. Film and art festivals attract big names, and hundreds of musicians have come to Woodstock to record. The list below contains the names of significant artists who actually lived (or still currently live) in the town.
Musicians
Daevid Allen- soft machine/gong singer/poet
John Ashton- producer/guitarist for The Psychedelic Furs
The Bandmembers:Rick Danko,Levon Helm,Garth Hudson,Richard Manuel, andRobbie Robertson- the five shared a house together, where they recordedThe Basement Tapes(with Bob Dylan) andMusic from Big Pink. The house, dubbed 'Big Pink' is in neighboringSaugerties, though Danko, Manuel, Hudson and Helm all eventually moved to Woodstock.
Cyro Baptista- Brazilian-born percussionist
Richard Bell- keyboardist
Karl Berger- jazz educator, vibraphonist, founderCreative Music Studio
Carla Bley- jazz composer, pianist, organist and band leader
David Bowie- songwriter, musician, fashion icon
Paul Butterfield- blues musician
Johnny Cash- country singer/guitarist/songwriter/composer
Cindy Cashdollar- dobro
Ian Charles- singer/songwriter/poet/painter/environmentalist. 1999-2005 active resident.
Jimmy Cobb- jazz drummer
Imani Coppola- singer/songwriter/musician (early 2000s)
Henry Cowell- composer
Marshall Crenshaw- Musician/Songwriter. Resident: 1987-2004
Curren$y- Rapper/Songwriter. Resident: Current
Rick Danko- member ofThe Band
Kal David- blues musician
Jack DeJohnette- jazz drummer
Aïyb Dieng- drummer and percussionist
Robbie Dupree- singer-songwriter
Bob Dylan- singer/songwriter, lived in Woodstock 1965-1972. (He had his infamous motorcycle accident in Bearsville in 1966.)
Joey Eppard-Kingston, New Yorkborn singer, songwriter, guitarist, bassist - best known for his Kingston Rock band,3
Michael Esposito- lead guitarist with The Blues Magoos (Mercury Records 1960s)
Donald Fagen- co-founderSteely Dan
Matt Flynn- drummer for the bandMaroon 5
Jackson C. Frank- singer/songwriter
D. James Goodwin- producer/cofounder of The Satellite Union
John Hall- musician, co-founder ofOrleans
Fred Hand- guitar
Levon Helm- musician, drummer forThe Band
Jimi Hendrix- guitarist/singer/songwriter
John Herald- singer-songwriterGreenbriar Boys
Garth Hudson- member ofThe Band
Darryl Jenifer- Bad Brains Bass
Bill Keith- banjo player/composer developed melodic or (Keith style) banjo picking
Steve Knight- keyboardist forMountain
Tony Levin- bassist
Frank Luther- bassist
Donald MacDonald- drummer
Sonia Malkine- folk musician
Richard Manuel- member ofThe Band
Frank Mele- violinist and violist
Pat Metheny- Grammy award winning guitarist
John Martyn- Singer/Songwriter
John Medeski- keyboardist/composer forMedeski, Martin & Wood
Elizabeth Mitchell- is an American singer, composer, and guitarist for the New York indie bandIda
Thelonious Monk- jazz musician
Kitty Montgomery- diva, dancer, poet, warrior
Tim Moore- singer-songwriter
Van Morrison- singer/songwriter
Fred Neil- singer/songwriter
Carl Newman- aka A.C. Newman - lead singer/guitarist/songwriter of The New Pornographers
David 'Fathead' Newman- jazz musician
Pauline Oliveros- pioneering accordionist and composer
Graham Parker- singer-songwriter
David Peel- member of The Lower East Side Band
Kate Pierson- singer, songwriterThe B-52's
John Platania- guitaristVan Morrison
Vasant Rai-sarodplayer,composer
Bonnie Raitt- singer/songwriter
Tom Rapp- singer /songwriter, leader of the bandPearls Before Swine
Billy Riker- guitarist, bassist and keyboard player - best known for Kingston Rock band,3
Robbie Robertson- member ofThe Band
Mick Ronson- guitarist
Todd Rundgren- singer/songwriter
Ed Sanders- poet/founder of Fugs band
Carlos Santana- guitarist
Peter Schickele- composer, best known for music he wrote asP.D.Q. Bach
John Sebastian- a founder ofThe Lovin' Spoonful
Ravi Shankar-sitarplayer,composer
Robert Starer- pianist & composer
Keith Strickland, composer/guitarist and founding member ofThe B-52s
Libby Titus- singer, songwriter
Artie Traum- award-winning guitarist, producer and songwriter
Happy Traum- folk musician
David Van Tieghem- composer, percussionist
Jim Weider- telecaster guitarist, former memberThe Band
Eric Weissberg-banjoplayer, best known for the theme from the movieDeliverance
Gary Windo- saxophonist
Gregan Wortman-Greenville, Mainenative and guitar player performed at the Tinker Street Cafe and other venues and produced his TV show 'Psycho Circus' in Woodstock during a period from May to December 1996.
