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RIDGEWOOD
BERGEN COUNTY NEW JERSEY
PAST and PRESENT
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NEW JERSEY
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PUBLISHED BY
CITIZENS SEMI CENTENNIAL ASSOCIATION
RIDGEWOOD, N. J.
DECEMBER 31, 1916
COPYRIGHT BY CITIZENS SEMI-CENTENNIAL ASSOCIATION
SEM
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY 911608 ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS R 1919 L
FOREWORD
D URING the early part of 1916 a number of citizens recognizing the historie importance of the year in connection with the life of Ridgewood, brought to the attention of the Village authorities and the Independence Day Association, the idea of including in the usual celebration on Independence Day, the formal opening of the new station improvements and the Fiftieth Anniversary of the adoption of the name-Ridgewood.
The Independence Day Association, therefore, called a meeting of the citizens, which developed the fact that the station improvements would not be completed by Independence Day.
As a result, the Citizens Semi-Centennial Association was incor- porated to arrange for a proper celebration during the fall of the year. Committees were formed and plans developed to make the affair an epoch in the history of the community.
On account of the prevalence of infantile paralysis in the adjacent communities and the danger of its being brought into the Village, it was necessary to abandon the plans.
The Association felt, however, that the event should not pass with- out some recognition of a permanent character and, as a result, it was decided to enlarge upon the plans previously contemplated for a souvenir booklet of the occasion, with a consequent increase in the labor and time required in its preparation.
This book is dedicated, therefore, to the present and future residents of our community in commemoration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the adoption of the name Ridgewood, and is intended not only for the citizen who would know something of Ridgewood's past, but also for those who are interested in its present life and welfare.
The Association is indebted to the Historical Committee for the story of our community's life which it contains, to the Publicity Committee for the fitting manner in which it is published, and to its members, who through their generosity have made the publication possible.
CITIZENS SEMI-CENTENNIAL ASSOCIATION.
NOTE .- For list of officers and members of association, see Appendix.
PREFACE
A S directed by the general committee of the Citizens' Semi-Centen- nial Association, the Historical and Publicity Committees herein present the story of Ridgewood's past and present life.
The history of many communities of our present day diseloses the story of a development that would not be complete without recording therein the place taken by each section-some older, others younger- which now compose their component parts, including those also which, due to governmental changes, no longer form a part of a particular territory.
While this is also true of the present municipality of Ridgewood, Bergen County, N. J., in a book of this kind it is impracticable to tell in detail the story of each section, although, in the pages which follow, their relationship from the earliest times of the community will be found interwoven with its history.
Our object has been to show not only a record, as complete as pos- sible, of Ridgewood's past, but also its present life, and in a manner that besides being of historical interest will be of practical vahie to those of the present and future who are interested in our community.
With this object in view, the Historical Committee has spared no effort in seeking out and obtaining the necessary facts, including the solicitation of contributed articles from those of our citizens who are active in a particular phase of our community life. These articles, some of which appear practically as contributed, while others have been modified only as necessity demanded to adapt them to the general plan and scope of the booklet, were furnished by the following persons :
Berier, Mrs. de L. De Yoe, J. Willard
Moloney, M. J.
Dimoek, F. A.
Ockford, Dr. George M.
Doremus, Judge Cornelius
Parsons, J. B.
Drinker, W. W.
Rouclere, Harry
Graydon, Samuel D.
Sowter, E. T.
Haight, W. H.
Vail, C. Waldemar
Hopper, Dr. John B.
Van Neste, Rev. J. A.
Ilowland, Miss Caroline E. Keyser, F. L.
Vroom, Dr. W. L.
Watson, Frederick V.
Le Roy, Howard R.
White, E. T.
Maier, William H. Marinus, Jomm A.
White, Hon. George U. Willard, Dr. H. S.
Milliken, F. W.
To these and to F. H. Bogert, Miss Florence De L. Bunce, H. J. Carroll, Mrs. Jos. W. Edwards, J. R. Eschelman, T. J. Foster, Hon. D. A. Garber, Robert Groves, Dr. A. G. Hopper, A. T. Hubschmitt, I. E. Hutton, Miss Irene C. Kelly, D. W. La Fetra, T. W. McMullen, Wilbur Morris, H. S. Patten, H. C. Pennal, Peter Pulis, A. B. Stearns, T. V. Terhune, H. A. Tice, Dr. W. A. Tracy, Carl M. Vail, W. W. Wilsey and
vii
Geo. R. Young, as well as the citizens in general who have aided in the work, the Historical Committee takes this opportunity of acknowledging its indebtedness and expressing its appreciation of the assistance re- ceived.
