The Meadowlands History Project

Historical Lyndhurst Maps On Display

  

   There’s a great story in this week’s South Bergenite about the history of Lyndhurst as seen through its old maps, blueprints and other historical documents.

   The items are featured in the Lyndhurst Historical Society exhibit, “Finding Our Way and Finding Our Place,” on display at the township’s Little Red Schoolhouse Museum. (Photo courtesy of Jaimie Julia Winters/The South Bergenite)

   The show features blueprints and maps that chart the evolution of the town throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, from its beginnings as a Dutch settlement to its incorporation in 1917.

   The diagrams also detail Lyndhurst’s early land magnates as well as its former well-known sites, such as the glamorous Ritz Theater that graced Ridge Road from 1928 to 1967, and the now demolished Riverside swimming pool, which offered residents relief from the heat from 1920 to 1965.

   To read the article, click here.

   “Finding Our Way and Finding Our Place” will be on display until June 2011. The Little Red Schoolhouse Museum is located on the corner of Fern and Riverside avenues. Museum hours are 2 to 4 p.m. on the second and fourth Sundays of each month and by appointment. For more information or to arrange for a group tour, call 201-804-2513 or visit www.lyndhursthistoricalsociety.org.

What's In a Name Wednesday: Lyndhurst

  

   The Township of Lyndhurst endured many name changes before it became incorporated in 1917. The 4.9 square-mile tract located between the Hackensack and Passaic rivers was first known as Mighecticock, its Native American name.

   When the Dutch settled in the area in the 1640s, they called it Achter Col (behind the neck of land), which referred to the body of water that is today known as the Hackensack River.

    Lyndhurst was later known as New Barbadoes, New Barbadoes Landing, Lodi Township, South Rutherford and Union Township.

   Click "Continue Reading ..." below for more information about how Lyndhurst got its name

Happy Birthday, Joey Ramone

     Punk-rock legend and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Joey Ramone (real name Jeff Hyman) was a lifelong New Yorker, but his final resting place is in the Meadowlands.

   The Ramones singer, who died of lymphoma in 2001, would have turned 59 today. He is buried in New Mount Zion Cemetery in Lyndhurst.

   The Ramones are widely credited with inventing punk rock in the mid-1970s in New York’s Bowery district on the city’s lower east side. The band got its start at the Bowery club CBGB, where their early  performances were known for the buzz-saw guitars, breakneck drum beats and rebellious lyrics that would define punk rock. The band's attire, consisting of black leather jackets and ripped jeans, would become the de facto punk rock uniform.

    Following his death, the city honored Ramone by renaming a portion of   
the Bowery near CBGB as “Joey Ramone Place.” Ramone’s influence also lives on in the countless punk bands the Ramones inspired worldwide. Many successful punk acts, including mega-stars like Green Day, name the Ramones as a primary influence. 

(Gravesite photo by Brenda Aberback)

Click "Continue Reading ..." below for more information about Joey Ramone and to hear his music.

Clay Avenue Wetlands

   

   One of our favorite spots in Lyndhurst (besides DeKorte Park) is the Clay Avenue Wetlands site. Not only can you see a lot of great birds as Spring wears on, but you can soak in some amazing history.

   In the marsh itself, you can see a solitary smokestack, the sole remains of a munitions factory that was exploded by German saboteurs in the days before World War I. 

   Thanks to the heroism of Tessie McNamara (pictured above on the historical plaque at the site), no one died in the massive blast.

   A couple of links to Web pages about Tessie McNamara and the history of the site are here and here. Shot of the old smokestack is below.

Here Come the Brides

    The Meadowlands Museum in Rutherford and the Lyndhurst Historical Society are each hosting exhibits that explore how wedding dresses and customs have changed over the years, giving visitors a first-hand look at the history and evolution of one of society’s most enduring traditions. (Photo from Lyndhurst exhibit at left.)

   The Lyndhurst exhibit, “Brides,” runs through early June. The Meadowlands Museum show, “Getting Married in New Jersey,” is up through spring 2011.

    Both collections feature wedding gowns and photos from the late 19th and early 20th centuries as well as more modern dresses. All of the dresses show signs of the careful preparation and attention to detail befitting such a momentous occasion. (Two-piece satin damask dress worn in 1896 on display at Meadowlands Museum pictured at right.)