Yehudi Wyner- composer, musical director of The Turnau Opera
Rachael Yamagata- critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter - she wrote the albumElephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heartduring a nine-months period in Woodstock.
Artists
Isaac Abrams- painter / sculptor
Frank Alexander- painter
Robert Angeloch- painter
Nancy Angeloch- painter
Alexander Archipenko- sculptor
George Ault- painter
Milton Avery- painter
George Bellows- painter
Arnold Blanch- painter
'Brock' Brockenshaw- painter
Mannie Bromberg- painter
Tina Bromberg- painter, textile designer
James Brooks- painter
Edward Leigh Chase- painter
Frank Swift Chase- painter
Bruce Currie- painter
Jenny Magafan Currie- painter, sculptor
Andrew Michael Dasburg- painter
Julio de Diego- painter, jeweler
Richard Diebenkorn- painter
Harvey Fite- sculptor
Milton Glaser- graphic designer (creator of the ‘I Love New York’ logo)
Mary Frank- painter
Philip Guston- painter
Sam Henderson- cartoonist
Cornelia Hartman- painter
Robert Henri- painter
Eva Hesse- sculptor
Richard Humann- conceptual artist
Joel Iskowitz-Master Designer United States Mint
Yasuo Kuniyoshi- painter, sculptor
Jacques Kupfermann- Painter
Ronnie Landfield- painter
Elliot Landy- photographer
Doris Lee- painter
Lillian Lent- painter, print maker
Laura Levine- painter, photographer, filmmaker
Ethel Magafan- painter
Georges Malkine- painter
Fletcher Martin- painter
Paul McMahon- conceptual artist / musician
Vince Natale- illustrator/artist
Jenny Nelson- painter
Pia Oste-Alexander- painter
Lyn Ott- painter
John Pike- watercolor painter
Walter 'Bud' Plate- painter
Anton Refregier- painter
Renee Samuels- painter
Julie Sitney- photographer
Eugene Speicher- painter
Roswita Szyszka- painter
Bradley Walker Tomlin- painter
Writers
Jean Arnaldi- author
Shalom Auslander- author
Larry Beinhart- author ofAmerican Hero, which was adapted for the political-parody filmWag the Dog
Heywood Hale Broun- author and TV commentator
Hob Broun- author
Holley Cantine- American anarchist writer and publisher
Jeff Cohen- media critic
Robert Duncan- poet
Alf Evers- historian & author
Christian Gehman- author
Gail Godwin- author
Carey Harrison- novelist/dramatist
Paul Hoffman- author & TV Host
Barney Hoskyns- author & music journalist
Howard Koch- screenwriter who wrote 1938 radio dramaThe War of the Worldsand won Academy Award forCasablanca
Sean Lahman- historian & sportswriter
Frank Mele- author
Henry Morton Robinson- novelist
David Robison- author
Ed Sanders- author & publisher
Ruth Simpson- author andlesbian/feministactivist
Anita Miller Smith- historian, painter and herbalist
Theodore Sturgeon- science fiction author
Robert Thurman- Buddhist scholar, author, father of actress Uma Thurman
Jonathan Van Meterauthor, magazine journalist
Film Directors
David McDonald - writer/director of the filmsWoodstock Can't Get There From HereandWoodstock Revisited
Tobe Carey - writer/producer/director of such documentaries as The Catskill Mountain House and The World Around, Deep Water-Building the Catskill Watershed, The Hudson River PCB Story, Cancer: Just a Word...Not a Sentence, Stanley's House, Love is The Reason, Woodstock Summer of '94, and Giving BirthBold text
Actors and Theater People
Jennifer Aniston- actress
Chevy Chase- actor
Jennifer Connelly- actress, for several years during her childhood
Ethan Hawke- actor
Piper Laurie- actress
Estelle Parsons- Oscar-winning actress, appeared in summer stock productions in Woodstock during the Sixties
Brad Pitt- actor
Lee Marvin- actor
Sylvia Miles- actress
M. Edgar Rosenblum- Producer at the Woodstock Playhouse
Uma Thurman- actress, for several years during her childhood. Often seen in Woodstock, while visiting her parents, includingRobert Thurman.
