Claverack, New York

Claverack is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 6,058 at the 2020 census. The town name in English was derived from the Dutch word Klaverakker, meaning "Clover Fields" or "Clover Reach". In 1705, a Dutch tenant farmer made the first discovery of a mastodon tooth here.

The town is centrally located in Columbia County, east of the city of Hudson.

Claverack was originally approximately 60,000 acres (24,000 ha) in area and was known as the Lower Manor of Rensselaer, part of a vast estate on both sides of the Hudson River granted in the 17th century to an early prominent Dutch family.

During the American Revolution, the Town was formed in 1778 from the older District of Claverack. In 1782, some of the land was reassigned to the newly organized town of Hillsdale. Claverack was reduced again in 1785 to form the city of Hudson.

In 1779 Washington Seminary was founded in the town by the local Dutch Reformed pastor. Prominent former students at the school include U.S. President Martin Van Buren. In the nineteenth century the school was renamed Claverack College; it closed in 1902. The many 18th-century homes in the area include the 1786 William Henry Ludlow House.

In addition to the William Henry Ludlow House, other properties and structures on the National Register of Historic Places include the Claverack Free Library, Double-Span Whipple Bowstring Truss Bridge, George Felpel House, First Columbia County Courthouse, Stephen Hogeboom House, Dr. Abram Jordan House, Ludlow-Van Rensselaer House, Jacob P. Mesick House, Harmon Miller House, Stephen Miller House, Cornelius S. Muller House, Harriet Phillips Bungalow, Rev. Dr. Elbert S. Porter House, Reformed Dutch Church of Claverack, Stephen Storm House, Trinity Episcopal Church, Jan Van Hoesen House, William W. Van Ness House, Van Rensselaer Lower Manor House, Conyn Van Rensselaer House, and Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer House and Mill Complex.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 48.0 square miles (124.2 km²), of which 47.6 square miles (123.2 km²) is land and 0.39 square miles (1.0 km²), or 0.81%, is water.

Claverack Creek enters the town at the hamlet of Mellenville and runs southwest before turning north and forming the western town boundary before entering Stockport. Taghkanic Creek is a major tributary from the south and forms the western boundary of the town before entering Claverack Creek.