Historical Background of Prospect Park, New Jersey
From the Prospect Park 75th Anniversary booklet
Democratic government and peaceful home life have combined to set individually apart the Borough of Prospect Park both as an incorporated municipality and as a residential community. Modern civic improvements, fine educational facilities, exceptionally good roads and a thrifty, home-loving, righteous populace have made it justly proud of its individuality.
Much of Prospect Park's present-day status is due to the solid hereditary traits of its 5,000 inhabitants, the majority of whom are of Dutch descent or birth. In fact, the genealogical characteristics, which have been evidenced ever since the borough was incorporated on March 13, 1901, date back to the earliest settlement of northern New Jersey by sturdy Hollanders. Inherent qualities of thrift and business acumen identified themselves especially during the period of the great depression, which reached its greatest depth in 1933, in the fact that this borough did not falter once in meeting its financial obligations to individual, corporation or government, and the same was true of its two financial institutions, the Prospect Park National Bank and the Prospect Park Savings and Loan Association. Now, despite its well-advanced development, Prospect Park is one of the few municipalities which is debt free.
The natural devotion of the early Dutch settlers to community, church and home life took firm root. As the borough has developed and progressed, that sturdy wholesomeness has borne enviable fruit. An air of tranquility and hominess pervades the community.
In recent years many people of national origin other than Dutch have made Prospect Park their home and are, by their faithful observance of its customs and ordinances long established, helping to keep it essentially a church and home community hence a peaceful one.
The summary of history of the Borough of Prospect Park, as chronicled herein, gives some idea of the growth and advancement of the locality from Revolutionary times, when George Washington led his courageous Colonials through it, on through progressive stages to the municipality's present enviable position.
As part of the great Commonwealth of New Jersey, Prospect Park once provided hunting and camping grounds for the Lenni Lenape Indians - a small, peaceful clan of the great Algonquin tribe, which is extinct in this part of the United States. Evidences of the existence of red men in these parts remain in various collections of relics, such as numerous arrowheads, pieces of pottery, parts of grinding stones and tomahawks, which were found in the territory that comprises Prospect Park. The first white settlers purchased their land from the Indians. Nelson's History relates the advent of the Westervelt and Ryerson families to this region, the purchase of tracts of land from the red men, the cultivation of their farms and the beginning of the territory's development.
Early settlement of northern New Jersey found what is now Prospect Park in a direct line of communication between New England and the historic Preakness Valley. North Eighth Street was then a part of Cannonball Road, which ran between Preakness and Paramus and which figures prominently in maneuvers and the operations of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. George Washington traversed this road with his troops and recorded mention of it in his own diary, as he visited Col. Theunis Dey in Preakness twice during the pivotal year of 1780. On these occasions, with temporary headquarters established at the Dey House, practically all of the revolutionary leaders traveled Cannonball Road to consult with their Commander-in-Chief - General Lafayette, Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Benedict Arnold, "Mad Anthony" Wayne, Baron von Steuben, "Lighthorse Harry" Lee, and many others. Along Cannonball Road, Washington's men were encamped, over it troops moved and communications were sped by messengers.
After the Revolutionary War, settlement of this section, begun by the Dutch, was resumed. Originally part of the extensive Saddle River Township in Bergen County, Prospect Park became part of Manchester Township, when that was organized in 1837 with the creation of Passaic County out of parts of Bergen and Essex counties. Dutch settlers continued to move in. One group of Hollanders established a colony, which was known as "Little Holland ", along both sides of what is now East Main Street. In time this" settlement expanded up the hill into what now constitutes the borough. That predominance of Dutch remains today.
Pioneers who established their homes and farms in this section included Cornelius P. Hopper and Garrit Planten, each of whom owned a large tract of land. The Hopper tract, developed in 1872, extended from Hopper Street to near North Twelfth Street and from Haledon Avenue to near Planten Avenue. Directly east of the Hopper Tract was that of Gerrit Planten, containing about seventy-two acres. The Westervelt property ran between the Planten property and Prescott Avenue. The Muhs Estate, Kievit farm and the Graham tract were other early settlements.
In 1849, according to the custom in isolated places in rural territories, "Mount Pleasant," a graveyard, was dedicated on the Westervelt farm. This remained the burial ground of the Westervelt family until development necessitated abandonment of the cemetery around 1900 and removal of the remains interred there. So far as is known, the only body not removed was that of an old Negro servant and former slave. The Deed of Dedication, as appearing in Passaic County Register's Office in Book A-2, page 339, follows:
"We the undersigned being children and lawful heirs of Peter A. Westervelt dec. of the Township of Manchester County of Passaic and state of New Jersey believing it to have been the intention of our deceased Father to have a family burying yard on his farm in the township county and State aforesaid and whereas it pleased a wise and sovereign God to call our beloved Father from time to Eternity before his intentions had been carried into execution, and whereas no provision is made in the last will and testament of said deceased to secure this object, do hereby relinquish all claim right or title to a portion of a lot lying behind the Barn, being in the north east corner of said lot, said portion containing on the north side one hundred feet on the east fifty six feet and six inches on the south ninety eight feet and on the west fifty six feet six inches to be kept sacred and forever to remain for a Burying Yard for all the heirs of said deceased and for their heirs forever, and further such of us as may use said burying ground for ourselves, our heirs, executors administrators or assigns to see that the fence around said yard as it now stands be and remain where it now is and be always kept in good repair and moreover that a right of way be reserved to and from said burial ground.
"In Witness Whereof we have have hereunto set our hands and seals this 13 day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty
nine in presence of one another. Margaret Van Saun (LS)
Samuel P. Westervelt (LS)
Ralph P. Westervelt (LS)
John P. Westervelt (LS)
James P. Westervelt (LS)
Anna M. Westervelt (LS)
Peter B. Westervelt (LS)
Mary Helen Westervelt (LS)
William E. Westervelt (LS) "
nine in presence of one another. Margaret Van Saun (LS)
Samuel P. Westervelt (LS)
Ralph P. Westervelt (LS)
John P. Westervelt (LS)
James P. Westervelt (LS)
Anna M. Westervelt (LS)
Peter B. Westervelt (LS)
Mary Helen Westervelt (LS)
William E. Westervelt (LS) "
The location of this cemetery is in the center of block located between Struyk Avenue and Prescott Avenue and North Eleventh Street and North Twelfth Place and had an entrance from Prescott Avenue, and undoubtedly accounts for this present double-size block.
Another landmark recorded in history was a toll gate on Godwinville (now Goffle) Road, east of Belle Avenue. Monies received from a toll of three cents from each carriage and wagon traversing that road were used by the county to defray the cost of upkeep.
The name of Prospect Park first appeared on a development map of Estate of Cornelius P. Hopper filed in 1872.
Some of the older homes still standing in Prospect Park are: The Westervelt homestead at the corner of North Eighth Street and Prescott Avenue, which was in recent years divided into three sections, with each section having a different owner. It was surrounded by a large and beautiful flower garden.
The Gerrit Planten homestead is now on the east side of Planten Avenue about one hundred feet north of North Eighth Street. This large country estate was originally located on North Eighth Street, and had large servants quarters attached. It was set off with a large open lawn. The servants section was remodeled and now stands on North Ninth Street. The caretaker's home, located on the Planten farm, is the present dwelling at 338 North Eleventh Street owned and occupied by Walter C. Allen.
The Stansbury Home is the wooden section of the present Eastern Academy on North Eighth Street. Mrs. Stansbury was Rachel Hopper before her marriage to John C. Stansbury, and was the daughter of Cornelius P. Hopper, and members of her family still reside in Prospect Park. It was this Hopper family that built and owned the large red sand-stone house that formerly stood on the corner of Haledon Avenue and North Eighth Street, which plot is now occupied by the parsonage of the Sixth Reformed Church.