   Also included in the exhibits are vintage wedding invitations, announcements and other wedding related items. A budget of items for a 1926 wedding includes $43 for the wedding ring, $35 for flowers and $8 for eight ties.

    The Meadowlands Museum is located at 91 Crane Ave. in Rutherford. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Large groups are asked to call ahead. For more information call the museum at 201-935-1175 or click here. 

   The Lyndhurst Historical Society exhibit is at the Little Red Schoolhouse Museum, the home of the historical society, on the corner of Riverside and Fern avenues. Museum hours are 2 to 4 p.m. on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. For more information call 201-804-2513 or click here.  

   Click "Continue reading ..." below to see more photos from the exhibits.

Free Genealogy Program March 24 at NJMC

    The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and the Meadowlands Museum are hosting a free genealogy program, “Online Resources for Researching Your Family,” on Wednesday March 24 at 2 p.m. in the NJMC’s Meadowlands Environment Center in DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst.

   Genealogist Rhoda Portugal will show many free ways in which you can use the Internet to research your family tree. 

   The event is the latest in a series of free public programs at the Meadowlands Environment Center offered by the NJMC and the Meadowlands Museum to help promote the rich history of the Meadowlands District. The next event is a lecture on the Morris Canal scheduled for Tuesday April 20 at 2 p.m.

    The Meadowlands Museum-NJMC programs are part of the Meadowlands Environment Center’s winter/spring schedule of events, which features a variety of activities for all ages including concerts, film screenings, and science and environmental education workshops.  

   To view the entire schedule, click here. For more information, call 201-777-2413

   The Meadowlands Museum is located at 91 Crane Avenue in Rutherford. The museum’s collection features 17,000 items, including photos, textiles, written documents, clothing, children’s toys and games, diaries, and household items chronicling life in the Meadowlands over the past 200 years

   Museum hours are 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday and 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information call the museum at 201-935-1175.

An Old-Fashioned Afternoon at the Movies

    The Meadowlands Museum and the NJMC have teamed up to offer a series of free public programs at the Meadowlands Environment Center in DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst.

    The first event, "An Old-Fashioned Day at the Movies," is on Saturday Jan. 30 at 1 p.m.

   The entire family can learn how kids spent their Saturdays in the 1930s during this program, which includes a vintage newsreel, old cartoons and the feature presentation, “The Music Box” starring Laurel and Hardy.

      Click "Continue reading ..." below for more  information on the Meadowlands Museum and upcoming Meadowlands Environment Center programs hosted by the museum. 

LYNDHURST: Earl Jensen and Horseshoe Creek

   In the following account, Korean War veteran Earl Jensen of Lyndhurst recalls growing up near Horseshoe Creek.

    The area of the swamp where all my activities occurred was east of Lyndhurst and North Arlington.  In 1946 the western spur of the turnpike had not been laid down yet. 

   The Erie and the Lackawanna Railroads and the Jersey City water line were the only reminders of any modern-day progress passing through the swamp.

    To me, the grand swamp was a picture of the past with all its natural wonderment. 

    Click "Continue reading ..." for the rest of Earl's account, as well as Earl's old photos.

Muskrateers of the Meadowlands: Videos

 
   Late last month, a bunch of long-time hunters and muskrat trappers from Little Ferry got together at a Carlstadt restaurant to talk about the old days, when muskrats and pheasants abounded.
   We were on hand to record their candid conversations. 

  

      The Muskrateers are:

   Top Row (l to r): Mel Lana Jr., Andrew Zappetelli, Joe Lana, Steve Royka, Larry Russo, Mel Lana, Pete Crecco, Bernie Sobolewski, George Stoft, Brian Smith, Greg Smith, Don Smith.
    Lower Row: Ronald Donaldson, Mario Mariani, Ray Kooman, Jimmy Frattarelli, Romalo Faustini, Larry Zappetelli

   Click "Continue reading..." to see short videos of trappers Don Smith, Bernie Sobolewski, Pete Crecco, Larry Russo, Ray Kooman and Roland Donaldson.