If your area code is 12528, you live in Highland, right? Your postal address is Highland. You can find it on the map. But actually, if you live outside the Hamlet of Highland, you live in the Town of Lloyd. Why the confusion? Why was the town named Lloyd? And why does the name Highland stick anyway? It’s a mystery that Highlanders just live with – until now. The Town of Lloyd Historical Preservation Society (TOLHPS), which holds free public programs in Highland, has found a speaker to shed light on the subject!

Joan de Vries Kelley, head of the Archives Subcommittee at Historic Huguenot Street, will share the results of her research into the question, “Why Was Our Town Named Lloyd?” on March 4, at 7 pm, at the Vineyard Commons Theater in Highland.

This question has plagued local historians for decades. Joan de Vries Kelley decided to take a fresh look at the puzzle. She researched county histories, government documents, censuses, land records, maps and newspapers. Her search uncovered several interesting facts about life in Highland when the town was formed almost 175 years ago, as well as a probable answer to the question.

Kelley has been a resident of the Town of Lloyd since 1982. She was a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals for almost 20 years. After her retirement from IBM, she earned her Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University. She volunteered as a docent and researcher at Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz, where she currently heads the Archives Subcommittee. She has published multiple articles about Hudson Valley history in the NYG&B Record and NEHGS American Ancestors.

TOLHPS sponsors free monthly public programs from September to June, usually on the first Monday of the month. Vineyard Commons is at 300 Vineyard Avenue, about a mile and a quarter from the Hamlet of Highland on Route 44/55, just south of the Hudson Valley Rehabilitation Center. To reach the theater, turn into Vineyard Commons and follow the signs to Building 6. At the request of Vineyard Commons management, audience members are asked to park their cars in the lot at the far right (west) end of the row of buildings that includes Building 6.

For more information about TOLHPS programs and plans, consult the organization’s website, www.TOLHPS.org, look for Town of Lloyd Historical Preservation Society on Facebook, or call (845) 255-7742.