December 21, 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.

Park Ridge's post office on Hawthorne Avenue in the early 1900s.

Burglars blow the safe, make off with $2 in pennies. (Try getting back to sleep after that)

November 7, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

PARK RIDGE—This week we go back 120 years to the pre-dawn hours of Nov. 13, 1904. The streets were dark, and the people of Park Ridge were asleep in their […]

.The old schoolhouse after a fire in November 1908.

A second life for the schoolhouse under the cliffs

November 5, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS—In October’s edition of Northern Valley Press, readers of this column learned about the Undercliff School, a little schoolhouse constructed on the Palisades in the 19th century for the […]

The perils of political prognostication. Spectators on Westwood Avenue in 1929 help give former Mayor Harry Goodwin, wheeling reporter Don Dutcher, a dose of good-natured comeuppance.

A Wacky Wager in Westwood

November 3, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

WESTWOOD—When former Mayor Harry Goodwin came up on the wrong side of an election wager in 1929, he had to give his friend a ride down Westwood Avenue in a […]

A motor procession traveled through Montvale, Park Ridge, Woodcliff Lake, Hillsdale, Emerson, and Westwood drumming up support for dark horse Wendell Willkie. It ended with a rally outside the Westwood train station.

Torchlights and trains: Westwood rallies for Wendell Willkie in 1940

October 26, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

WESTWOOD—In this look at our political past we turn to October 1940 for a photograph snapped in Westwood. The borough did not have a local election that year, and so […]

Foresters’ Hall, Kinderkamack Road in Park Ridge, circa 1900.

The McKinley and Roosevelt Club

October 17, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

PASCACK VALLEY—The North Bergen Chapter was one of many McKinley and Roosevelt clubs that sprang up in cities across America in 1900 to promote the reelection of Republican William McKinley, […]

The Hillsdale House Hotel as it looked in the 1890s. The building still stands at Broadway and Hillsdale Avenue.

Pascack’s Political Past: PHS exhibit highlights election relics

October 12, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

PARK RIDGE—Did you know that Park Ridge’s first election in 1894 was explosive—literally? The winning candidate, who led by a single vote, celebrated by firing off a cannon in Depot […]

Capt. Charles Von Wagoner dries fishing nets in Fisherman’s Village, part of the Undercliff settlement.

The schoolhouse under the cliffs

October 6, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS—In the 19th century, hundreds of people living in small fishing villages, collectively called Undercliff colony, populated the shores of the Hudson River at the base of the towering […]

Did you know: Until the Pascack Valley Regional High School district opened in 1955, Park Ridge’s student body included kids from Hillsdale, Woodcliff Lake, Montvale, River Vale, and even Pearl River. Although they came from different towns, they were a tight-knit bunch: the 1924-–1925 senior class included just 29 students

A century ago, a stellar season for Park Ridge

September 30, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

PARK RIDGE—Padding was minimal and helmets were optional back when Park Ridge High School’s football squad posed for this photograph a century ago, in the autumn of 1924. The boys […]

Men of the railroad at Hillsdale. That’s conductor James O'Brien at front right, standing on the cowcatcher.

The conductor’s crew: Hillsdale family boasted eight daughters

September 21, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

HILLSDALE—Can you remember a time when large families were much more common in the Pascack Valley? If you grew up locally as recently as the mid-20th century, you probably knew […]

A class photo of Montvale's seventh and eighth grades at the start of the 1924 school year.

Montvale middle-schoolers of 1924

September 8, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

MONTVALE—Can you believe that when this school photograph, above, was snapped in the autumn of 1924, this was Montvale’s entire seventh and eighth grades! Shortly into the new school year, […]

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