To the following publications and articles and to others less exten- sively consulted, the Historical Committee also wishes to acknowledge its indebtedness as sources of information relating to the various periods, subjects and phases of its work :
Address by Rev. William H. Vroom, D.D .- Dedication of Tablet, Reformed Church of Paramus, July 4, 1914.
Addresses of Judge David D. Zabriskie relating to the history of Ridgewood and vicinity.
All the Days of My Life .- An Autobiography by Amelia E. Barr. Annual Reports of the Village of Ridgewood.
Appraisal of the property of the Bergen Aqueduct Company and Bergen Water Company, by E. D. Winters, 1915.
Archives of the State of New Jersey.
Atlas of Bergen County, N. J., by A. H. Walker and C. C. Pease, 1876.
Between the Ocean and The Lakes, The Story of the Erie, by E. H. Mott, 1899.
Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, N. J., by C. B. Harvey, 1900.
Historie Houses of Bergen County, by B. G. Allbee.
History of Bergen and Passaic Counties, N. J., by W. W. Clayton, 1882.
History of Bergen County, N. J., by J. M. Van Valen, 1900.
History of the Classis of Paramus of the Reformed Church in America, 1902.
History of the County of Hudson, New Jersey, by C. H. Winfield, 1874.
History of Ridgewood, by George Edgar Knowlton.
Itinerary of General Washington, by W. S. Baker.
Official Programs .- Independence Day Association of Ridgewood. Papers and Proceedings. The Bergen County Historical Society.
Program .- 250th Anniversary of the Founding of the Village of Bergen, 1660.
Public Papers of George Clinton, First Governor of New York.
Ridgewood, New Jersey, by C. H. Dunn, 1898.
Ridgewood, N. J., by Henry P. Phelps, 1912.
Ridgewood Guide, by Baxter and Breusch. 1896.
Ridgewood of Yesteryear, by Judge Cornelius Doremus.
Ridgewood's History, by Harold A. Cheel.
The Architectural Record.
The Citizens' Book, Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, 1916.
The Improvement of Ridgewood, N. J. Report by Chas. M. Robin- son to Board of Trade, 1908.
The Pageant of Ridgewood, N. J., June 19, 1915.
The Ridgewood Herald.
The Ridgewood News.
viii
If the results of our efforts furnish a source of information of value to those who seek it and also stimulate a devotion to our community's welfare, we will feel our mission has been fulfilled.
HISTORICAL COMMITTEE RICHARD T. WILSON, Chairman
Frank A. Baxter
John Il. Ward
Rebecca W. Hawes Judge David D. Zabriskie
Ira W. Travell Everett L. Zabriskie
PUBLICITY COMMITTEE II. W. CASLER, Chairman W. F. SCHMIDT. Vice-Chairman
F. A. Dimock
B. G. Smith
(. C. Miles
W. S. Moore
C. H. Green D. R. Dusenberry
A. H. Gamble
W. W. Wilsey
E. B. Lilly
B. D. Hilton
II. R. Le Roy
Ridgewood, Bergen County, N. J., December 31, 1916.
ix
CONTENTS
PAGE
FOREWORD
V
PREFACE
vii
CHAPTER I-GENERAL HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT . 1
Indian Oeeupation
Early Settlers
Colonial Period 3
Revolutionary War 4
1782 to 1865 9
Civil War .
12
Birth of Ridgewood
16
CHAPTER II-GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND NATURAL FEATURES 18
Name .
18
Location
18
Appearance
18
Soil 19
Climatic Conditions 19
Roads and Highways 19
Plant Life
22
Trees of Ridgewood
27
Bird Life of Ridgewood
31
CHAPTER III-CIVIL ORGANIZATIONS AND ADMINISTRATION OF
PUBLIC AFFAIRS 37
Political Divisions 37
Relation Between Village, County and State . 38
Ridgewood's Form of Government 41
Township Committee . 41
Village Trustees
42
Village Commissioners
44
The Mayor .
