Saugerties' history began with Dutch settlement in the 1600s after purchase from the Esopus Sachem Tribe in 1677, deriving its name from early "little sawyer" settler Barent Cornelis Volge, but the Town of Saugerties was officially formed on April 5, 1811, separating from Kingston, while the village was incorporated as "Ulster" in 1831 and renamed Saugerties in 1855.