Founded in 1974 to translate and publish the original 17th-century Dutch documents of New Netherland, the New Netherland Project provided the foundation for the New Netherland Research Center through its historic research accomplishments and its access to historically significant resources. Originally created under the sponsorship of the New York State Library and the Holland Society of New York, the New Netherland Project functioned with grant support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. It was one of the most ambitious translation projects ever conceived. Peter A. Douglas recounts the story of the New Netherland Project in Dutch Renaissance: The Story of the New Netherland Project.
The New Netherland Research Center continues to provide great insight into the colony of New Netherland and the Dutch in colonial America and gained international acclaim as the inspiration and foundation of Russell Shorto's 2004 bestseller, The Island at the Center of the World.