46
Department of Public Affairs and Public Safety
46
Police Department 46
Fire Department 48
Board of Health. 52
Shade Tree Commission 55 Building Committee 58
Department of Revenue and Finance 58
Department of Publie Improvements, Parks and Public Property 59
Advisory Board
61
xi
1
2
CONTENTS
PAGE
Administration of Justice
62
Court of Common Pleas 62
District Court 63
Recorder's Court Bar of Ridgewood
65
CHAPTER IV-EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND THE PUBLIC LIBRARY 67
Public Schools 67
Private Schools 74
Public Library 77
CHAPTER V-RELIGIOUS INTERESTS 78
Reformed Church of Paramus
78
Christ Episcopal Church 80
The Kenilworth Collegiate Presbyterian Church (Christian Reformed) 81
First Reformed Church S1
African M. E. Zion Church (Colored) 82
Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel 83
Emmanuel Baptist Church . 84
Methodist Episcopal Church 84
Unitarian Society 85
First Church of Christ, Scientist 86
Bethlehem Lutheran Church 86
Mount Bethel Baptist Church (Colored) S6
West Side Collegiate Presbyterian Church S7
Upper Ridgewood Religious Societies . SS
CHAPTER VI-BUSINESS INTERESTS 89
Real Estate Development
89
Mercantile and Industrial Enterprises
91
Financial Institutions
96
Medical and Dental Professions
97
Publications
101
Hotels, Inns, and Taverns
103
Public Utilities
105
Express Service
105
Gas and Elcetric Systems
105
Post Office
107
Erie Railroad
108
Rapid Transit
115
Telephone and Telegraph Facilities .
115
Water Supply 118
CHAPTER VII- RESIDENCES-PRESENT, EARLY, HISTORICAL-AND
COMMUNITY CENTERS 121
Homes of Ridgewood 121
Early Dutch Homes. 121
Houses of Historical Interest
125
Community Centers . 126
Pearsall's Grove 126
Opera House
126
xii
65
CONTENTS
PAGE
Play House
128
Municipal Building
128
Halls and Club Rooms
128
Speedway
131
Ho-Ho-Kus Driving Club Park
131
Bergen County Fair Association
131
Community Christmas Tree Festival
133
CHAPTER VIH-CIVIC AND COMMERCIAL ORGANIZATIONS 134
Clubs
134
Patriotic
141
Political
145
Fraternal
147
Musical
150
Welfare
151
School .
155
Anti-Liquor
156
Medical
157
For Young Men
158
Commercial
161
CHAPTER IX-BURIAL PLACES 162
CHAPTER X-SUMMARIZED FACTS, STATISTICS AND CHRONOLOGY 163
APPENDIX :
Semi-Centennial Association 170
Officers
170
Committees
170
Members and Contributors 172
The Semi-Centennial Songs of Ridgewood
173
xiii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Map of Ridgewood and Vicinity . Frontispiece
The "Old Elm" in Ho-Ho-Kus 5
The Development of West Ridgewood Avenue 17
Pearsall's Grove-East Ridgewood Avenue-In the Early 90's. 28
Ruins of Fire, March 9, 1881 . 49
High School-Beech Street 68
The Reformed Church of Paramus 79
Station and Plaza-Before Improvements 110
Station and Plaza-After Improvements 111
The Old Ayerigg House 123
The Town Club 132
The Ridgewood Country Club 136
Ridgewood Y. M. C. A. 159
Ridgewood: Past and Present
CHAPTER I
GENERAL HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
TN an analysis of the history of a community it will be found that the greatest influences in determining its character have been the ideals and endeavors of its inhabitants.
A narrative, therefore, of the history of Ridgewood is really one of the life of its people. While the development of particular phases of its life will be found elsewhere in this book, the general historical development of the community may well be divided into the following periods :
INDIAN OCCUPATION
Before the appearance of Europeans on this continent it is well known that nations of men speaking widely different languages, and commonly called Indians, existed here. The nation inhabiting the greater part of New Jersey was called the Delawares or Lenni Lenape, signifying, in their tongue, "The original people."
Several sub-divisions of the Delawares have been made by writers. The tribes who occupied and roamed over the counties of Bergen and Passaic were those of the Unalachtgo or Turkey, and the Minsi or Wolf. A further division has also been made into sub-tribes known as Hacken- sacks, Acquakanonks, Pomptons, Tappans and Haverstraws, all sug- gestive of well-known districts.
In 1643 the earliest white explorers into the region of the Haeken- sack and Passaic valleys found scattered villages, embraced under the name of Hackensacks, and varying in size from one to four or five houses, distributed over an area now bounded by points located approxi- mately near Jersey City, Staten Island, Newark, Passaic, and the upper waters of the Hackensack, Passaic and Saddle Rivers.
Investigators have found actual evidence of Indian occupation in many places along the streams and creeks of the Bergen County water- shed. The vicinity of Ridgewood, the banks of the Saddle River, and of the Ho-Ho-Kus and Sprout Brooks, have proven to be most promising localities for these researches.