Schools As the passing years saw steady growth of the Prospect Park section education pushed forward. In the early days the children went to a district school, then located at the foot of North Eighth Street near Goffle Road. In later years the need for a separate district became so pressing that towards the latter part of the eighties it gave impetus to a movement to establish a new school district in the Prospect Park area. The present location of the Borough School, at Brown Avenue and North Ninth Street, was the site chosen and work on a frame building began early in 1889.
It is interesting to look briefly at legendary accounts of that undertaking. Before completion of the structure the sixty or more pupils left the North Eighth Street School and continued their studies under David J. Thurston in a large tent pitched close by the new building. Inclement weather was quite an obstacle. Rain leaked through the tent, and at times strong winds blew it down. After a storm the boys and girls often arrived at school to find the tent in a heap, so that it had to be pitched before lessons could begin. One of these pupils, later to become mayor of the borough, was Cornelius Bosland.
Residents of Prospect Park were afforded their first opportunity of managing their own educational affairs with the establishment of their own school district. The three trustees, who governed the school independently of the municipality, were also vested with the power of levying taxes for its operation. Substantial growth in attendance and one addition to the building marked the school's first five years.
The North Fourth Street Christian School also played an important part in the primary education of Prospect Park children, although it never was located actually within the borough limits. Two years of preliminary work culminated in formal organization of this school on August 17, 1892, followed by an official opening in September of that year. There was neither schoolhouse nor tent, so the seventy-five pupils met in the basement of the Second Christian Reformed Church with their two teachers, A. Van Vliet and R. Haan. The latter also served as principal. Unswerving devotion and loyalty carried this school through the first trying years. Slowly but steadily enrollment increased, and in 1895 about one hundred pupils were in attendance. Residents of the borough, as in the past, still give their support to this institution.
The State Legislature then passed an act which gave a Board of Education full charge of all schools in Manchester Township. The abolishment of the local district boards of school trustees created a desire for separate and independent governments throughout Manchester Township, and it subsequently was divided into independent boroughs. Hawthorne was the first to break away from the township.
Independence Achieved
Though loss of control of school affairs was a basic factor in the creation of sentiment for an independent municipality, the idea gathered momentum when the locality's representation on the Township Committee was lost with the defeat of Adrian Struyk and Frank Breen as Township Committeemen. Definite action was inaugurated with preliminary meetings in Breen's store at the corner of North Sixth Street and Fairview Avenue, where plans were outlined for the formation of a new municipality.
At this time the population of this section was estimated at between 1,500 and 2,000. This figure is approximated on the school enrollment available for that period, because the 1900 census did not include Prospect Park as a separate section.
The meetings in Breen's store led to a decision to seek legislative action to form the Prospect Park area into a new municipality. Adrian Struyk's initiative was largely instrumental in the success that was t come, as were the enthusiasm and devotion of Cornelius Van Noort, who assumed the important task of securing signatures on the petition. The borough organizers also enlisted the aid of Lawyer William J. Barbour of Haledon. Mr. Barbour advised against the first plan on the ground that the territory sought to be included was too small, as such an independent municipality could not be self-sustaining. He advised that a greater area should be included and suggested that a strip of land along the river be added so as to give the proposed new borough a voice in any riparian actions which might develop. Even then there were spasmodic and fruitless efforts to make the Passaic River navigable up to Paterson. Those conferences with Mr. Barbour resulted in the drawing of a new plan, which comprised substantially the territory now included in the Borough of Prospect Park. In its revised order, the plan was submitted to the Legislature of 1901. On March 13 of that year the borough was incorporated formally as an independent municipality.
The following April 22 witnessed a memorable gathering in the schoolhouse on Belle (now Brown) Avenue, with the assemblage of the borough's first official family and preparation for the administration of their government. Oaths of office were given by Master in Chancery Martin H.R. Van Hovenverg to Adrian Struyk, Mayor and John Brown, Krine Hook, Peter Pousma, William F. Lambert, Martin Bosland and H. Sanford, Councilmen. Frank Breen was elected Collector of the borough, and Andrew J. Hopper, Assessor. Mayor Struyk's inaugural message, as then presented, was:
"According to custom, I will call your attention to the different divisions of our government and to some of the problems now confronting us. Let us not forget the reasons set forth why we should be separate and apart from the township. Economy was the chief of these, and now, in beginning our municipal existence, let us start upon the economical road, and in so doing let us fix the salaries of our officers at a figure that will conclusively show to all that we intend to begin at home to practice what we have at all times advocated. During the past few days I have made some investigations into the affairs of other boroughs and, based upon this, we will first consider where our money must be expended.
"Our school, you will find, although not under our direct supervision, the most expensive of all our departments streets and highways, our poor, etc., together with internal improvements, will be among the chief items of expense at home, while our quota of state, school and county tax will be the chief item of expense outside.
"Our sources of income are not many, principally derived from direct taxes upon property. We may, in case we pass ordinances licensing peddlers, derive a small income from that source. We have no saloons, and in that particular we are far in advance of some of our neighboring municipalities, who, as a rule, pay dearly for the small income derived from such places. We also have the poll tax and a dog license, and it's your duty to see that the same are collected.
"Other boroughs, as, for example, Hawthorne, drew last year from the state a little more than $1,200 from the railroad and canal tax. We have no railroads nor canals. As a consequence, we miss this income. Taking up again our streets, what is to be done with them? How shall we improve them and how much shall we expend upon them? These are questions which are in your hands for solution, and in this, as in the question of salaries, economy should be your watchword. Shall we have fire protection of our own? This is a question which certainly should receive consideration and be settled either for or against as quickly as possible, and thereby eliminate from our council a question which, judging from the history of other sections, will sooner or later cause discord. The question of street lighting will, of necessity, be one for you to decide also, either pro or con, in the near future.
"The question of our poor will also be one for you to decide. Shall an overseer of the poor be appointed and, if so, what shall be his compensation?
"As the internal affairs of boroughs are managed chiefly by ordinances, a number of ordinances should be passed as quickly as the law will permit. I will mention an ordinance governing salaries; another the use of the streets, so far as fast or careless driving and riding upon sidewalks is concerned, and, gentlemen, these are mentioned only as examples. Others will be found necessary from time to time. There are other officers to be appointed, providing you consider it necessary, as, for example, a recorder, a marshal or Marshals.
"Gentlemen, I have reserved for the last the most important duty that you must perform at a very early date, the settlement between the borough and the Township of Manchester. Please allow me to call your attention to this matter as forcibly as possible, in order that you may familiarize yourselves at once with the matter, so that we will not be found wanting in allowing any matter to escape our notice that would deprive us of any money or property justly due us.
"In closing, gentlemen, allow me to thank you in advance for the assistance I feel confident you will extend to the chair by your advice and support in other ways necessary to insure a successful government."
After the mayor had concluded an adjournment was taken, the object of the officers being to find out their duties before acting in an official capacity.
Thus the town Council was organized, but differences of opinion arose almost immediately in the new governing body. Mayor Struyk's first appointment, that of Cornelius Van Noort as Borough Clerk, was rejected by the Board of Council. The appointment of Thomas Fraser as Borough Clerk was approved, and he served the borough as clerk for nearly twenty years. Various committees also were named. The only one business transaction that was effected at the first meeting was a motion empowering the Street Committee to solicit bids for the collection of garbage, which resulted in the award of a contract therefor to Murk Mater for the sum of $125.00 a year.
At the second meeting a week later the Board of Council confirmed the following appointments: John C. Makepeace, Recorder; John Bosland and George B. Conklin, Marshals; Frank Early, Pound-keeper; and William F. Lambert, Superintendent of Highways. Leonard J. Tynan was named Borough Counsel at the meeting of June 3, 1901.
