How old is your town?

Very interesting photo and story !

gardenmart . . .the reputation of the families involved in the Massachusetts iron industry was such that when New Haven, Connecticut needed their skills, the city fathers didn't invite them to New Haven but gave them land north and well out of the city.

I was semi reluctant to even look my cities history up. I have a love/hate relationship with this city, and the area in general. I googled, and this is what I got: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scranton,_Pennsylvania

DiggerDee....Mountain Grove in Bridgeport is the cemetery I've been trying to find. Tnanks! Worth a visit. In HS I went on dates there to look at the artwork. Very nice at dusk.

All you New Jerseyans, look up Batsto which is down in the Pines. An early iron works in New Jersey. We used to go there for school field trips when I was a kid.
Martha

Been there, Martha. Interesting place. Did you go to other places too? There were lots of glassworks in south Jersey, too. We have lots of sand - don'tcha know.

That photo of the Saugus Iron Works is beautiful! Looks like a fun place to visit. There are so many sites like this all over New England and the whole country, actually, that need to be seen by more people.

Hemhostaholic, I haven't looked at your Scranton link yet, but definitely will. My dad's side of the family is from that area - Olyphant, Blakely, Dickson City. Coal miners. I've never been there but have been thinking of making the drive.

David_Paul, I don't think I've ever met anyone who went to cemeteries on a date, lol!

Believe it or not, there is a chain of cemetaries here which are beautifully manicured and people can rent the various chapels for weddings ! They refer to them as Memorial Parks, not cemetaries.

Weddings in a cemetery, huh? Well, the cycle of life and all that, I suppose. And I guess they can be very beautiful, peaceful, and park-like. Just not the first place that pops into mind when planning a wedding, lol.

YankeeCat, I had always heard the McLevy quote regarding the snow and it's removal. After all these years, to find out he didn't really say it!

The revitalization efforts in Bpt are getting to be sad. Now the latest is that they will be tearing down O'Rourke's house. Why not let it stand until they really, REALLY, are ready to do something with that land? It may be another 10 years, and by then the house may be able to be saved. A shame that Bpt never really appreciated it's great heritage, and just tears things down left and right.

James O'Rourke is a professional baseball player from Bpt. He is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_O'Rourke_(baseball)

The house he lived in is the only thing standing in the middle of a huge area that was cleared several years ago for a revitalization project that never happened. Historical groups were hoping to save it, perhaps add a small museum, but unfortunately nothing came of it. If anyone watched any of the Youtube videos about Bridgeport in the link above, it's the house that appears in several of them, standing all by it's lonesome.

Wish I could find some of those photos where it shows all the open, empty land around it. Those photos speak volumes, sadly.

http://www.thefirsthit.org/the_house.html

http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16060:breaking-news-demolition-prep-work-begins-at-orourke-house&catid=147:local-news&Itemid=567

Hemhostaholic, I had a chance to look at your link on Scranton, and found it very interesting. I had always thought that Scranton was very similar to my hometown of Bridgeport, and reading the link confirmed that. Bpt didn't have coal or steel, but was a huge manufacturing center and started going downhill in the 70's with the loss of that manufacturing. Hopefully Scranton's efforts at revitalization are going better than Bridgeport's!

Edited to deal with an uncooperative wikipedia link. I can see the page, but when I put the link in my post and then click on it, it says there is no page! Hmmph! If you are interested, try typing in this:

http:// en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Jim_O'Rourke_(baseball)

without the spaces between "http://" and "en..." and "org" and "/wiki..."

This message was edited Feb 2, 2009 12:20 PM

Jan.... what is that glass making little village down there somewhere???

It's called Wheaton Village outside of Millville. I forget what road Batsto is on. I'll have to look it up.

Thanks! My brain is fried.
Visited there for a firefighters rodeo, that was pretty cool.

Hem,
Great link. The birthplace of our VP. Have you seen the Sat. Night Live skit where "Biden" describes Scranton?

I have, and I've seen the two episodes of "The Office" where Scranton was mentioned. When "The Office" had their convention here, it was insanity. I needed to go to the bank that day, and forgot, the whole down town was all blocked off. lol.

