Rosendale is a town in the center of Ulster County, New York, United States. It once contained a village Rosendale, primarily centered around Main Street, but which was dissolved through vote in 1977. The population was 5,782 at the 2020 census.

At the time of the European settlement, the region was inhabited by the Lenapes, who were a member of the Algonquian peoples. The area which was eventually known as Rosendale is generally attributed to having been founded by Jacob Rutsen in 1680 from 600 acres purchased from the Lenapes straddling the Rondout Creek. Initially, the land was leased but Rutsen expanded his holdings and built a homestead, in which he resided from 1700 until his death in 1730. The Town of Rosendale was formed in 1844 from parts of the Towns of Hurley, Marbletown, and New Paltz.

Hamilton Child of Syracuse, New York published a "Gazetteer and Business Directory of Ulster County, N. Y." in 1872 that described the town.

In the mid 1800s priests from St. Peter's in Poughkeepsie served missions in Saugerties and Rondout. In 1840 Rev. John N. Smith, pastor in Poughkeepsie, extended his care to Rosendale. In 1842, his successor, Rev. Myles Maxwell celebrated Mass in Petrie's cooper shop. That same year Maxwell was named the first resident pastor of St. Mary's in Rondout, and Rosendale became a mission served out of Rondout.

St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church was organized by Father Thomas Martin O.P., pastor of St. Mary's in Rondout. Services were held in the home of Walter Delmar. In August 1850 the first Mass was celebrated in the new church. St. Peter's remained a mission of St. Mary's until 1855 when Rev. Edward Lynch, assistant at St. Mary's, was named pastor of the new parish of St. Peter's, Rosendale. In 1874 Rev. Martin O'Flaherty became pastor. Given the ever-increasing Catholic population, attracted by the opportunity of employment in the cement quarries, plus the Delaware & Hudson Canal, a new, larger church building, designed by Arthur Crooks, was built. The first Mass in the new church was celebrated on Christmas Day 1876.

In 1881 pastor John J. Gleason built a parish school and convent. The school was staffed by the Sister of Charity. Upon Gleason's death in 1894, he left a bequest of $500 to Kingston hospital. A mission was established in Whiteport. In 1897, Rev. P. Maughan, a Civil War veteran, became pastor and built the parish hall.

The Rosendale region is most well known for the production of natural cement. The Rosendale natural cement industry began during the construction of the Delaware and Hudson Canal in 1825. The Delaware and Hudson Canal was later finished in 1828 using the world class cement. Rosendale natural cement soon gained a reputation for quality among engineers and was used in the construction of many of the United States' most important landmarks, including the Brooklyn Bridge, the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, Federal Hall National Memorial, and one of the wings of the United States Capitol. The industry fell into decline in the early 1900s.

Rosendale natural cement was produced from dolomite extracted from mines in the Rosendale and Whiteport members of the Late Silurian Rondout Formation. The natural levels of magnesium and clay in the dolomite from the Rondout Formation are ideally suited for cement production and required none of the chemical additives characteristic of modern Portland cement production.