Katsbaan is a hamlet of the
town of Saugerties in
Ulster County,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
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, United States,
located north of the
village of Saugerties and south of
Catskill.
The hamlet existed at least as far back as the
American Revolution. The origin of the name, kaatsbaan, which means "tennis court", is linked to the original Dutch visitors to the area who saw
lacrosse being played by native
Iroquois which they thought resembled tennis.
The hamlet's name is also at the origin of the name of the Catskill mountains. Note that Katsbaan is originally spelled Kaatsbaan (e.g. on the other side of the Hudson, in Tivoli NY, is a 'Kaatsbaan'). The Dutch double vowel didn't always survive in English (see Haarlem - Harlem).
In Dutch, players on a 'kaatsbaan' are 'kaatsers'. North of Katsbaan is a stream (Dutch: 'kill') originally called Kaatsers kill, currently Kaaterskill Creek. Thus the creek gave its name to the mountains where it originated.
The hamlet was settled by
Dutch farmers and
German Palatines prior to 1730, and was deeded to the Dutch Reformed Church by 1732. A stone church that was constructed at that time was used as a landmark on Colonial American maps, and still stands today.
References
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Hamlets in Ulster County, New York
Saugerties, New York