Explore
Discover the history and heritage of New Netherland and its lasting impact on America.
These curated exhibits explore genealogy, Indigenous and Dutch relations, colonial life, architecture, voyages, and family records that reveal how this 17th-century colony shaped generations. Discover maps that chart its growth, artifacts that tell of daily life, and stories of the people who built its communities. Together, these resources connect you to a world that vanished politically in 1664 but whose legacy remains woven into the fabric of American history.
Digital Exhibitions
These curated exhibits explore genealogy, Indigenous and Dutch relations, colonial life, architecture, and family records that reveal how this 17th-century colony shaped generations. Discover maps that chart its growth, artifacts that tell of daily life, and stories of the people who built its communities. Together, these resources connect you to a world that vanished politically in 1664 but whose legacy remains woven into the fabric of American history..
Historical Timelines
The timeline section brings together three distinct narratives of New Netherland’s past. The Netherlands and Scandinavia in North America traces events from the earliest arrival of the Norsemen through the final departure of the Dutch, offering a broad chronological sweep in text form. The Historical Calendar highlights key dates in the Dutch world to commemorate throughout the year, from January’s signing of the Union of Utrecht to December’s celebration of Sinterklaas. Finally, the Timeline of the West India Company’s First Decade (1620–1630) focuses on the formative years of the Company, charting the development of New Netherland within the wider Atlantic World. Together, these three timelines provide multiple lenses through which to explore and remember the history of the Dutch in America.
Slavery
This section brings together two complementary ways of understanding slavery in New Netherland and early New York. The Slavery in New Netherland exhibit offers a structured, thematic exploration of the institution—its labor systems, legal framework, and human experiences—drawing on documentary evidence to reconstruct lives often left unrecorded. Alongside it, New Stories from New Research presents new scholarship by notable historians, introducing fresh interpretations and previously unpublished work that deepen and complicate our understanding of the Dutch Atlantic world.
Maps of New Netherland
The timeline section brings together three distinct narratives of New Netherland’s past. The Netherlands and Scandinavia in North America traces events from the earliest arrival of the Norsemen through the final departure of the Dutch, offering a broad chronological sweep in text form.
A Tour of New Netherlandish Sites in New York State
Netherlandish architecture describes a style of building found in the Netherlands and nearby in what are now France, Germany, and Belgium. New Netherland was settled by people from this region (and beyond), and the structures they built in the colony shared many characteristics. Styles changed over time as new limitations, adaptations, and influences emerged in New Netherland and later New York and New Jersey (and along the Delaware River), but some preferences remained. The result is a collection of structures from the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries that were well-maintained and/or built with durable materials like stone and brick. In some areas, however, it is difficult to assign a single style to a building; examples include French (Huguenot) contributions in Ulster County and German (Palatine) contributions in Dutchess County.
Notable Dutch Americans
The New Netherland Institute is proud to feature the work of Dr. Carl Pegels, whose research has brought to light the stories of nearly 300 prominent Dutch-Americans. A retired management professor, Dr. Pegels had devoted his scholarship to documenting the lives and accomplishments of Dutch-American entrepreneurs, achievers, and leaders across many fields. In recognition of this extraordinary contribution, NNI presented him with the Alice P. Kenney Memorial Award in 2009. His published works include Prominent Dutch-American Entrepreneurs (paperback), Dutch-American Achievers: Arts, Sciences and Sports (Kindle), and Dutch-American Achievers: Government, Military, History and Philosophy (Kindle).
