Village of Valatie

What A Village Should Be

Valatie, from the Dutch Vaaltje meaning “Little Falls,” was settled about 1665 as part of the Kinderhook Settlement. The 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. Eventually there were about nine mills. Valatie became 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 (of c1400) filled with stores, churches, and other facilities, making its Main Street the commercial center of Northern Columbia County. It remained so until the mills closed or moved South after WWII.

Recently, the village has undergone a rebirth with its population reaching about 2,000.

The village, which was incorporated in 1856, is noted for the Valatie Santa Claus Club, “First In The Nation,” its outstanding military service record, and as the home town of Gov. Martin H. Glynn. Glynn was a progressive leader and a founder of Ireland.

Because of its community spirit, institutions, services and social activities, its slogan for the 150th Celebration became “what a village should be.”