HILLSDALE, N.J.—The first school in Hillsdale, built in 1856, sat on Pascack Road at its intersection with Hillsdale Avenue.
In its first year, enrollment at the school was 36 students. According to local historians, the schoolhouse’s one large open room served students from kindergarten through the eighth grade. The first principal was William W. Banta, who was also a teacher. In the image at right, dated to 1873, Banta stands among his students.
Townspeople wore many hats in those days—Banta was also the postmaster and township clerk when Hillsdale incorporated in 1898.
Interestingly, when Hillsdale seceded from the Township of Washington in 1898 to become its own borough, it took its name from this school as well as the train station.
In that same year, Hillsdale built a new and bigger school on Magnolia Avenue where George White now stands. The old school on Pascack Road was no longer needed, and the building was moved 300 yards south and turned into a private residence. The home was demolished in 1998.
