High Falls Historic District

High Falls is a small village in Marbletown, Ulster County, at the base of the Shawangunk Mountains, where Rondout Creek drops over a rock formation. The historic district covers about 21 acres and includes stores, inns, churches, a canal-era lock and a range of houses for merchants, manufacturers and workers. Notable buildings include the 1797 stone DePuy Canal House, the 1867 Reformed Church, the 1882-85 St. John's Episcopal Memorial Chapel, now a canal museum, and ruins of Delaware and Hudson Canal Locks 17 and 18. The village grew after the canal opened in 1825-1828 and after natural cement was discovered nearby in 1825. Between 1825 and 1880 it became a manufacturing and transportation center. The canal closed in 1899, and the later Ashokan Reservoir work brought some revival. The district was listed for its architecture, its canal and industrial history, and its well-preserved mid-nineteenth century village plan.