Liv Tyler- actress
Others
John Burroughs, naturalist
Lowell Bair, translator
Betty Ballantineand Ian Ballantine, the founders of Bantam Books and Ballantine Books, and after the 1970s, independent publishers. It is said that the Ballantines started the paperback book industry in America.
Josephine McKimChalmers - Olympic swimmer, a medal winner in the 1928 and 1932 summer Olympics and an actress, and the sister-in law of artistPhilip Guston.
John Dewey, educator, a founder of the philosophical school ofPragmatism.
Albert Grossman- manager/producer and founder ofBearsville Records. His Bearsville Recording Studio has attracted hundreds of well known musicians to record in Woodstock.
Steven Hager- chiefeditor,High Timesmagazine
Phil Jackson-basketballcoachand formerNBAplayer
Philippe Petit- famousfunambulist, best known for walking atightropebetween theWorld Trade Centertwin towers.
Ike Phillips, TV producer (Dating Game) and vice-president ofWDSTFM
John Steup, Vice PresidentCD Baby1998-2006
Aaron VanDeBogart, forest ranger
Local communities and landmarks
Artists Cemetery - A cemetery for Woodstock artists and luminaries on Rock City Road.
Ashokan Reservoir- A New York Cityreservoirunder which lies nine lost towns.
Bearsville- A hamlet at the junction of Routes212and 45, west of Woodstock village.
Byrdcliffe- Site of the originalart colonyeast of the junction of Routes 212 and Glasco Turnpike (County Road 33), northwest of Woodstock village on the lower slopes of Mount Guardian above Glasco Turnpike. At one time it was home for the Turnau Opera and now the Byrdcliffe Theater.
Cooper Lake-Kingstonreservoir located south of Lake Hill, northwest of Bearsville and west by northwest of Shady.
Daisy - A hamlet east of Woodstock village near the east town line. Currently the site of a municipal road works gravel dump/parking lot. Due southeast of Overlook Mountain, Daisy is the Woodstock hamlet with the most documented stonecairns,moundsand other possibly ancient sites within 10 minutes walking distance. Many of those are threatened by development.
Church On The Mount(Woodstock)http://www.myspace.com/churchonthemount
Echo Lake- A mountain lake within the Indian Head Wilderness of the Catskill Mountains.
Mead's Meadow (Woodstock) - Formerly a cow pasture, 'The Magic Meadow' is a quarter mile past the summit of Mead Mountain Road and theKarma Triyana DharmachakraTibetanBuddhistmonastery. It is an entrance to theDevil's Path.
Montoma - A hamlet south of Woodstock near the town line with theTown of Hurley.
Mount Guardian - A mountain to the west of Overlook Mountain, below which is the hamlet of Shady.
Mount Tobias - A mountain in the central part of the town.
Ohayo Mountain - A mountain to the east, between the Ashokan Reservoir and Woodstock village
Overlook Mountain- A mountain to the northeast, on whose lower slopes much of Woodstock is situated.
Radio Woodstock- Woodstock's online community and global Internet radio channel
Saugerties *Saugerties (town), New York- A nearby town, that was once home to Woodstock '94, is currently host to the Garlic Festival, the east coast's largest garlic festival, as well as HITS Horse Shows In The Sun, and provides many other ares of interest.
The Sawkill- A stream that rises in Echo Lake, flows west through Shady, then south to Bearsville, east to Woodstock, and southeast to Zena on the way to its confluence with the Esopus River near Kingston. Blessed with many good swimming holes.
Shady- A hamlet northwest of Byrdcliffe, past the intersection of Glasco Turnpike and Route 212.
Willow - A hamlet in the northwest part of the town on Route 212.
Wittenberg - A hamlet at the junction of Routes40and45, southwest of Bearsville.
Woodstock- The hamlet of Woodstock and the principal center of local services for the town.
Zena- A hamlet east of Woodstock hamlet in the southeast part of the town.
Sister Cities
Nimbin,Australia