The Ashoken Center

The Ashoken Center. . , You are standing where centuries of American history, culture, and creativity converge. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Ashokan Center spans 385 acres of forests, meadows and streams that were once favored hunting and fishing grounds of the Munsee Indians. The site also preserves remnants of water-powered industry and 18th and 19th century buildings that are part of the traditions of early American life in the Catskill Mountains. , In the late 1950s, this land became the Ashokan Field Campus of SUNY New Paltz. In 1967, SUNY began to host environmental education programs for thousands of schoolchildren each year, connecting them with nature, science, and the land’s living history. , In 1980, fiddler Jay Ungar began hosting traditional Music and Dance Camps on the campus, bringing people together to share in the joy of folk traditions. , In 1982, Jay composed “Ashokan Farewell,” the haunting waltz inspired by the music camp community and the deep connection he felt to this land. The tune resonates with timeless memories of beauty, loss and longing, influenced in part by Ungar’s Jewish heritage. , “Ashokan Farewell” gained national recognition as the theme of Ken Burns’ acclaimed PBS series The Civil War, and its poignant melody has since touched millions across America and around the world. , When the property was put up for sale and at risk of development in 2006, Jay and his wife Molly Mason led the effort to preserve it. Their vision helped create the Ashokan Center as it exists today, a space where outdoor education programs for schools, Music and Dance Camps and public events for people of all ages continue to serve and inspire thousands of visitors each year. As you explore this place, you become part of a living story still unfolding in music, memory, and the land itself.