Glimpses into Passaic County’s Past
The following articles and photographs cover a wide range of topics and provide an interesting look back in time. Much of the material was originally published in PCHS newsletters dating from the 1920s to the present or in old county histories; however, also included is material prepared by current PCHS members. Although some of the older articles may contain remarks that are not politically correct by today’s standards, they provide insight into the era in which they were written.
The PCHS Genealogy Club Homepage also contains much information about people, places, and events in Passaic County history.
To learn about events that occurred in the United States on this day, visit
Today in History – American Memory – Library of Congress.
People
David Salisbury Franks – A Profile
Richard Varick of Hackensack . . . Patriot, Soldier, Founder
“Whistler’s Mother” – The McNeills and The Whistlers
Life Among the Early Settlers of Acquackanonk
Immigrants At The Paterson Silk Mills
The Capture of John Cadmus -( Revolutionary War)
1886 Letter From George Baker re the Statue of Liberty Celebration
Early Physicians in Passaic County
Civil War Letter from Herber Wells
Aboriginal Vestiges of Garret Mountain
Eliza Howard Powers (Civil War Nurse)
The Interesting Career of Judge John W. Rea
Passaic County Manumission Records
The Early Settlements (Settlers) of West Milford
An Act of Kindness – (George Washington)
Capt. James Gray – Ironmaster at Little Falls
Washington at the Totowa Falls
John F. Noonan, Telephone Pioneer
Robert Erskine: Mapmaker and Patriot
Places
Dublin, Paterson’s First Neighborhood
Older Place Names in Passaic County
The Naming of Godwinville (Ridgewood)
Street Name Changes (Paterson)
Streets Added and Removed (Paterson)
Top Secret – The Cannonball Road
The Naming of Athenia: A Section of Clifton NJ
History of West Milford Township, Passaic County, New Jersey 1834-1934
An Early History of Hawthorne, New Jersey
Fire, Floods, Epidemics, and other Disasters
Paterson Cholera Epidemic 1832
Paterson Cholera Epidemic 1849
The (Paterson) Tornado of 1903
Organizations and Associations
Passaic Home and Orphans Asylum
Paterson Orphans Asylum Association, Inc
The Society for Establishing Useful Manufacturers (S.U.M.)
The Memorial Day Nursery – The Nickel House
Festivals and Celebrations
The George Washington Bicentennial in Paterson and Passaic County
Education
Earliest Schools in Passaic County
Some Adventures in Private Education in Paterson
Hospitals
Early History of St. Joseph’s Hospital, Paterson, NJ
Religion
The True Reformed Church of Acquackanonk ~ The Seceders
The First African Methodist Church of Passaic, NJ
Paterson Church Directory 1879
Early Catholics in the Passaic County Area
Second Presbyterian Church of Paterson
The Reformed Dutch Churches of Paterson
The True Reformed Church of Passaic
Military
George Washington’s Headquarters at the Falls
Carolina Troops at Totowa in 1780
Passaic’s Victory Day: How Washington’s Retreat Became Stabilized at Passaic
Business and Industry
American Duck (Manufactured at the Phoenix Mill)
Weavertown – A Small Popularly Named Section of Paterson
Transportation and Communication
Coach’s Legacy Endures (The Deckertown Stage)
Newspapers
The Echo – Clifton’s First Newspaper
The City of Passaic Newspapers (1882)
Houses, Farms, Buildings, etc.
Historic 1680 Speer Homestead Little Falls
The Stynmets-Sip House (Passaic)
Arts, Entertainment and Sports
St. Patrick’s Day, A Poem by Patersonian, J. Shey, 1823
Outstanding Figures in the Musical History of Paterson
Early Nickelodeons in Passaic County
The Birth and Early Development of the Motion Picture
Wayne’s Most Famous Resident – The Horse “Preakness”
Interesting, Strange and Unusual