During the early part of their incumbency, the borough fathers occupied themselves with the establishment of a permanent organization. There were ordinances to be passed creating a Board of Health, fixing salaries, licensing peddlers and dogs, and providing for preservation of peace, as well as details concerning the separation to be settled with Manchester Township. On June 17, these were finally ironed out.
Pending formal organization of a Board of Health, Mayor Struyk and the Board of Council appointed Dr. A. A. Lydecker as Health Inspector and George G. Conklin as Fumigator. Those officials were retained when Health Commissioners Oscar Smith, Jacob Doele, John F. Sanford and Barney Fylstra met for the first time on August 13 in the schoolhouse to name Mr. Smith as their President and Mr. Doele as Secretary.
One of the early ordinances passed by the Board of Council prohibited any commercial activity on Sunday - an ordinance still unchanged in substance, which has served steadfastly to preserve the peace and serenity of the community, especially on the Sabbath. That ruling is but one evidence of the innate traits of the people who formed and still live in the borough. Long before its official organization, the Dutch settlers, who lived in the hill section, maintained close communion with their church. The growth of the borough brought more residents of Dutch birth to these quiet, peaceful environs. More than five decades find Prospect Park's residents still enjoying that same tranquility.
The first year of the Board of Council's existence was marked by only one change in personnel. Councilman Sanford moved out of the borough and was replaced in office by Frank Zeeuw.
Absence of official records necessitates some presumption in determining early occurrences. For instance, the minutes of the Board of Council indicate that its first members were elected for one year only. This fact is inferred from the minutes of the meeting held on March 17, 1902, when the six board members agreed to draw lots to determine who should serve for three years who for two and who for one. Two changes in membership are recorded of that action. Peter Pousma and Barney Fylstra drew three-year terms; William F. Lambert and Krine Hook, two years; and Frank Zeeuw and Leonard Bosschieter, one year. The names of Fylstra and Bosschieter appear on the roster for the first time. It is apparent also, that, while the Councilmen had to be re-elected after one year, Mayor Struyk continued in office for a two-year term. At any rate, the order of sequence in years is the same today as at the beginning, with new mayoralty terms commencing in the odd years and ending in the even.
Mayor Struyk delivered his first annual message on March 17, 1902 to sound the keynote, which has since guided all succeeding officers, when he said: "Our watchword must be economy." At the same time, he cautioned members of the Council to be judicious in the administration of community affairs. He also took the opportunity to express his "sympathy with the heroic and unfortunate Boers in their unparalleled struggle for liberty," and asked that a resolution to that effect be forwarded to the President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, and to Congressman James F. Stewart of that district. Contemplating eventual complete independence of the borough, Mayor Struyk strongly advocated "a separate school district" for Prospect Park. Mayor Struyk's active usefulness and loyal enthusiasm are attested to be a vote of thanks for "his efficiency and devotion as presiding officer," which is recorded as having been tendered by the Board of Council at the close of the first year.
Even before Mayor Struyk's appeal for a "separate school district," however, the movement had been afoot. Incorporation of the borough had not changed the status of educational administration, which remained under the supervision of the Manchester Township system, although it had been the loss of school management under the old district plan that had served as the moving force for independent government.
Borough officials chafed under the condition. Members of the Board of Council had journeyed to the capital at Trenton personally to urge passage of legislation to remove the school from the jurisdiction of the township. Success crowned their efforts on June 16, 1902, when a progressive group of citizens convened to organize formally the Prospect Park Board of Education - Adrian Struyk, Gerrit Planten, Krine Hook, H. Campbell, C. Stansbury, Fred C. Brooks, Leonard Bosschieter, Andrew J. Hopper and Garret Sandhuisen. Mayor Struyk was elected to the presidency of the board; Gerrit Planten, district clerk.
At the assumption of council by the Board of Education, there was no eighth grade. Pupils desirous of continuing their studies for graduation were required to proceed to the Haledon School for that purpose. But the growth of the community flourished. School registration alone gave proof. David J. Thurston, who remained as principal, now had a staff of six teachers, whereas previously he had served as the lone schoolmaster.
With expansion came difficulties to test those hardy pioneers and the municipality in its infancy. Shortly after the organization of the school board a smallpox epidemic swept the borough. The community was isolated, but it was sufficient unto itself. Principal streets were heavily guarded to preserve quarantine regulations, nearly twenty extra officers being pressed into patrol service. Though as many as forty cases at a time menaced the very life of the community, effective work on the part of Dr. William S. Green and the health officials prevented the loss of a single life. The epidemic subsided within a month, and the task of fumigation began. Dr. Green first vaccinated John Bosland, later Police Chief, and Doris Faber, then the Marshals. The innoculation took place out-of-doors, at the corner of Hopper Street and Brown Avenue. That done, the marshalls went to work fumigating the homes and the epidemic passed into history.
Despite that unpleasant occurrence, the second year of the borough's existence was viewed with general satisfaction. It had proven itself capable of self-government. Mayor Struyk's second annual message on March 16, 1903 reported that Prospect Park "had done well in a financial way" as well. The Mayor also prophesied an imminent increase in population, which would bring additional advantages and decreased costs, and recommended a gradual system of permanent improvements to be carried out economically. His own words best evidence the spirit with which the entire citizenry was endowed:
"Honest differences of opinion will, of course, from time to time, arise among us, but the aim of all is the welfare of our borough."
Election of a full school board of nine members on March 17, 1903 indicates that one-year terms had been given to the first school commissioners, as in the case of the Councilmen. Jacob Doele, Gerrit Planten and Adrian Struyk were elected for three-year terms; William F. Lambert, Fred C. Brooks and Leonard Bosschieter, for two years; and Thomas Fraser, Conrad Hurtz and Garret Sandhuisen, for one year. Since that election three members have been elected annually to three-year terms.
Community progress went on. Edward W. Garrison was named principal of the school in April 1903, succeeding Mr. Thurston, whose one year under the borough Board of Education had been a troublous one. At the same meeting, the board renamed it the Prospect Park Borough School. A dedication program of Haledon School No. 5 on January 30, 1895, which listed the Prospect Park School as "No. 6," indicates that it had been designated at its establishment as District No. 6. From requisitions sent by Mr. Thurston to supervising principal Grundy for supplies, and from pencilled memoranda which were found in the Haledon School, there are indications that the school was identified later as No. 3 of Manchester Township. Apparently this latter designation followed the uniting of all schools of the township under a single Board of Education.
With Mr. Garrison's advent as principal, the board established an eighth grade and junior high school in the borough, under a plan instituted by Mr. Garrison and which was continued for three years.
The following March Mayor Struyk, in his annual message, recommended the erection of a building to serve as Borough Hall, fire house and jail as well as for educational purposes. The Board of Council acted on the recommendation immediately, the same night calling a special election for May 31 at which the voters were to decide on a proposed bond issue of $15,000. That issue was divided in three parts: $5,000 for construction of a combined town hall, engine house, jail and recorder's court; $2,000 for the purchase of fire-fighting equipment; and $8,000 for street improvements. The Board of Council minutes show that the voters rejected the first two propositions, but favored issuance of $8,000 in street improvement bonds.
With the improvement program, finances became straightened but the borough fathers refused to be confounded by the situation. Recorded minutes of the years of 1905-06 show the use of scrip in the meeting of obligations. Also, Mayor Struyk proved his faith in the community by personally lending money for payment of bills.
On August 9, 1906, the Board of Council adopted a resolution providing for installation of eight fire hydrants. The first of these was installed on July 23, 1907, and the number was shortly increased to twenty-two hydrants. Thus, the laying of water mains for this purpose made city water available to the majority of homes in the developed section of the community. A second bond issue of $5,000 was floated and sold on November 6, 1906 to the Hamilton Trust Company of Paterson.
