Town of Red Hook   Distance to NYC: 108 miles Area: 41.32 square miles   Red Hook was inhabited by the Esopus and Sepasco Indians prior to the European settlement of the region. Sometime before 1688 Colonel Pieter Schuyler, first Mayor of Albany, acquired from the Indians most of what we know as the Town of Red Hook. Until the mid-19th Century the modes of transportation were the horse & river sloop or steamboat. The fate of the river commerce was sealed with the opening of the Hudson River Railroad (now CSX/Amtrak) in 1851.   Red Hook became a separate Township in 1812 and was merely a crossroads boasting little more than an inn and a couple of houses. Today’s Red Hook has a population of over 10,400. The town includes the Village of Red Hook,Village of Tivoli and the Hamlets of Annandale-on-Hudson,Barrytown and Upper Red Hook. Portions of the town are in the National Historical Landmark District. The area is well known for the many river mansions nestled on the banks of the Hudson River. The town has retained its small-town charm, while offering many fine restaurants, pick-your-own farms and beautiful historical villages with many antique and specialty shops.   Educational Facilities The Red Hook Central School District takes pride in the fact that it is rated as one of the finest public school systems in the Hudson Valley. The system consists of three schools: The Mill Road Elementary School,Linden Avenue Middle School and the Senior High School. The southern most part of the town is served by the Rhinebeck Central School District.   Bard College is an independent, co-educational fouryear liberal arts college located in Annandale,within the Town of Red Hook.   The Devereux Foundation, a school for the learning disabled, Unification Theological Seminary and Northern Dutchess Christian School can also be found in the Town of Red Hook.   Recreational Facilities The Recreational Park of Red Hook includes an olympic-size pool, and offers facilities for softball, basketball, tennis, volleyball and more. Several lakes with picnic, swimming and fishing areas are located within the town. Nearby, there are State and County parks with boating, swimming, picnicking, fishing and golf facilities. The Red Hook Golf Course offers fine dining and a scenic 18-hole course. Newer additions to the recreational attractions are Poet’s Walk Park with outstanding Hudson River Views and the scenic Tivoli Bays National Estuarine Reserve.   Houses of Worship Include Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist, Lutheran, Assembly of God, Jehovah’s Witness, Unification Church and Reformed.