Gil Vilahermosa presents Rosendale: Natural Cement Giant & Beyond

Founded in 1680 by Jacob Rutsen, Rosendale was a quiet hamlet until 1825, when natural cement was discovered, giving rise to the one of the largest industries in Ulster Country and New York State. At its peak, Rosendale’s cement industry produced more than 10 million barrels of natural cement a year, employing 5,000 miners in more than a dozen mines. The creation of artificial cement, however, heralded the end of Rosendale cement. Rosendale rebounded, marketing itself as a “Vacationist Rendezvous.” The Catskills nod Shawangunk Mountains, the Wallkill River and Rondout Creek, and the region’s many mountain houses attracted tens of thousands of visitors each year. Construction of the New York State Thruway in the 1950s led to the demise of Rosendale’s booming tourist industry. Today, Joppenberg Mountain and the Trestle Bridge Walkway stand guard over the town, while Rosendale’s historic buildings and remnants of the Delaware & Hudson Canal harken residents and visitors to an earlier age.

Gilberto Villahermosa is a former U.S. Army Colonel and Military Historian. An internationally published author of four books and dozens of journal and magazine articles covering military historical and national security topics he is a proud Rosendale resident. Gil Vilahermosa Rosendale: Natural Cement Giant & Beyon