Because the school attendance had risen to 400 pupils, the Board of Education was now confronted with the problem of proving additional facilities. The original frame building, erected over fifteen years before, was not adequate despite several additions. The enrollment increased so rapidly that another teacher was added, and Principal Garrison found it necessary to teach a class.
In 1907, the voters approved the erection of a brick addition to the old school. Principal Edward W. Garrison's ability as an educator was recognized by the then Governor of the State who appointed him County Superintendent. Mr. Somers Ingersoll succeeded him as our principal.
Prospect Park Borough School was not alone in its growth. Just across the line in Paterson, the North Fourth Street Christian School had increased its enrollment from about 100 at its founding in 1895 to 300, most of whom were from Prospect Park. In 1907 the Christian School Society, which operated the school, purchased a plot at Halpine and North Fourth Streets and erected thereon its present building. A roll call of 440 pupils marked its dedication.
Prospect Park's first big fire loss occurred in April of 1911, when the original frame part of of school building went up in flames, though the brick portion was saved. The story goes that a child, sent to a wardrobe for punishment, became resentful instead of penitent and thereupon built a fire in a corner of the cloakroom. This was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and the school was in full session. The flames spread rapidly throughout the wooden structure. However, upon the fire alarm being sounded, all the teachers and pupils marched out of the burning school building in good order, just as though it were but another fire drill. The emergency was met squarely. The voters quickly approved the $25,000 bond issue asked by the Board of Education to erect another brick addition to replace the burned portion of the school.
The two brick portions, thus built, constitute the present school, comprising twenty-one classrooms, the principal's office and the teacher's room. In 1928 the auditorium was added and since then many improvements were made, such as the popular manual training class now taught by Mr. Walter Macak and sewing class taught by Miss Florence Cooper.
Not until the 1910 census was an official separate count taken of inhabitants of the Borough of Prospect Park. Tabulation placed the population then at 2,719.
The peaceful atmosphere of the borough, the quiet home life of its people and in particular their devotion to religion, mostly Reformed and Christian Reformed, attracted persons of Dutch birth and extradiction including many immigrants newly arrived from the Netherlands. Prospect Park thus really became a Holland community, where almost everyone was of Dutch birth or decent, and the Dutch language was understood and spoken by almost all the people. To the extent that this has continued is illustrated by what occurred at a meeting of the Prospect Park Borough Council in 1945 - a property owner wrote a letter in Dutch to the Borough Council complaining about a tax assessment. The clerk read the letter, and it was understood by all at the Council table including the Mayor, the six councilmen, the Borough Engineer and the Borough Attorney.
By 1910 the Hopper Tract was fairly well developed with graded, curbed and guttered roads, and new homes principally of the self-sustaining, two-family type.
Adjoining sections began to feel Prospect Park's progressive influence. Houses sprang up on the Graham tract to the North, which had been sub-divided in 1909. This section was more familiarly known as the "bull lots," because herds of beef cattle, shipped from the west, grazed on its pasture land waiting consignment to the slaughterhouse. Its corners also afforded baseball diamonds, where the youth of the entire community played and both fire companies held exciting contests. Its bordering woods with patches of red cedars, clumps of white birches and big maples and majestic oaks were the scenes of joyous picnics and the hunting grounds for the boys of the neighborhood.
It is interesting to note that the two fire companies were the moving forces of political rivalries. The contests were limited to the primaries, as the Borough voters almost unanimously supported the straight Republican ticket from the beginning. But the Presidential Election of 1912 marked a temporary departure from straight Republican following. Theodore Roosevelt, who had left the Republican fold to run as a candidate on the "Bull Moose" Progressive ticket, carried the Borough. With his return to the Republican Party after his defeat, the Borough voters did likewise.
That election also had returned Mayor Struyk to office for his seventh consecutive term. But he was not to serve it, for shortly after election he fell ill and on December 12, 1912 that true Christian gentleman went to the great beyond.
The entire community mourned his passing, for his absolute honesty, his devotion to good government without waste or extravagance and his sound and impartial judgement, had justly earned him the respect of all. He was truly "the father of our Borough." Shortly after his death what was then Oak Street was, in his memory, changed to Struyk Avenue.
The leadership qualities of Lambertus Touw, who was chosen Mayor to fill the vacancy created by Adrian Struyk's death, were put to a test in the first year of his incumbency with the outbreak of the great Paterson Dyers' strike in the Summer of 1913. Because many of the borough residents were employed in the dye shops, Prospect Park became involved. To keep peace and avoid violence deputies patrolled the borough's streets. The high light of the strike was the so-called "Battle of Muh's Hill." To prevent the striking workmen from molesting the non-strikers as they came over the Sixth Avenue Bridge at East Main Street to their homes in and through the borough, a police force was present there. The strikers had gathered in force on what was then the Muh's property, which was open ground between North Eighth Street and East Main Street. Somehow a real clash between the strikers and the police ensued, resulting in many painful injuries and a number of arrests. Thirteen weeks of this strike ended in a settlement, and the borough resumed its peaceful existence.
As cisterns and a few wells were the sources of the water used by the Prospect Park residents before city water became available it had to be used sparingly. The use of City water brought with it the problem of sewage disposal. During Mayor Struyk's terms of office the streets of the borough were curbed and guttered with blue stone flags, with the expectation that this would carry off the waste water. Instead it collected in the gutters in stagnate, smelly pools. In 1903 the State Legislature had passed an act providing for the building of a trunk sewer to carry the sewerage from municipalities in the Passaic Valley to sea via Newark Bay. Because of the magnitude and expense of the undertaking few of the smaller enmunicipalities hadtered into the trunk sewerage system, which was completed and in operation when Lambertus Touw became mayor. Mayor Touw saw the value to Prospect Park of obtaining the right to empty its sewerage into the trunk sewer. To gain this right the borough had to obtain the consent of each of fifteen municipalities extending from Paterson City to Newark, and also to purchase from each of them a part of its share in the sewer's capacity. This was a long and arduous task and was handled by Mayor Touw with rare skill and great tenacity. He personally interviewed the officials of these fifteen municipalities and attended more than seventy meetings of official bodies before the task was accomplished. The borough obtained the trunk sewer rights as a cost to the borough which even then was very reasonable and, in comparison with the cost of the erection and maintenance of a sewer disposal plant which would otherwise have been necessary, has proven to be a real bargain for the people of Prospect Park. In obtaining the use of the trunk sewer Mayor Touw made the greatest single contribution ever made by any official to the progress of Prospect Park and the welfare of its people.
As soon as Prospect Park got the right to use trunk sewer the Council passed an ordinance to lay sewers throughout the borough and requiring that all sewer facilities in properties be connected therewith. $52,993.50, which was the contract price for laying the sewers in the borough's streets and making the connection with the trunk sewer at the river, seemed a large sum for the borough property owners to meet, so the ordinance allowed them to pay their respective assessments in ten annual installments. So generally popular was the installation of the sewer system, that most property owners paid their assessments in full and the borough found it unnecessary to issue bonds to finance the project.
During 1913 there seemed to be considerable agitation for a combined municipal building and firehouse, and in January, 1914 a resolution was adopted by the Council to engage Architect John Van Vlaanderen to draw plans for such a building, which he subsequently presented to the Council the following September but no further action was taken on this project for some time to come.
Other things were happening too. Belle Avenue was renamed Brown Avenue, and Oak Avenue became Struyk Avenue. About that same time the Council went on record as being opposed to a pending legislative bill designed to give salaries to the Mayor and Councilmen. The same year the only trolley line ever operated through a part of Prospect Park was built along Goffle Road to provide service between Paterson, Prospect Park, Hawthorne and Ridgewood.
In 1915 the Board of Council adopted the building code, which has remained in force ever since, John Udes being appointed first building inspector.
