Elizabeth Werlau grew up in Plattekill, NY, a small town that her extended family has called home for many generations. She first began writing about the town's history as a freelance newspaper reporter. As she dug deeper into her own family's history she became even more devoted to learning more about her hometown.
 
A graduate of the State University of New York at New Paltz, Werlau holds Masters degrees in Secondary Education and in English. She is a middle school English teacher in the Wallkill Central School District and continues to work as a freelance writer and photographer. Werlau volunteers with several community-based organizations and is a member of the Plattekill Historical Society, a group she credits with providing invaluable information for Plattekill.  
 
Werlau hopes that her book will inspire others to record the history of their towns and preserve the documents that will one day inform others. The information contained within Plattekill would not exist had someone not taken the time to photograph, write down and otherwise safeguard the stories that make up the Town of Plattekill.