A: Requests should be mailed or hand-delivered to the Ulster County Department of Health, FOIL Compliance Officer, 300 Flatbush Avenue, Kingston, NY 12401. If you wish to send a request via fax or email, please contact the FOIL Compliance Officer at (845)340-3009
Q: How do I submit a FOIL request?
Q: How do I get to the Strand/Waterfront from here?
A: Downtown Kingston (also known as the Strand, Rondout or Waterfront) is located approximately 2 ½ miles southeast of the Persen House. For more information, please visit ulstercountyalive.com/guides or use 1 West Strand, Kingston in your GPS.
Q: Can I request a special exhibit for my classroom/library/public space?
A: Yes! Part of the mission of the Archives is to provide access, outreach and public programs to the people of Ulster County. In so doing, the Archives can provide document based exhibits for schools, libraries and other public spaces. Please Contact Us for more specific information on requesting an exhibit.
Q: Are there other historical sites nearby?
A: Yes. There are several other historical sites and museums within walking distance or a short drive. Please visit http://ulstercountyalive.com/landing/history for more information.
Q: Do you take monetary donations?
A: No. The Persen House is a County-owned museum and, as such, does not accept monetary donations.
Q: Do you have an admission fee?
A: No. Admission is free.
Q: Do you give group tours?
A: Yes. The Persen House receives many groups for tours each season. Tours are catered to the needs of the group, whether for grade school students, college students, tourists or local community groups, the Persen House has something for everyone. Please contact us to Schedule a Tour.
Q: Is the house open all year?
A: The Persen House is open spring through late fall each year. For more information, please visit the Persen House home page and view our hours of operation and season schedule.
Q: What is the Stockade National Historic District? Why is the Persen House a part of it? What else is there to do/see in the Stockade area?
A: The Stockade National District is commonly referred to as Uptown Kingston and it is the original site of the Dutch Settlement of Wiltwyck. In 1658, Director General Peter Stuyvesant ordered the residents of Esopus and the surrounding area to move their homes to a defensible location and surround it with palisades, or a stockade. This order was made to prevent attacks from the local Native Americans. The order itself is the oldest record in the Ulster County Archives! The stockade was expanded in 1661, 1670, and 1677. The Persen House was built in 1661 within the southern border of the first expansion. The current day Stockade District incorporates all of the area within the final stockade in 1677.
Q: Where is the Persen House located? Where can I park?
A: The Persen House is located at 74 John Street in uptown Kingston within Kingston’s Stockade National Historic District. Its earliest portions date from c.1661 and it is one of four landmark buildings on each corner of John and Crown Streets. This is the only known intersection in the United States with pre-revolutionary stone houses on all four corners. Metered parking lots and on-street parking are available throughout the uptown Kingston area on weekdays. The Ulster County Courthouse on Wall Street has limited availability during the week, but is completely available on the weekends. The Ulster County Office Building on the corner of Main & Fair Streets offers free weekend parking. There is also free parking at the Kingston Plaza every day, less than a half mile walk from the house.
