IMPORTANT!READ THIS FIRST! Before you press ‘Start’, please read this Introduction to the audio tour first. You can also listen to it. Scroll down the text: at the bottom you can touch the audio icon and it will provide you with a brief explanation as to how to use this audio tour.INTRODUCTIONWelcome to the audio tour “How Dutch Is New York? – The Historic Richmond Town Tour”.Staten Island was part of the 17thcentury Dutch colony of New Netherland. Its name refers to the old Dutch name of Staten Eylant, after the Staten-Generaal, the main governmental body of the Dutch Republic in those days. Four attempts were made to start a patroonship on the island – privately owned ‘sub-colonies’ in the colony of New Netherland. But on Staten Island all attempts failed because of several attacks by natives.In 1661 the Director-General of New Netherland, Peter Stuyvesant, allowed colonists to establish a settlement called Oud Dorp, meaning ‘Old Village’. This first group of settlers consisted of mainly French Huguenots and Walloons. In the decades and centuries that followed the population, including enslaved Africans and Irish people, grew and spread over the Island.Scattered on Staten Island you will still find many traces of the early Dutch colonists and their descendants. The biggest concentration of Dutch-American heritage on Staten Island can be found in Historic Richmond Town, formerly the village of Richmond. In the 20th century some of the old structures, which originally stood in different locations on Staten Island, have been relocated to Historic Richmond Town.Here you will find probably the oldest school building of the U.S.: the Voorlezer’s House, which is also one of the buildings in Historic Richmond Town designated as an official New York City Landmark. Others on this tour include the Gyon-Lake-Tyson House, the Basket Maker’s House, the Treasure House, the Christopher House, the Boehm House, and the Parsonage. Close to each site in this tour you will get information automatically, because you will walk into a GPS-zone. If the audio doesn’t start, you can either read the information or tap on the number you are at on the screen. This will set off the audio.This audio tour starts at the Visitor Center and Museum in the Third County Court House at Center Street/head of Court Place. After the tour you can return here and book a guided tour which will get you inside some of the houses. Press ‘Start’ now, and enjoy your walk!