September 2, 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.

Penny pinchers! In 1894, burglars hit the train stations

April 19, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

PASCACK VALLEY—We go back 120 years, to the night of April 26, 1894. Burglars were busy in the Pascack Valley. While the local citizens slept, thieves made their way up […]

Advertising from the icebox era

April 14, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

WESTWOOD—Refrigerators are among those things we don’t think much about until the power goes out. We have all put our lightning reflexes to the test during an outage, opening and […]

Another one bites the dust: Bootlegger’s den at Overbrook

April 7, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

HILLSDALE—“Two 300-gallon stills, hundreds of barrels and bottles, and all the paraphernalia necessary to conduct a huge distillery, were uncovered last Friday in a raid on the former Overbrook Country […]

‘Parking petters’ vex peaceable Township of Washington

March 31, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—Off the beaten path from the Pascack Valley railroad line, the Township of Washington had stayed rural well into the 20th century. In the 1920s, the population was […]

Everyone’s going horseless!

March 22, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

PASCACK VALLEY—In the featured photograph, taken in the early 1900s, two early automobiles kick up dust in a race on Broadway in Park Ridge. The drivers are heading in the […]

David P. Patterson and the creation of a railroad suburb

March 16, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

HILLSDALE—The corner of Patterson Street and Hillsdale Avenue is nothing out of the ordinary these days. Occupied by one of many banks in the Pascack Valley, customers go back and […]

Pause and Healey superlative

March 10, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

PARK RIDGE—From March 10 to 14, 1924, life at Park Ridge High was a real popularity contest. That week the students cast their ballots in a race to proclaim the […]

Before it was Stegemann’s Cock ‘n’ Bull…

March 2, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

NORWOOD—Once a Colonial home, later a restaurant, now just a memory. This little piece of local history is recent enough that many people reading right now will surely remember it. […]

Westwood first with firefighting company, 1894

February 24, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

WESTWOOD—On a wintry day long ago, Westwood’s bravest posed proudly. Westwood was the first community in the Pascack Valley to formally organize a firefighting company. Continental Hook and Ladder Co. […]

School days and a century

February 17, 2024 Kristin Beuscher

PARK RIDGE—The photograph at top was snapped on Pascack Road (or Main Street as it was called then) in Park Ridge on a winter’s day more than a century ago. […]

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