The sad thing is, downtown Scranton is showing a lot in the ways of improvement, as is Nay Aug Park (it was pretty much a scarey place to visit about 7-8 years ago). The rest of the city sort of takes on the "depressed" look, or as SNL's Biden said "Scranton is an armpit, I mean REALLY, that place is an armpit." lol I chuckled.

I have seen a few (only) SNL skits, but not those, David. Do you have a link?

Jan,
The last time I was at Batsto, it was our school class, the park ranger and the Jersey Devil. This was pre- pre-pre-casino AC, which is what most of this is near, and back then, most of that stuff was still the Pines. I have lived 26 years up here in MA come April. And, oh, yes!, I believe in the Jersey Devil, though I heard that he has retired to a condo in Ong's Hat.
Martha {a former Jersey Tomato}

Lol on the 'Jersey Devil' retiring to a condo.
I went to camp in the Pine Barrens called Mt. Misery. That's a little disconcerting when first heard. HMMM.. wonder if it's still around.

What a great thread idea, Jen. Some great history.

First the paranoid disclaimer - I don't actually live in this town, but if I did, this would be its history.

Used to be part of the town of Haverstraw until 1865. It's the site of one of the most important Revolutionary battles that no one knows about!

http://www.revolutionaryday.com/usroute9w/stonypoint/default.htm

Much like Washington' Crossing
http://www.ushistory.org/washingtoncrossing/history/index.htm

all you non-Jerseyites,
Washington's Crossing is actually two state parks. There's really not a town there. One on the NJ side and one on the Pennsy side. George and Co., After defeat in New York, they fled across to PA taking all the boats with them up and downriver for about 10 miles each way. These were manned by the marbleheaders. The British, unable to cross, left the Hessians at Trenton and made camp in Princeton and New Brunswick. They sort of figured George would stay over there for the winter and underestimated him. There were supposed to be two crossings, one above trenton and one below down near bordentown, but the southern one didn't happen. George crossed everybody back over with the boats he had previously commandeered and the Durham boats, which he also commandeered, from an iron works! Apparently the Hessians were not so much hungover as taken completely by surprise. The British sent reinforcements down to Trenton to find Washington, but he tricked them and escaped up the back road to Princeton {down Rt. 33, past my old street, and up by the mall!} and fought the Battle of Princeton a few days later. Today, the british and the americans can use the footbridge!
Martha

Cool lesson, Martha! I knew they put the mall there for some reason.

"Washington...tricked them and escaped up the back road to Princeton down Rt. 33, past my old street, and up by the mall!..."

It's a good thing there wasn't a sale going on or George might have gotten distracted!

Or a one hour denture store in the mall.

Carrie, I don't have a link but I'm sure you could find it in SNL's election spoofs. some of the best stuff they ever did.

Probably the first times I ever watched SNL consistently is leading up to a really juicy election!
Edited to say the ONLY times.

This message was edited Feb 3, 2009 10:00 PM

Being a Trentonian, I grew up with George. Here in the Boston area, we've got Paul Revere and the Adamses and other patriotic types, but my history was tied up with the Number 1 guy! The owner of the local summer music theater reenacted the crossing every Christmas day for many years , boat and all. He has gone to his reward now, and i don't think they do it any more. The famous painting is on the NJ state quarter though they actually made George sit down and not rock the boat on the way over. If you want to read a really great book about the Battle of Trenton, get The Day is Ours! by William Dwyer. It's really an amazing story.
Oh, and when I mapquested Batsto, I discovered there is a place called Martha, NJ on the eastern side of the Wharton State Forest! I did not know that until today! How could my parents have kept this from me all these years?
Martha


This message was edited Feb 3, 2009 11:42 PM

Wow a town named after you, lol! ^_^

Jen and Victor, great links! Thanks!

Just pulled up this old thread, such interesting stuff!!!!

