In 1887, the New Paltz Independent reported the demand for new houses continued “as great as ever.” The paper’s editor, Ralph LeFevre, was confident that the “briskness” of building operations would continue in the years ahead. “This distinction was certainly due to the quality work he performed for his customers and employers over the years,” writes Josephine Bloodgood, Historic Huguenot Street (HHS)’s director of curatorial and presentation affairs, who put together this exhibit.īloodgood explained that there was a population and building boom in the Village of New Paltz in the 1880s, when many of the existing homes in and around Broadhead Avenue, Church and Mulberry Streets were built. Throughout his life, most records, including census and military records, refer to Wynkoop as a “carpenter” – a position elevated above “laborer,” which was assigned to most African-American men at the time, regardless of their skill level. Local newspaper clippings and records show that he was either one of the contributing builders or the principal builder for residential houses, many of which were built for African-American women, at 43 and 44 Church Street, 66 Church Street, 11 Mulberry Street, 5 and 9 Broadhead Avenue, as well as 127 Huguenot Street. Wynkoop either built or helped to build more than a half-dozen homes in and around the Broadhead/Church/Mulberry neighborhood, all of which still remain with the exception of one on Mulberry Street torn down in the 1990s. Wynkoop served in the Union Army during the Civil War, organized politically on behalf of black citizens of the town, and was one of the first African-Americans to purchase land in in New Paltz. The tour will be narrated by Chaundre Hall-Broomfield, a Newburgh native and a performer known for his dual roles as Hercules Mulligan and James Madison in the national tour of the Broadway musical phenomenon Hamilton with the Angelica company.īoth the upcoming walking tour and the current online exhibit, “Never Was a Slave,” highlight the homes built by Jacob Wynkoop (1829-1912), who was born in New Paltz two years after slavery was legally abolished in New York State. Historic Huguenot Street is poised to launch a new walking-tour app titled “Jacob Wynkoop: Building a Free Black Neighborhood” by the end of the month. Banks’s house is the building on the right side of the structure.
Civil War veteran Jacob Wynkoop built the house at 6 Broadhead Avenue for Anna Banks in 1894.
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