As a result of plowed fields and washouts, evidences have been traced of primitive settlements in many places along the Saddle River and its branches. One branch in particular, Sprout Brook, below Arcola, has yielded a considerable quantity of material at three dif- ferent points on its banks, all within a radius of a mile. At one point on the farm of Mr. Koch, where the brook crosses the Paramus Road, a quantity of implements and pottery was taken from the former site of a small village. Further down on Sprout Brook, back of the Board farm, is the site of what was presumably a large palisaded grass house ; while one of the best preserved sites of occupation, in fact the most
1
RIDGEWOOD, BERGEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY
typical, has been found on a high bank of the Saddle River, just below the point where it is crossed by the trolley.
Within the present limits of Ridgewood and also covering an area with a radius of from ten to twelve miles from the village, during the past fifteen years explorations have been carried on by one of its citizens, Mr. J. R. Eschelman, that have brought to light a most valu- able collection (still in the possession of Mr. Eschelman) of approxi- mately two thousand pieces of Indian objects, consisting of arrow-heads, spear-heads, axes, fish spears, skin serapers, knives, shaft polishers, hand hammers, a granite mortar, pestles, celts (chisels), hoes, winged objects, luna (half-moon) knives, and others unclassified.
These relies have been found along the Indian trails, usually on the high side of a running stream or at some spring. In Ridgewood and its immediate vicinity the localities which have produced the best results are the shores of the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook, along the Mastin and Graydon fields and continuing above Harrison Avenue, opposite the home of E. L. Zabriskie; the grounds around the Board springs at Paramus Road and Duncker Hook (Dark Corner) ; and the fields be- yond the Valleau Cemetery and along the Diamond Brook at the sites of its various springs to its junction with the Passaic River.
Formerly within the limits of Ridgewood Township, but now within the Borough of Glen Rock, a great block of stone stands on Rock Avenue near the Main Line Station of the Erie Railroad. Tradition says that this rock was a meeting place for the Indians, who called it Pamacka- puka. It was also known by the early settlers as the Big Rock at Small Lots. It was mentioned as a landmark in 1687, when a Patent was granted for 5,320 aeres of land upon the second attempt to settle lands west of the Saddle River.
In 1710 a tract of land containing 42,500 aeres, called the "Ramapo Patent," including most of the northwestern portion of Bergen County, was surveyed, beginning at the "Big Rock, four or five miles north- west of Paterson." A copper pin, placed by the surveying party at this time on the highest point of the rock, is still in evidence.
Since the early times, many of the land records of this vicinity refer to the stone as one of the points in determining the location of the property they cover. On August 26, 1912, as a result of the efforts of a number of citizens who appreciated its historical value. a deed was executed transferring the site of the rock, from the Sonth Ridge- wood Improvement Company and from Mr. and Mrs. John F. Walter, to the Borough of Glen Rock. Since that date the rock has been surrounded by a concrete walk and has been placed in a condition that guarantees its preservation for many years to come.
EARLY SETTLERS
The first permanent Dutch settlement in New Jersey was called Bergen and was made during the year 1660 on the site now known as Bergen Square, within the present corporate limits of Jersey City. From that point a gradual colonization was extended into the more remote distriets, mainly along the waterways, following the lines of least resistance.
2
PAST AND PRESENT
In 1662, Albert Zaborowski, a young man of twenty years, eame from Poland in the Dutch sailing ship Deb Ves ("The Fox"). He married a Miss Van Der Linde and settled in the little trading post called Ackensack, where he became the possessor of a large landed interest. Of the children born to them five were sons. The oldest, Jacob, when a small boy, was stolen and carried off into the forests by the Indians. After a period of about fifteen years, Jacob was returned to his people by the Indians, who claimed they had taken him to teach him their language so that he could act as an interpreter between them and the settlers. As a result of this incident, Jacob's father obtained from the Indians a traet of land containing approxi- mately two thousand acres and known as the "New Paramus Patent" or "Wearimus Tract."
The greater portion of the Paramus Patent lay in the northwestern part of the present Midland Township, while a section extended across the Saddle River into what is now Ridgewood Township. The tract extended in general from the Peter Board homestead on the south, about four miles north to the Stephen S. Berdan residence, and from the Saddle River on the west one and one-half miles east to the Sprout Brook.
The name "Paramus" is said to be derived from the Indian "Pere- messing," descriptive of the fact that the country abounded in wild turkey. The first white settlers called it "Peremesse," from which the transition was gradually made to the present form, Paramus.
On this tract, in 1713, Jacob Zaborowski built a home located on the present Paramus Road, just north of what is now Blauvelt's Mill. This was the first house to be built in this section of the country. A stone which bears the name Zaborowski, and the year 1713, and which had been placed in its doorway, is now in the possession of Everett L. Zabriskie, of Ridgewood.