Weird! I've been doing historical checks on the town next to mine to accompany some new pics and here is this thread! Weird.
My city was once known as the Shoe City because we manufactured more shoes & boots than any other city in the world.
Andy P

that's cool

Wow, never saw the thread! Very interesting histories. My town was incorporated in 1876, but it was a town long before then.....it was called Plymouth Hollow, which I like better, especially since the Plymouth town line is only a few houses up the road.....

Whoops....just looked up town on Google...the date was 1875.....we are a year older than I thought....

my childhood & mom's town has some neat stuff other than Wayne Chrebet from the Jets lived on our block.. and his sister was in my same class.. more or less I might have bullied the poor kid around once or twice.. LOL

and too bad it's a ghetto now


HISTORY OF GARFIELD

Garfield, situated at the junction of the Passaic and Saddle Rivers, was originally the home of the Hackensack Clan of the Leni Lenape Tribe of the Algonquin Indians who came here thousands of years ago. They were industrious and made wampum and articles for barter. The last known Indian, named Nachpunck, lived on the bank of the Saddle River opposite Cantacoy Brook.

In 1679 Jacques Cortelyou from New Utrecht, Long Island, sailed up the Passaic River and, taking a liking to the place, began negotiations with the Indians which resulted in the sale of a tract called Acqueyquinonke covering land from the Saddle River to the Great Rock (in Glen Rock) lying near the highlands and covered 5320 acres.

The Saddle River, which flows into the Passaic River, was named by two Scotsmen who came from Argilshire in Scotland, after a river Sadel, in Scotland.

The Passaic River was named after the Passaik Tribe of Indians whose hunting grounds were across the river.

Between Monroe Street and Sloughter Dam, a natural rock dam, named after Col. Henry Sloughter, where Dundee Dam was built later, were the Indians’ fishing waters. They built stone dams, traces of which are still visible, to trap shad. About 300 feet north of Menehenicke (Dundee Island) they constructed weirs to catch eels.

Garfield, north of Passaic Street, was a wilderness, inhabited by wild animals. In 1720 money was raised by taxation to pay for killing bears, panthers, wolves, foxes and wildcats.

The Acqueyquinonke tract was divided among purchasers who settled along the Passaic River and lived in peace and comfort until the beginning of the Revolutionary War.

Early in the war in November 1776, General George Washington fled Fort Lee and Hackensack and marched his American army across a bridge over the Hackensack River and a bridge over the Passaic River just north of where Gregory Avenue is today in Wallington. Washington and his men camped there for the night and later retreated into Pennsylvania before his historic crossing of the Delaware Christmas 1776.

The bridge over the Passaic River was destroyed by men led by John H. Post, a farmer’s boy. The British in pursuit of Washington arrived at the bridge and finding it destroyed, turned and followed the Passaic River until they arrived at Adrian Post’s farm and grist mill near Toer’s Lane (Outwater Lane) in present day Garfield where they could ford the river. They camped for the night in homes, barns and sheds along the river from Monroe Street to Toer’s Lane. Heavy rains prevented them from fording the river and they stayed for a week, finally crossing November 27, 1776 to the great relief of the farmers, all of whom, with one exception, were loyal Americans. A historical monument marks the spot on the riverbank near the corner of River Drive and Columbus Avenue. A historical marker is also on the Garfield YMCA Building at 33 Outwater Lane.

The Garfield hero of that war was Cornelius Van Vorst, who lived on Outwater Lane, about where the Garfield “Y” is today. He was a lieutenant colonel with the foot militia of Washington’s Army. He fought with such fervor and dedication that he became known as the “Dead Raiser”.

About 1800, Abram C. Zabriskie bought land bordering the Passaic and Saddle Rivers and erected a home, grist mill and general store at Peck Hook Landing at the intersection of Bear’s Nest Road (Midland Avenue) and Peck Hook Road (River Drive). Peck Hook Road lead to Peck Hook, later called Garfield Park, which was near that intersection.

Zabriskie built a dam, docks and ships to carry freight down the Passaic River to Newark and other points. The first ships were named “Olive Branch”, “Proprietor and Owner” and “Lodi”.