As the borough expanded and progressed the two fire companies became more cooperative with each other. Each enjoyed a good membership, and a junior membership was made available to young men under age. However, Fire Company No. 1 operated without official borough recognition, but it retained its ladder, pails, axes, poles and rope with which its members quickly responded to alarms, although the heavy, unwieldy ladder and other equipment had to be carried by hand unless someone happened along with a truck or wagon. The Hose Company was little better off, having to tow its hose reel by hand, unless a team of horses could be inducted into service. Naturally the fire-fighters were quite fatigued by the time they reached the scene of the blaze.
The close of 1916 also brought an end to sixteen years of continuous service as Borough Clerk for Thomas Fraser, who had been an active member of the original fire company as well as of the first Board of Council. On his retirement he was succeeded by Richard Hommes.
WORLD WAR ONE BRINGS LOCAL PROBLEMS
Upon entry of our country into the World War in April 1917, the Board of Council authorized Mayor Touw to organize a Home Defense League. In every way Prospect Park's people placed themselves solidly behind the Federal Government. More than one hundred of its resident answered the nation's call; ten of whom gave their lives in the war which was to end all wars.
Despite the turbulence of America's eighteen months' participation in the war, the homefolks seemed to carry on with their local affairs. On application from the Hose Company, the Town Hall question had been renewed and a committee named to draw plans for a combined municipal building and firehouse. Bids were advertised for on April 25, 1918, and after tabulation by Architect John S. Struyk, the contract was awarded. The new building was completed that Fall and opened for public inspection on January 1, 1919.
In January, 1918, Mayor Touw, who had been appointed fuel administrator for the borough, named John Van Buiten as his assistant. Between them they strove to meet the emergencies of fuel shortage caused by war demands. Many residents will recall the "heatless days" of that period. Peter Hofstra was the food administrator for the Borough and as there was a shortage of sugar it could be had only with tickets he issued.
Prospect Park gave more than its flesh and blood to the cause of Democracy in the World War. On each of the four occasions, when the government called for subscriptions for Liberty Bonds, the residents over-subscribed the borough's quota. Garret Sandhuizen was the chairman of the committee. Prospect Park's people again met their quota when John S. Struyk led the Victory Loan subscription Campaign after the war's end.
The Armistice of November 11, 1918 brought Prospect Park's World War One Veterans back home to resume their peaceful ways. Mayor Touw headed a campaign for funds to erect a suitable monument to the memory of the borough's courageous sons. Under the mayor's leadership and the able management of Cornelius Molendyk, secretary-treasurer of the movement, the handsome memorial now gracing the borough school's front walk was built. Inscribed on a bronze plaque on the monument are the names in World War One, citing especially those who lost their lives in service: Peter Verhage, William Van Der Pool, Jacob Tanis, Walter A. Street, Charles E. Stansbury, Marinus Koning, William Grosser, John L. Dykstra, William De Vogel, and Russell F. Ackerman. The unveiling and dedication, at which Mayor Touw presided on November 15, 1919, featured a large parade, addresses by the Honorable Thomas F. McCran and Ex-Judge Francis Scott, and an evening banquet and entertainment in honor of the returned service men.
The 1920 United States Census showed Prospect Park's population had increased to 4,292. That growth evidenced the results of the development of the Graham, Planten and Muhs tracts, and the extension of the improved streets and the water and sewer systems. The newcomers were mostly of the same type that had originally established the borough, people who sought peaceful home, civic and church life.
The growth of the Borough also brought need for better fire protection, and that the old man-drawn hose reel, pails, ladder, etc., were no longer sufficient to meet emergencies was demonstrated by the Van Buiten mill fire. It was at about 10:30 P.M. on the bitter cold night of February 1918 when the Van Buiten building was found afire. It was a large wooden structure occupied by several textile weaving firms situated where the northerly mill building of the Century Woven Label Co. now stands. The fire began in the mill basement and was burning fiercely when the firemen arrived. For a time the heat was so intense that the firemen could not get near enough to the building to even keep an effective stream of water on it and it was soon apparent that the building was doomed. Fire Chief Van Buiten, who owned the mill building, therefore ordered his men and the companies from Hawthorne and Haledon, which had responded to the Borough's call for assistance, to concentrate on saving surrounding dwellings, several of which were afire at one time. At nine o'clock the next morning the building was a heap of smoldering ruins but only one of the buildings, the Bosland home which adjoined the mill, had been totally destroyed. No fireman who went through that hectic night will ever forget the feeling of futility of trying to fight that fire with the inadequate means at hand. Nor how when he got home after the fire, the clothes he wore were frozen so stiff that when he took them off he could stand them up. The Van Buiten fire brought prompt action. Prospect Park Hose Company offered the Board of Council a $2,000 contribution towards the purchase of a motor fire apparatus. As a result, the borough bought a Mack fire truck for $10,000, of which the Hose Company was given charge. Ever since the borough has been kept well equipped with fire apparatus.
Prospect Park's new era of progress, on which it had embarked in 1920, continued. The advent of the motor age brought its first direct public transportation facilities from the borough proper to the heart of Paterson. Bus service was inaugurated along Haledon Avenue in 1923 and later extended along North Eighth Street and North Eleventh Street. This service, which was for about four years supplied by independent operators, was then taken over by the Public Service Co-ordinated Transport. In August of 1926, the Hawthorne Trolley Line which had run along East Main Street in the borough was discontinued being replaced by a bus line.
About this time the Passaic County Road Department constructed a concrete roadway along East Main Street. This was the first such pavement in the borough. Similar pavements were laid two years later on Haledon Avenue and North Eighth Street. The Borough authorities saw the advantages of the people of good roads and the first penetration, or semi-improved type of hard-surface road was laid in 1923. This began the program that was to give the borough its present excellent road system. The first concrete pavement laid by the Borough was along Planten Avenue, followed in 1927 by the paving of Brown Avenue and North Eleventh Street.
A modern electric signal box fire alarm system (which had been later been dismantled due to the high number of false alarms by pranksters) was installed in 1924 in place of the old locomotive tire fire gongs which had to be hit with a sledge hammer. The Hose Company again came to the fore with a $600 contribution towards the cost of the new alarm system.
Company No.1, though officially recognized as a part of the Borough Fire Department, had no modern apparatus until the early part of 1925 when the Borough bought for its use for $4,000 a fully equipped fire truck. Upon receipt of the new apparatus the Fire Company held a two-fold celebration, for at that time it also burned one of the mortgages it had on its property.
Much of the rivalry which had existed between Hose Company and the Fire Company ended with the passing of an ordinance which at last united the two fire companies as the Borough's Fire Department under a single chief. The fire chief is now elected annually by vote of the active members of both companies, one year from one company and the next year from the other. The old rancor between the fire companies has ended there being now only the usual rivalry in various competitions and as to which company arrives first at the fire.
On February 19, 1925, the Board of Council formally created a full time Police Department to replace the Marshals, who had been sufficient to meet police needs up to that time. Growth and changing conditions required more modern methods. John Bosland, one of the two marshals appointed in 1901, was named head of this new Police Department.
In 1925 a number of local residents were prime movers in the formation of a bank for our Borough and the result was that the Prospect Park National Bank officially opened its doors on December 31, 1925 at the corner of North Sixth Street and Haledon Avenue with an original capital of $50,000 and surplus of $25,000. Deposits exceeding $100,000 marked the opening day of the new institution -- a splendid display of confidence, which was destined to carry the bank steadily, unfalteringly forward even through the late depression. That the confidence so shown by our people in this bank was not misplaced was proven during the 1930 depression when it always fully met its obligations. The Prospect Park National Bank is now known far and wide for its modern and progressive business practices and because it pays a higher interest rate on savings than most other banks and for its phenomenal growth now having deposits of $34 million dollars.
