Exhibitions

New Netherland—the Dutch province that stretched from today’s New York state to parts of Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut—existed for 55 years, and its legacy lives on. This visiting exhibition traces the history of the Dutch in New Netherland, beginning with Henry Hudson’s exploration in 1609. The exhibition presents information about the fur trade that initially brought settlers to the colony as well as the growth of farming and communities as families relocated there. It discusses the establishment of government, the practice of religion, and the interactions between settlers and native peoples, among other aspects of life in New Netherland. The New Netherland Institute, an organization that promotes awareness of the Dutch history of colonial America, produced the exhibition to celebrate the quadricentennial of Henry Hudson’s exploration.