October 9, 2026

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.

At the time of our 1860s stagecoach trip, the Pascack Reformed Church was already half a century old — but it was still the only church in the valley.The Frederick Wortendyke Jr. House (Benjamin Hill’s place in the 1860s) as it looks today. It is located at 12 Pascack Road. The oldest home in Park Ridge, it has been purchased by the borough to ensure the structure is preserved.

An 1860s trip through the Pascack Valley — Part 2

September 28, 2026 Kristin Beuscher

PASCACK VALLEY—Let’s continue our stagecoach journey through the 1860s Pascack Valley. We’ll follow the route the stagecoach took through this area 165 years ago. The route began at the old […]

The stagecoach to Closter departed from Park Ridge’s Pascack Trading Post, a center of commerce for the Pascack Valley’s early settlers. This view shows the weathered building before its demolition in the 20th century. Its cornerstone, dated 1770, is preserved at the Pascack Historical Society’s museum.

An 1860s trip through the Pascack Valley: Part 1

September 19, 2026 Kristin Beuscher

It’s a fine morning and autumn is in the air. Let’s take an imaginary ride through the Pascack Valley and try to picture the countryside as it appeared in those […]

The Township of Washington’s original one-room schoolhouse, built in 1902, still stands, overlooking Pascack Road as part of the modern municipal complex.

The old ‘cracker box’ on Pascack Road

September 11, 2026 Kristin Beuscher

TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON, N.J.—Does this place look familiar? If you live in the Township of Washington, you have probably been there many times without knowing its history. This one-room wooden […]

These were older students at Northvale’s Nathan Hale School in 1916. The borough broke off from Harrington Township the same year. (Colorized)

Back to school in newly minted Northvale

September 6, 2026 Kristin Beuscher

NORTHVALE, N.J.–The first school in Northvale, named for the patriot Nathan Hale, was constructed in 1909. A modest wooden structure, it burned to the ground just a few years after […]

The student body of Hillsdale’s first school with teacher William W. Banta. The young teacher was in charge of this entire group in the one-room schoolhouse.

The old one-room schoolhouse

September 5, 2026 Kristin Beuscher

HILLSDALE, N.J.—The first school in Hillsdale, built in 1856, sat on Pascack Road near its intersection with Hillsdale Avenue. During the first year, enrollment at the school was 36 students. […]

The students of Park Ridge posed for this photograph outside their schoolhouse in the late 1880s. The first Monday of September meant back-to-school time. (Colorized photo)

Back to school at Park Ridge, round about 1890

August 29, 2026 Kristin Beuscher

PARK RIDGE, N.J.—Laptops? Air-conditioned schools? Artificial intelligence?! This group would have settled for indoor plumbing. As we send the kids back to school, let’s take a look at one of […]

How the Hillsdale railroad station would have looked at the time of the 1876 workers’ strike, although this photograph likely dates to the 1880s. This week, 150 years ago, railroad workers went on strike after months of not receiving their pay. They pulled the trains into the Hillsdale station and then disabled them, halting travel on the Pascack Valley line for five days. Colorized.

Stiffed on wages, railroad men stopped the trains

August 24, 2026 Kristin Beuscher

PASCACK VALLEY AREA, N.J.—By August 1876, the railroad workers on the Pascack Valley line were fed up. For months, they had gone without pay. Now it was time to send […]

Featuring a view that looks up Third Avenue from Mill Street in Westwood, this postcard was mailed by a vacationer on Aug. 20, 1910. The sender tells a friend in Paterson, “I am having a very nice time. This is how the whole town looks‚ so clean and all one-family houses.”

A vacationer’s views in Westwood

August 15, 2026 Kristin Beuscher

In those years when warm weather brought scores of summer boarders to our countryside, thousands of scenes from the Pascack Valley appeared on postcards, like this one from Westwood. Views […]

A 19th-century view of the Demarest railroad station, with the hotel on the hill in the background. This luxurious resort catered to well-to-do New Yorkers at a time when the Northern Valley was a vacation destination.

The Hotel on the Hill in Demarest

August 13, 2026 Kristin Beuscher

DEMAREST, N.J.—The location of this 1880s photo should be easy to place—the Demarest Railroad Station has been a focal point in town since it was built in 1874, and it […]

John “Cal” Calvin Gardenier operated his livery stable in Hillsdale from the 1880s through the 1910s. Well placed to serve those coming and going at the Hillsdale station, it stood on Park Avenue near the railroad tracks, now the location of the Bank of America. The building was lost in a fire in 1930. Colorized.

Horses for Hire in Old Hillsdale

August 10, 2026 Kristin Beuscher

In 1909, the Bergen County Standard described Calvin Gardenier’s livery stable as “one of the largest and most successful business enterprises in Hillsdale.” In 2026, the majority of people have […]

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