Adrian Post’s grist mill and saw mill, was served by a schooner named “Polly”, owned and operated by Henry F. Post, between Post’s Mill and Newark.

In 1851 Zabriskie sold land to a farmer named James Cadmus, between Peck Hook Road and Monroe Street. His melons became famous and Garfield became known as Cadmus’ Melon Patch.

Gilbert D. Bogart is often credited as having been the founder of “modern day” Garfield. When seven houses were constructed in 1873 between Monroe Street and Van Winkle Avenue, the area became known as “East Passaic”. He would later construct about three hundred more homes and the lower part of the Harrison Avenue area became known as “Bogart Heights”.

Had it not been for the panic in 1873 and the lack of ready funds before that, Garfield might have been developed into the bustling industrial City it was to eventually become, much sooner. In 1866 and 1867, the State Legislature passed a law permitting the building of the Saddle River Horse Car Railroad Company from Zabriskie’s dock on River Road to Paterson. It was designed to provide transportation for millworkers. Although similar horse car railroads were to be built to Paterson from Lodi and Passaic, they were given up because of the lack of funds and the 1873 financial panic which, it is reported by historians, was one of the worst in this country’s history.

Garfield almost had a horse trolley in 1890. It was to link Lodi, Garfield and Passaic at the Passaic Street bridge. Passaic’s line ended on its side of the bridge. At first, the objection was that the bridge could not sustain the trolley’s weight. When this objection was overcome, the Marsellus family (Marsellus Place named after it) which owned the land through which the trolley was to run, refused to give it up for that purpose. Allegedly, Henry Marsellus blocked the enterprise because he and Gilbert Bogart, one of the chief proponents for the new improvement, were bitter opponents on matters dealing with the development of Garfield. Eventually though, there were trolleys in Garfield and the dip in Passaic Street at the railroad trestle was dug out so that the trolley would avoid crossing the train tracks at a curve on the rail line.

Augustus Hasbrouck built the “Octagon House” at 23 Orchard Street, one of only two today remaining in all of Bergen County. When he sold his house and 275 acre produce farm to Daniel Van Winkle, prior to 1876, the new owner named it “Belmont” because it resembled a bell and he thus gave its name to a section of the City.

Veterans Bridge, connecting Ackerman Avenue in Clifton with Outwater Lane, was once known as Robertsford Bridge, and the Jewell Street area was once known as the Robertsford section of Garfield, which was named after James Roberts, who built the worsted mills at the corner of Outwater Lane and River Drive. The operation was later sold to Samuel Hird, who became a local philanthropist who built the YMCA as a gift to the people of Garfield.

Plauderville Avenue was named after “Plauder Ecke” (Gossip Corner), a Brooklyn German newspaper, by people who settled there. This section was also known as “Bear’s Nest” and Midland Avenue was called Bear’s Nest Road.

In 1881, a railroad shortcut, the Bergen County Railroad, was laid and a station built and called Garfield after President James A. Garfield who died that year. The first agent was James U. Lemon, a railroad conductor who had lost his arm in a railroad accident. A spur was built down Monroe Street into Dundee (Passaic) to serve that area. Passengers were carried down Monroe Street until about 1900.

The Passaic and New York Railroad was laid in 1886 from Passaic junction on the New York Susquehanna and Western Railroad to Dundee. Passengers were carried on that line until 1892. The station was at the foot of Belmont Avenue. In the 1980’s the City purchased the abandoned part of this line from Division Avenue to River Drive and erected a Fire House on this property next to City Hall on Outwater Lane. In 2006, the City sold off the portion of the abandoned railline between Botany Street and River Drive near Belmont Avenue.

Spring Tank, located in Bear’s Nest, near Belmont Avenue, replenished the water supply of locomotives on the Bergen County Short Cut of the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad, later known as the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad, then Conrail, and now New Jersey Transit Railroad.

An early industry in Garfield was the Hall Fishing Tackle Company on Passaic Street, near what is now Cambridge Avenue, built in the early 1880’s. It was run by a George Little, whose forebearers were among the earliest settlers in the new world.