Ridgewood is built upon the tract west of the Zaborowski lands and is part of a grant of five hundred acres made by Lord Carteret to Samuel Kingsland in 1687. The land was sold to Peter Johnson for the sum of thirty-two pounds and ten shillings, and in 1698 became the property of Johann Van Emburgh, who built the first house in 1700 in what is now Ridgewood proper.
Other Dutch families, such as the Ackerman, Banta, Bogert, De Baun, Hopper, Marinus, Terhune, Van Der Beek, Van Dien, Van Houten, Westervelt and Zabriskie families, shortly afterwards settled in this locality, purchasing their land from the Van Emburgh estate. Many of these families are still represented by their descendants, while the property of others has been disposed of to city purchasers in search of suburban homes.
COLONIAL PERIOD
During the Colonial period and for many years afterwards, the people devoted their time almost entirely to agricultural pursuits. The farms each contained a large number of acres, and were scattered over so extensive an area that in consequence a slow development of the community resulted.
3
RIDGEWOOD, BERGEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY
The homes generally were of stone with a southern or eastern ex- posure and with old-fashioned flower gardens in the front.
Since the early settlers had come from Holland, they naturally for many years spoke their mother tongue, which in later years became known as "Jersey Dutch."
Following the teachings of their early youth, the Dutch settlers were not long in establishing a house of worship. In 1725 they or- ganized the "Peremus Kirk," and in 1735 erected the first Church building on ground furnished by Peter Fauconier. Here for many years the services were conducted in the Dutch language.
This church is now called the congregation of the Reformed Church of Paramus and is located in the northeastern part of Ridgewood. For many years, until the organization of other churches, the Paramus Church served a territory of about fifteen square miles, and was the central gathering place for the neighboring country for all purposes related to the community interests.
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
The excitement which the tyranny of the British Government aroused in the colonies was felt throughout the present Bergen County, and on the 12th day of May, 1775, a Committee of Safety was organized with John Fell of Paramus as chairman. Party feeling ran high and many and bitter were the feuds among the people, although historians state that the Patriots were greatly superior in number to the Tories. The proximity of the Bergen district to New York made it important territory during the Revolutionary War. It was the gate to New Jersey and the West. Recognizing its importance, cach party sought to fortify and to hold it in possession.
While no battles of importance were fought within the limits of the present county, its soil became a highway for the tread of marching armies, and its cultivated farms often attracted raiding and foraging parties of the enemy from New York City. Its people gave their sons to the cause, and provided supplies to the several American camps within their boundaries.
Among the names of such camp-grounds that of "Paramus" takes a prominent place. Tradition states that it was just south of the Paramus Church. The poet Barlow, who wrote the old-fashioned poem "Hasty Pudding," was at one time a chaplain in the army and he wrote to friends one evening that he had been all day making the rounds of his camp and that it extended from Paramus four miles toward Hackensack.
Tradition also states that the Commissary Department of the Ameri- can forces occupied about ten acres of land now the site of the Valleau Cemetery opposite the old church. The church edifice existing at that time was used by the American forces at various times as a prison and for other purposes, and was so greatly damaged that in 1785 it was necessary to make extensive repairs. The graveyard connected with the church contains the remains of many patriots and British soldiers who died while their armies were in this vicinity.
Washington and his army were at Paramus several times. Many
4
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Courtesy C. H. L. Mitchell
The "Old Elm" in Ho-Ho-Kus
RIDGEWOOD, BERGEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY
important papers were sent from here, but all trace of Washington's headquarters seems to have been lost. It was here, after his great con- fliet at Monmouth, that Washington established his headquarters from July 11 to July 15, 1778. Here, on Sunday, July 12, he wrote to the President of Congress in response to the vote of thanks which had been passed by Congress for the important vietory he had gained at Monmouth. At this time, also, he received advice of the arrival of the French fleet under Count d'Estaing.
He was at Paramus December 5th to 8th of the same year, and on July 30 and October 7, 1780.
The following referenees also indicate that some soldiers must have been stationed at Paramus nearly all the time:
General Clinton was informed of clothing for troops to be sent to Paramus, November 2, 1776;
General Clinton was informed of return of Deputy Treasurer from Paramus, November 27, 1776;
General Clinton was at Paramus December 17, 20 and 21, 1776, and January 7 and 13, 1777;
General Heath was at Paramus, December 19, 1776;
General Clinton sent scouting parties from Ramapo as far as Par- amus December 23 and 29, 1776;
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