October 10, 2025

Back in Time

Kristin Beuscher, columnist and president of the Pascack Historical Society, takes readers on a journey back in time through the Pascack Valley and Northern Valley’s rich history. Her “Back In Time” column offers a glimpse into the bygone days of these communities, shedding light on the lives of the people and the places that have shaped the area. With a keen eye for detail and a deep appreciation for local heritage, Kristin brings to life stories of the past, helping residents connect with their roots and gain a greater appreciation for the unique history of their towns.

The Vorrath farmhouse, at the corner of Hillsdale Avenue and Yesler Way, has been the home of the Hillsdale Free Public Library since 1957.

When Hillsdale met Seattle: The origins of Yesler Way

October 3, 2025 Kristin Beuscher

HILLSDALE—In the early days of the Pascack Valley, roads were not given names in the same way we know them today. The few roads that existed to serve the handful of […]

He insulted Miss Carlock — Her father lies in wait and administers a drubbing to the fellow

September 28, 2025 Kristin Beuscher

New York Sun, Oct. 1, 1895 — John J. Carlock, superintendent of streets, lives at Saddle River, and comes to Hackensack every morning on the New Jersey & New York […]

Ninety years ago this week, downtown Westwood was the scene of a grand patriotic display for the dedication of the post office. Despite the financial hardships of the Great Depression, it was an era of rapid advancement for the borough.

History signed, sealed, delivered

September 20, 2025 Kristin Beuscher

WESTWOOD—On Sept. 21. 1935, the citizens of Westwood, with county, state, and national officials, marched through local streets bedecked with flags and bunting. The band played patriotic odes to America […]

The Woodcliff schoolhouse opened 130 years ago this week, on Sept. 9, 1895. The borough had broken off from Washington Township just a year earlier. Designed by an architect who also became the first mayor, the building was constructed with stones gathered from the surrounding fields of the farming community. Pictured here are teachers and several students on the front steps, circa 1905.

Woodcliff schoolhouse, hewn from local stone, still serves

September 7, 2025 Kristin Beuscher

WOODCLIFF LAKE—On Woodcliff Avenue surrounded by a modern middle school campus, Woodcliff Lake’s little stone schoolhouse offers a lesson in longevity. It’s the oldest continually operating school building in Bergen […]

Old Tappan's two-room schoolhouse, along with teachers, principal, and the student body, in 1900.

Remembering Old Tappan’s little schoolhouse

August 29, 2025 Kristin Beuscher

OLD TAPPAN—Thirty-one students, two teachers, and a principal—this comprised the entirety of Old Tappan’s two-room wooden schoolhouse in 1900. The school stood on Old Tappan Road near Leonard Drive, […]

The District 20 schoolhouse and student body circa 1890. This school stood at Piermont Avenue and Rivervale Road in what is now River Vale, serving a rural community of fewer than 200.

The three lives of River Vale’s one-room schoolhouse

August 29, 2025 Kristin Beuscher

RIVER VALE—Long before anyone talked about recycling or sustainability, the people of River Vale simply refused to waste a good building. What today might be described as adaptive reuse was […]

When corn became contraband

August 25, 2025 Kristin Beuscher

PASCACK VALLEY—In summer 1930, transporting an ear of corn into New Jersey was a serious offense. Caught smuggling the crop? You faced a fine of $500—a nearly $10,000 chunk of […]

Onlookers fill Bergen Street as firefighters douse flames in the Bergen Building, March 10, 1911.

Englewood’s Bergen Building has withstood time (and fire)

August 8, 2025 Kristin Beuscher

ENGLEWOOD—It was August 1900 when the first shovels hit the dirt at Engle and Bergen streets, marking the beginning of the Bergen Building. A three-story brick structure would soon rise […]

Depot Square, 1895: a borough on the rise

August 2, 2025 Kristin Beuscher

PARK RIDGE—This week we go back 130 years with a snapshot of local life in the last decade of the 19th century. You are looking at downtown Park Ridge in […]

A view in Hillsdale in the 1930s. This angle looks west on Hillsdale Avenue (toward the downtown) from Magnolia Avenue. The Methodist church in its original location is on the far left. That site is now a parking lot. The area on the right is now a baseball field.

The Man Outside the Window

July 21, 2025 Kristin Beuscher

HILLSDALE, N.J.—This week we go back to summer 1930, when the people of Hillsdale were as frustrated as they were frightened. For six weeks the borough was plagued by a […]

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