Another financial institution to enjoy similarly consistent growth and stability was created shortly after the bank with the organization of the Prospect Park Building and Loan Association on March 26, 1926, now being the Prospect Park Savings and Loan Association. It, too, is a credit to the Borough and was also one of the few similar institutions that met all its obligations in full on demand. (The institution had fallen on hard times in the 1990's as their investments in the real estate market proved costly resulting in the takeover of the S&L by the federal government. For a short time, it was called the Prospect Park Federal Bank before it was sold to Paterson based Lakeview National Bank in 1994.)
After three eventful terms, Cornelius Bosland, whose administration had been confronted with many adjustment problems, was succeeded by Peter Hook, who was elected in 1920 as the Borough's fourth Mayor.
Mayor Hook's first term was unhappily marked by the outbreak of an epidemic of diphtheria in September of 1927. Out of forty-six cases in the community, there were six fatalities before the epidemic was brought under control in February, 1928. Though this was the most tragically disastrous wave of sickness in the borough's history, it developed Prospect Park's health program. To combat the disease, the health and school boards inaugurated a toxin-anti-toxin campaign, the service of immunizing children which has continued in practice. At the same time a wave of measles swept over the borough from January to June, but no serious consequences resulted from the 171 cases.
Fortunately, the services of a child hygiene nurse, Miss Elizabeth Vermeulen, had been accepted from the State the month before the diphtheria outbreak. Not only did she take an active part in the drive against the two diseases, but also opened a "Baby Keep Well Station" and conducted a program of health hygiene service for both pre-school and school children. A year's faithful and capable service resulted in the health and school boards' decision to retain Miss Vermeulen's services and ever since these two boards have engaged a full-time health nurse and have equally borne the cost.
But Prospect Park was not a community to permit any hardship to deter its progress. Its only secondary educational institution, the Eastern Academy, which had been founded on February 18, 1918 by the Society for Christian Secondary Education for Paterson and vicinity and dedicated to the furtherance of Christian principles, had shown consistent growth since moving into the borough in 1924. Increased enrollment necessitated the ..etc... more to come.
It is worthy of special note that the borough has had only six chief executives from 1901 to 1951, each of whom served ably during important periods of the borough's existence. Its first Mayor, Adrian Struyk, who passed away December 12, 1912, just as he was about to begin his seventh term of office, served admirably during the trying years of Prospect Park's infancy when it struggled to establish itself. He fostered the thought for an independent municipality, in which when it was formed he proved his faith by making persona! loans in various emergencies. Water, humanity's greater utility, was installed during his administration.
His successor, Lambertus Touw, remained in office until the end of 1920. His four terms were marked as among the most momentous in the history of the nation and of the world, for the conditions attendant on the World War I were precarious. Mayor Touw successfully directed the raising of funds and administration of fuel and food. As has been previously stated obtaining trunk sewer rights for the borough and the installation of the sewer system was the most outstanding achievement of his administration. The Municipal Building and the War Memorial were also erected during his incumbency.
Mayor Cornelius Bosland's administration for three terms was identified as a period of adjustment. Both fire companies were given modern equipment, officially recognized and united in the organization of the present Borough Fire Department. A full-time Police Department was established. Also recognition of the advent of the motor age brought to the borough its first concrete roads while he was In office.
The program of improvement and development has been carried on steadily since the induction into office of Mayor Hook In 1927. About eighty per cent of our local roads are now permanently paved.
Long, faithful service has been given by many office-holders. Frank Breen, whose store was the scene of the meetings chat resulted in the incorporation of the borough, was the first tax collector serving from 1901 to 1911. His successor was Peter Pousma who, prior to his election in 1912, served as clerk to the school board and as a member of the first Board of Council and of the Board of Education. After his death on April 2, 1940, the Board of Council appointed Richard De See, the present incumbent, who had previously served the borough as member of the Board of Education, member of the Board of Adjustment and as Councilman. There have been a few more changes among the assessors, who have included: Andrew J. Hopper, Conrad Veenstra, Jacob Doele, Peter Hofstra, Theodore Bruinsma, Harry Dykstra and Richard Acker.
On November 8, 1935 the Prospect Park National Bank was held up during the morning business hours, while a number of residents who were in the bank at this time were lined up against the wall by the desperadoes who made their escape by automobile with about $22,000 in cash. The loss was covered by insurance, and in the next few years the culprits were apprehended and sentenced to long prison terms.
In 1936 John Lowe was appointed to the Police Department and became the Chief of Police in September, 1937, when John Bosland resigned this position to become Sergeant of Police. Duke Stelpstra joined the Police Department on January 1, 1937, for full-time service.
Recorder Abram Vermeulen resigned his position on April 12, 1937 and was succeeded by Jacob Westerhoff, who held this position until January, 1939, when Henry P. Schoonyoung was appointed Recorder by Mayor Theodore Bruinsma. The title of this position has since been changed to Magistrate with the adoption of the new New Jersey State Constitution.
In 1939 the large water tank was placed on the top of Prescott Avenue, as a W.P.A. project at on approximate cost of $8,000 after having been taken down from its original location at the top of North Sixteenth Street hill. This changeover was made to give adequate supply and pressure to the northeastern section of the borough.
In 1941 Miss Elizabeth Vermeulen, the first Borough Nurse, resigned to become Mrs. Elizabeth V. Benjamin. Since then this position has been filled in order by the following: Miss Janet Van Hook, Mrs. Helen Vander Crake, Miss Doris Pleune, and since January, 1951, by Miss Ann Minnema, the present Health and School Nurse.
In this historical sketch of the Borough we have now reached the preparations for World War II, and the enlistment, registration and drafting of our boys and girls for service. It was during these few years chat the war effort was stressed everywhere and in everything, and food and material conservation and rationing programs were put into effect by local Boards under national programs.
Mayor Theodore Bruinsma, who had succeeded Mayor Peter Hook in 1939, had much to do with the formation of the Civilian Defense Corps in all its branches during his four years as chief executive, in which he was given good cooperation and assistance by the residents of the borough.
During Mayor Bruinsma's administration the fire department was brought up to date with the purchase of a fully equipped Mack truck for each of the two local fire companies. He also made a determined effort to economize on all Borough operating costs.
In January, 1943, Peter Hook was again returned its Mayor of Prospect Park and, together with Chief of Police John Lowe, members of the American Legion, Civilian Defense Corps and other borough residents, work was started on erecting an Honor Roll on the Municipal Grounds adjoining the Municipal Building on Brown Avenue, for the listing of the names of the local residents on their entry into the service of their country.
The Air Raid Alarm System was then put into effect, and many will recall the times during the evening hours when the alarms were sounded and the eerie blackouts which accompanied them.
In May, 1944, Harry Dykstra submitted his resignation as Tax Assessor, a position he held by consecutive elections for many years, to accept an appointment as Member of the Passaic County Board of Taxation made by Governor Walter E. Edge. Then Councilman Richard Acker was appointed Tax Assessor by Mayor Peter Hook, and Frank Duvaloois was appointed Councilman to fill the unexpired term of Mr. Acker.
In December, 1944, Samuel J. Steen, President of the Board of Adjustment, due to ill health, resigned from this position he had held continuously since the inception of this local hoard.
The year 1945 opened with new hope as it was evident that the great World War II was nearing an end, and on May 8, 1945, came the glorious announcement of the cessation of hostilities in the European theatre as V-E Day, which was soon followed with the grand final victory over the Japanese with the radio announcement of V-J Day on August 14, 1945.
Our local records show that 715 men and women from Prospect Park had entered the service including the following men who made the supreme sacrifice:
Anthony Ratering
Walter R. Coombs
James G. Greydanus
Orie Hartensveld
Roy Heringslack
Daniel Tremper
Julius M. Selitti
Leo Van Hoorebeke
Kurt Roeser
Paul G. Gaire
Jacob Faasse
Peter Van Der Schelde
Bernard Brons
Ernest Van Daalen
Cornelius Blokland
Harry Roeser
Walter Maas
Henry Stelleman
John Verhoeve
The flash floods of July, 1945, wrought havoc to the residents along North Fifteenth, Sixteenth and Seventeenth Streets, between Haledon Avenue and Fairview Avenue. This flood came after a heavy three-day rain storm.
