Welcome to Hillsdale
Very quietly, on a cold day in January 2010, the Hillsdale Historic Hamlet District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, the National Park Service’s official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation. Not only does having a property on the National Register make some property owners eligible for tax incentives, this is a highly symbolic honor and recognizes the Hamlet’s architectural diversity and unique origins as a cultural crossroads.
The hamlet of Hillsdale is located on the southern border of the town, next to the town of Copake. It is at the junction of Routes 22 and 23. The hamlet was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 due to its abundance of pre-1900 buildings, including a recently restored general store and two historic inns, the Hillsdale House and Mount Washington House. The Roeliff Jansen Park, a state park run by the Town of Hillsdale, has miles of hiking and snowshoeing trails, a year-round Dog Run, many family events, and a summer program for kids. Roe Jan Park hosts the weekly Copake Hillsdale Farmers Market in the summer and fall. The park is located on Route 22 in the town of Copake, about one mile south of the intersection of Routes 22 and 23. Across from the park is the newly constructed Roeliff Jansen Community Library, which also serves the towns of Copake and Ancram. A recently opened extension of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail terminates in the hamlet. The extension currently has a dirt surface but plans are under way to pave it.
