Prior to European colonization, the area had been occupied for thousands of years by varying indigenous cultures.

Recorded as part of the land grant to the Livingston family, this area on the Roeliff Jansen Kill was originally called "Livingston Forge" after the iron foundry developed on the river.

Throughout the eighteenth century, the Livingston forge created metal products for the community.

The town was sometimes known as "Scotchtown" due to the immigrants of Scottish ancestry who flocked there in the late 18th century.

As the Revolution drew near, the factory produced shot, cannonballs, and perhaps most importantly, the huge chain that was installed across the Hudson River at West Point as a defense against British ships going upriver.

[5] It is believed that the chain was confiscated by the British forces when they retreated from the fort several weeks later.

Because it was more accessible from Ancram, it was annexed by the New York town on April 13, 1857, by an agreement between the states.

[3] Most of the town is drained by the Roeliff Jansen Kill and its tributary, Punch Brook.