Around the turn of the 20th century, Garfield grew rapidly, not only in population, but in its industries as well. Although Garfield became predominantly a textile manufacturing community, other types of companies thrived here too. Fritzche Brothers, a German chemical company, started in 1873, is recognized as the first “modern” factory in Garfield and was located near the corner of River Drive and Hudson Street. They made oils and perfumes. By 1903, the Heyden Chemical Company had taken over the plant and the site was later occupied by Tenneco Chemical and Kalama Chemical. The Hammersley Manufacturing Plant was located on River Drive near Midland Avenue. Tradition has it that Seigfried Hammersley invented wax paper when a candle tipped over pouring wax onto paper.

Important worsted or woolen mills in Garfield included Samuel Hird, New Jersey Worsted, the Phoenix Mills, Hartmann Embroidery and the Forstmann Plant off Lanza Avenue which was the only early Garfield company to benefit from the Dundee Dam.

Garfield was once part of the Township of Saddle River, which was originally created in 1737. Garfield broke away to become a borough on March 15, 1898 and the State Legislature set Garfield’s same boundaries which exist today. On April 19, 1917, the borough became the City of Garfield.

In those early days of the founding of our City, the Third Ward became predominantly populated with immigrants from Italy, the Second Ward attracted the Slovaks, the First Ward drew mostly Russians and the Fourth, Italians, Poles, Slavs, and Hungarians. Today the First Ward has attracted many Hispanic immigrants. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, many new Polish immigrants have moved to Garfield, especially to the Fourth and Fifth Wards.

The booming woolen and silk mills blighted the Passaic River with waste matter, however, in recent years, this pollution has diminished somewhat and today the river has become much cleaner than it once was.

Politics had and still has an ethnic flavor. The big woolen mills for the most part are gone and industry and business diversified.

Since 1972, Garfield has been governed by a City Manager and a five member Council, one of who is selected by his or her Council colleagues to be the Mayor. All of the members of the City Council are elected at large for four year terms. The work of the City is carried on under the supervision of the appointed Department Heads and they, in turn, report to the City Manager.

The area of Garfield is 1,333 acres or 2.08 square miles with an elevation from 10 to 160 feet. The City has more than 20 places of worship, a YMCA, a Boys and Girls Club, City Recreation Center, Senior Citizens Center, Health Center, Public Library, five volunteer Fire Companies and a volunteer Ambulance Corps.

Garfield is twelve miles west of New York City, ten miles north of Newark, four miles south of Paterson and across the river from Passaic and Clifton. The population according to the 2000 census is 29,786. Garfield’s single largest employer, Garden State Paper, which was located at 950 River Drive, closed in 2002.

Garfield earned the nickname “City of Champions” because the 1939 Garfield High School Football Team was National Champions, the Holy Name/Garfield Cadets were frequently winning DCI/National Drum and Bugle Corps Championships, Tippy Larkin “the Garfield Gunner” was Junior Welterweight Boxing Champion of the World in 1946, and because of the exploits of other Garfield heroes.

Bergen County, in which Garfield is located, is at the top corner of New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City. The County seat is Hackensack. Bergen County has three cities, two villages, nine townships and 56 boroughs – for a total of 70 municipalities.

A history of Garfield can be found in "William Scott’s History of Passaic and it’s Environs, Volume II" at the Garfield Free Public Library, along with “Images of America – Garfield" by Howard D. Lanza.

Okay.now you're getting carried away, Allison!

it's an old town... LOL

Garfield the cat was born there?

UGH

oh and Garden State Paper was closed down due to the Enron mess... many jobs were lost there.. was sad to see happen

Six English settlers landed on the north shore of long Island in 1655, walking distance from where I buy my Pizza, - a place called Port Jefferson. They purchased 8 square miles of land from the Indians in exchange for tools, wampum, lead, powder and "1 pair of children's stockings. The Hamlet was called Setauket, additional lands were purchased and in 1686 a patent was granted for the town to be named Brookhaven. Hence a representative form of government was granted by the governor of the colony of New York.

WC's exclusive, way cool estate is located within it's boundaries. ☺