Welcome to Valatie

Valatie, from the Dutch Vaaltje meaning “Little Falls,” was settled about 1665 as part of the Kinderhook Seettlement. Its original inhabitants were Mohigan, an Algonquian Indian people. The Dutch established grist and lumber mills on the Kinderhook Creek and Valatie Kill. About 1820, large cotton mills began being built, and eventually there were nine mills, making Valatie one of the nation’s earliest industrial centers. The mills attracted workers, tradesmen, merchants, and professionals. By the 1840’s, Valatie was a vibrant village filled with stores, churches, and other facilities, and its Main Street became the commercial center of Northern Columbia County. It remained so until the mills closed or moved south after WWII. The village was incorporated in 1856 and is noted for the Valatie Santa Claus Club, “First In The Nation,” its outstanding military service record, and as the hometown of Gov. Martin H. Glynn, a progressive leader and a founder of Ireland. Because of its community spirit, institutions, services, and social activities, its slogan for the 150th Incorporation Celebration in 2006 became “What a Village Should Be.”

Valatie, New York · United States