The flash Hood trapped many persons in their homes. Screams coursed through the streets, yards and in some cases homes. While there was considerable loss of personal property such as furniture, basement equipment and appliances, there was no loss of life. During the height of the storm the flood waters of the Molley Ann's Brook flowed rapidly and wildly overtop of the bridge railing on Haledon Avenue, carrying along chicken coops, sheds and much like material. For some days after the water subsided the Fire Department was kept busy pumping water out of sellars.
Here we inject a story on the naming of Molly Ann's Brook. This brook reaches Passaic River at Westside Park In Paterson, which Park was once the home of Dick and Molly Van Houten. Their son, Adrian, was called "Molly's Jan" to distinguish him from other persons having a similar name, and it followed that this brook, coursing through their property alongside of their home got the name of Molly Jan's Brook around 1800, and through the years got to be Molly Ann's Brook.
Twenty-two acres of woodland situated at the top of Struyk Avenue extension were given to the Borough by Mr. and Mrs. Peter Hofstra to be used for park and recreation and picnicking grounds. This gracious gift was immediately accepted by Mayor Peter Hook, and the Councilmen on behalf of the Borough of Prospect Park, and the Board of Council then named this area "Hofstra Park"
On June 7, 1946, James Rooze passed away. Mr. Rooze had been Street Superintendent for many years and had been a marshal of the borough since 1909. He had been more familiarly known as "Kootje" to everyone over the years that saw much progress come about in the borough, from the time he originally owned and operated the farm and dairy business at the lower end of Planten Avenue at North Sixth Street.
Police Chief John Lowe died September 17, 1946, following a lingering illness of some months. Previous to his appointment to the Police Department he had served the Borough as a Councilman and a volunteer fireman. Duke J. Stelpstra, the successor to the office of Chief of Police was appointed to this position by Mayor Hook in January, 1947.
Mayor Peter Hook, in February, 1947, resigned the position as Chief Executive of Prospect Park to accept an appointment by Governor Driscoll to the position as member of the Passaic County Board of Elections, which he holds to this day.
At that time Tice De Jong, the senior member of the Board of Council, was appointed Mayor of the Borough of Prospect Park by his associates, and Richard Egedy was appointed to the vacancy in the Council Board. It was during this year that the entire borough was dressed up with new black and white street name signs to help direct the many visitors and transients coming to Prospect Park.
During Mayor De Jong's new term in 194S came the improvement of the Ball Field area of Hofstra Park, the placement of water fountains, picnic tables and benches and the introduction of a gradual though constant program for park and recreational development.
In 1949 the program of traffic control and regulation for Haledon Avenue was considered at much length, and a traffic survey disclosed that 15,000 vehicles passed along Haledon Avenue during a given twelve-hour period. This showed the need for additional traffic signals to help stop and stagger the traffic flow sufficiently to allow pedestrians to cross Haledon Avenue and to enable vehicles to enter Haledon Avenue from intersecting streets. These traffic regulations were also deemed necessary because of the establishment of the Temple Hill Branch Post Office on Haledon Avenue at North Eleventh Street. The Board of Council had helped to secure this after many years of effort with the valued assistance of Congressman Gordon Canfield, Postmaster Thomas Kelly of Paterson, and members of the Haledon Board of Council.
The year 1950 was marked with the retirement and pensioning of Police Sergeant John Bosland, who had served continuously as Marshal and member of the Police Department since his original appointment in 1901 by the then Mayor, Adrian Struyk.
And with the close of 1950, and the arrival of 1951, with fifty years of experience of life of development. Prospect Park has an unofficial population of 5,250.
For its first 50 years Prospect Park's advancement went slowly. The past 25 years have seen many changes in the borough. Among those changes were the expansion of the Prospect Park National Bank from a relatively small community bank to one of the largest banks in the state; the acquisition of the Cornish Wire plant on North Street by the Haband Company. This firm is now one of the largest mail order houses in the country.
The formation of the Manchester Regional School District which transferred pupils from Hawthorne High School to their own regional high school advanced Prospect Park educationally. In the area of recreation, the development of Hofstra Park, at no cost to the community, is the envy of neighboring towns.
Religion has always played an important part in the lives of the citizens of Prospect Park and the past 25 years saw the erection of one of the most beautiful house of worship in Passaic County. St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church is a beacon of light which shines throughout the community. With the church comes St. Paul's School, an educational facility for elementary students.
Recognizing the importance of spiritual comfort and advice, the borough council in 1951 appointed the first two fire chaplains. They were the Rev. Aart Van Houten, who serves to this day, and the late Msgr. Joseph O'Sullivan of St. Paul's R.C. Church.
The year 1952 was the year of the President Eisenhower landslide and citizens turned out enmasse to elect the popular war hero. Out of a registration of 2,993, there were 2,687 votes cast, with over 80 per cent going to Eisenhower. Mayor Tice De Jong was reelected with 2,184 votes.
April, 1953, saw the end of Mayor De Jong's service to Prospect Park. Moving to Hawthorne, he resigned, after 25 years of service, 19 as a councilman and six as mayor.
Councilman Daniel Hook was chosen as the new mayor. "Mayor Dan" as he was called, would continue to serve for 30 years as councilman and mayor. During his term as mayor, which continued throughout the 1960s, the community remained fairly stable, with little changes.
Voters in 1954 reaffirmed their allegiance to the Scriptural truths of the Bible in a special election conducted in May of that year. On the ballot were two questions. The one would permit Bingo and the other Raffles. Both questions were trounced by a seven-to-one majority.
Throughout the years approximately half of the students in the borough attended private or parochial schools. This was a boon to
taxpayers and resulted in comparatively low tax rates.
The Eastern Christian School Association in the early 1950s consolidated five schools into one school system. One of the schools to consolidate was the Eastern Academy on North Eighth Street. Until the consolidation movement, the school had been a high school, with its separate board of directors.
The Eastern Christian School Association consolidation movement saw the construction of a new private high school in North Haledon and the local school on North Eighth Street becoming a Junior High School, educating students in grades seven and eight. Approximately 245 students are educated in the school.
Advances in medicine brought changes in the state health laws and these in turn were reflected in the community. Prior to 1955, it was a common sight to find, nailed to door posts, such signs as "Whooping Cough - Measles - Chicken Pox - Mumps" and other minor child diseases.
The signs nailed to doors were discontinued in 1955.
In April, 1958, Edwin C. Jennings resigned as Tax Assessor, to be replaced by Bert Nawyn, who was appointed by Mayor Daniel Hook.
Realizing that Prospect Park could not remain a sending district for high school students to Hawthorne High School, the Board of Education in 1958 formed a committee which combined with committees of Haledon and North Haledon to determine the best solution for the education of high school students.
This committee's report resulted in the formation of the Manchester Regional High School District. The high school was constructed in the early 1960s on Church Street in Haledon with an entrance from Brown Avenue in Prospect Park.
The building was expanded in the 1970s and presently has an enrollment of 1,000 students. The decision of the three communities to band together, thus forming one high school education district, was an example of the foresight used by the pioneering fathers of the borough. Leaders in the move were Jacob Struyk, first secretary of the Manchester Board of Trustees, and Cornelius Groendyk,
Few disasters ever struck the borough as did hurricane "Donna". The year 1950, September 19, and the results were devastating. Hurricane "Donna" came roaring into town, knocking down trees, wires, signs, and ripping roofs off the buildings.
Volunteer firemen worked around the clock clearing the streets from debris and fallen tree limbs. Power at the municipal building was cut off for 28 hours. Volunteers manned posts throughout the town to call in the alarm, less there be a fire. Firemen and citizens remained on a continuous alert for 48 hours.
The Police alarm system and the fire alarm system were both knocked out.
One of the leading pioneers of the community, Peter Hofstra, passed away in April, 1961. Mr. Hofstra was an attorney who served the borough in many different functions, including counsel. He was a founder of the Prospect Park National Bank and an outstanding leader. Mr. Hofstra was succeeded as borough attorney by Herman Jeffer.
In quick succession, the borough during the 1960s had three tax collectors. Richard De See was replaced by James C. Littel. Mr. Littel served for little over a year and resigned. He was replaced by Donald Van Heemst, who continues to hold that post to this day.
Also, during this period of time, in quick succession, the municipal courts had three magistrates. Judge Henry Schoonjongen died of a heart attack and was succeeded by John Hamersma, who had a law office on Haledon Avenue. Mr. Hamersma, who was president of Eastern Christian School Association, died of a heart attack in February, 1963, and was succeeded in March of that year by Vincent Pernetti of North Haledon. James Evers of Hawthorne, presently serves as magistrate. Cognizant of the need for stricter control of fire ordinances and housing density requirements, thee council in 1965 established the borough's first Fire Prevention Bureau, Named were Peter Borduin and Peter Breen. Both continue to serve in this post. Also in 1965, the Borough received a bequest of $5,000 from the estate of the late Cora Hofstra, to be used for the purchase of recreational equipment for Hofstra Park.
During the 1960s many ordinances, designed for the comfort and well being of residents, were adopted. Among these was the "marking dog" ordinance which required all dogs to be leashed and made dog owners responsible for the noise created by their pets.
All full-time borough employees began receiving full medical and surgical insurance, plus hospitalization, in 1966.
In 1966, Dr. Peter G. Berkhout died. A family physician, he was a familiar person in the community, on call 24 hours a day. The fine building which housed his office, constructed in 1899 on the corner of Hopper Street and Haledon Avenue, was later demolished to make way for
a parking area, at the Prospect Park National Bank location.
Benches were placed at the Municipal Building in 1969, forming a mini-park, for senior citizens.
In October, 1969, Ralph V. Martin was appointed municipal judge; and a year later Anthony Ver Hage was named police chief, succeeding Duke Stelpstra, who retired. Long known for its excellence in fighting fires, the Fire Department in 1972 received a new fire truck, costing $44,550. The truck was housed in the Fairview Avenue firehouse, which was completely renovated and refurbished by the firemen.
It was in this year that Warren Brothers, Inc., who acquired the quarry operation from James Vander Made, made initial overtures to the council for a land swap which would give the quarry people access to land to be used for quarrying and provide the community, in turn, with one of the most spacious parks in the area.
When Hofstra Park was given for borough use, a stipulation in the deed stated that the land remained the property of the Hofstra heirs and that, should the recreational use of the land ever be discontinued, the property would revert to the Hofstra heirs.
Since the property was not legally owned by the borough, all negotiations for the land swap was conducted between the Warren Brothers firm and the Hofstra heirs.
The result was that the Hofstra heirs exchanged 10 acres of land, formerly the Hofstra Park, for 14 acres from Warren Brothers. Included in the arrangements was that Warren Brothers would provide $250,000 of improvements in the park and would maintain the park, including grounds maintenance, as long as the quarry operations were existent.
When completed the park will contain:
1. A regulation Pee Wee League field.
2. A regulation Little League field.
3. The improvement of existing baseball field facilities to major league standards.
4. Relation of the Police Pistol Range.
5. Two tennis courts.
6. A paved basketball court.
7. A new picnic area with playground facilities for younger children.
8. A memorial and observation area dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. Peter Hofstra.
9. Additional restroom facilities adjacent to the new picnic area.
10. A stone and timber shelter adjacent to the picnic area.
11. A paved roadway traversing the entire park facility, plus selected parking areas in close proximity to the proposed new facilities, one of these areas floodable for winter ice skating.
In 1973 Judge Ralph V. Martin, who had succeeded Vincent Pernetti, resigned to assume the new position of Passaic County District Court Judge. He was replaced by James Evers.
It was the Saturday before Labor Day, 1973, that the borough had one of its most spectacular fires in years. The Prospect Park Laundry and Cleaning Co. on North 11th Street burned to the ground. The night blaze sent flames leaping into the sky, 100 feet upward.
Tragedy struck the community on March 4, 1975, when Mayor John Trommelen died of a heart attack. Mayor Trommelen had just visited the polling booth to cast his vote in an election and was on his way back to work when he was stricken, while driving his car.
A 30-day period of mourning was proclaimed by Acting Mayor Robert Adams. Mayor Trommelen served for over 30 years in municipal government. He was devoted to his task as mayor of the community and could always be counted upon to seek out what was best for the residents of the borough. Municipal government must continue and Councilman Nicholas De Graf was elected by the council to fill the vacant mayor's chair. Mayor De Graf went on in November, 1975, to win election in his own right, at the polls for the unexpired term.
Former Board of Education president Edwin C. Breeman was appointed to fill out Mayor De Graf's unexpired term on the borough council.
In the latter part of 1975, flood insurance was made available for residents living on the lower part of North 17th Street, a flood prone area.
Of note also, is that Richard Zuidema, former councilman and a 75-year resident of the community, celebrated his 100th birthday on Sept. 19. Congratulatory telegrams were received from President Gerald Ford, Rep. Robert A. Roe, and the borough council.
While Prospect Park remains a predominately community of Dutch heritage, changes have been evident in the past 25 years. New ethnic groups are moving into the community and many of these are from the Arabian countries.
These new residents take pride in their properties and many houses in the community, allowed to lapse into disrepair, have been modernized and rehabilitated upon purchase.
Prospect Park still has many of the fine traditions which have singled it out as a model community. Sunday observance is adhered to with no commercial activity permitted on that day. There are no licenses to sell intoxicating liquores.
The public school system excels in educating the student and private schools in the community also have excellent records.
Prospect Park is a tightly-knit community... a town where people care for their neighbors. May the next 25 years which will culminate in the borough's centennial, find these attributes still existent.
Mayor Adrian Struyk
Mayor Lambertus Touw
Mayor Cornelius Bosland
Mayor Peter Hook
Mayor Theodore Bruinsma
Mayor Nicholas De Graaf
Mayor Tice De Jong
Mayor Daniel Hook
Mayor John Trommelen
Robert E. Adams, Anniversary Chairman
Anniversary Committee
John Pruiksma
Mayor & Council, 1776
Haledon Avenue & Ninth Street, 1850
Haledon Avenue & Eighth Street, 1850
Cornelius P. Hopper Estate
John F. Brown Estate
Gerrit Planten Homestead
Stansbury Estate
Lolke Sandhuisen Homestead
Crawford Homestead, N.11th Street
John. F. Sandford Home
Prospect Park Fire Co. Baseball Team, 1904
Prospect Park Public School
Prospect Park Volunteer Hose Co, 1916
Van Buiten Mill Fire
Board Of Adjustment, 1976
Borough Officials, 1976
Board Of Recreation, 1976
James Evers, Magistrate, 1976
Board Of Health, 1976
Borough Attorney, 1976
Bert Nawyn, Tax Assessor, 1976
Board Of Education, 1976
Officers Exempt Firemen's Association, 1976
Manchester Regional H.S. Board Members, 1976
Donald Van Heemst, Treasurer, 1976
Police Department
Fire Department
DPW
Haledon Ambulance
Civil Defense
Haledon Ambulance Corps
Volunteer Fire Co. 1 (old)
Volunteer Fire Co. 1 (old)
Volunteer Fire Co. 1 (old)
Please email me with your opinion on the page or anything else for that matter.
send to:
Mark D. Snyder
mark@Longruns.comMark D. Snyder
