Ed & Elaine Zindel Remember Old Oakland Pleasureland and the surrounding area was a kid’s playground like few others. The primary recreational features were the yet unspoiled Ramapo River and Pompton Lake which provided quality fishing, swimming, boating, and ice skating. We also fished Muller’s Brook, Mitchell’s Pond and Delmar’s Pond for the beautiful wild trout which flourished there. Potash’s Island, which we accessed from Island Terrace, was a great place to explore and had some of the best waterfowling and woodcock flights that I have ever seen. Rotten Pond, which was a poacher’s paradise, was a stiff walk from Pool Hollow, but we fished it relentlessly; by day and…
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History of Crystal Lake
History of Crystal Lake This picture is from the 1950’s. I recall the brook running down into the Lake behind Rockaway under the bridge that goes over Lakeside Dr; along with the Large body of water known as the Ramapo River running from Mahwah and Upstate NY. So I called in someone elder than us, as per my 90 year old grandmother, the inception of the lake was in the 50’s at that time the bodies of waters were known as creeks and small ponds around Oakland and the adjacent towns. She further professed the Damn was built in the 60’s a few years after a major flood. I hope…
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Connie Monks Discusses Former Stores
Connie Monks Discusses Former 4 Stores on RVR Note: Until the mid 1950s, there were 4 stores on RVR directly across from the Coppertree Mall. The Oakland Military Academy was located on the site of the Coppertree Mall until 1963 when it was demolished. Those stores were moved to what is now Elm Street in the 1950s. Constance Williams Monks Oh boy you bring the memories flowing. To the left was Mr. Proskeys antique store. Next was Vic the barber and the the Green Spot luncheonette. The one farthest to the right was a bunch of things. In the forties my brother Bert had a bike shop. He was a kid…
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Vernam Spring
Vernam Spring Just read your postings on the Vernam Spring. A great piece of Town History! Quite a few things even I didn’t know about the place!. As a child growing up in Oakland I remember the Spring house very well. It was my favorite place to hang out, especially in the hot summer time- it was always a bit cooler up there next to that cold Spring water. Mrs. Vernam was long gone by the time I was a youngster, but my father remembered her very well. When I was growing up, the Spring and nearby ponds were used as a Goldfish Hatchery. But the water proved too cold…
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Cal Bickford -Growing up in Oakland
Growing up in Oakland: 1948 – circa. 1960 THE MOVE TO OAKLAND My family moved into town during the fall of 1948. Up to that time we had lived in a new home that our parents built in a new development during 1940 in suburban Fair Lawn. My parents needed room. Both of them were avid gardeners as you will see below. Also, the houses were so close together that you could talk to your next door neighbor through the bedroom windows. We had looked for homes in the western part of Bergen County, primarily Mahwah, Oakland and Franklin Lakes, settling on an old 1800’s farmhouse that was to become…
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Bob Spear Home
pic#1 Our old home on what the Boro referred to as Nielsen Avenue which in fact was a dirt road we called Spear Lane. The “proposed” Avenue was to connect Long Hill road to Grove Street for a main entry to develop the entire area. It was particularly a “sore spot” one day to us when a Survey crew hired by the Boro came through without asking permission and staked out a broad “right of way” right across our property, across our pond, up our driveway and down across our field, pounding rib boned survey stakes in the ground! We quickly went behind them and tore up their survey stakes…
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Bob Spear on his Ancestral Bush Residence
Bob Spear on his Ancestral Home-The Bush Residence 7/10/2013 “My great grandfathers’s home circa 1870 on Valley Road- later the home of David C. Bush & Anna F. Spear and much later the Oakland Jewish Center. Henry I. Speer’s farm was next door opposite Ponds Church burying ground. The kitchen area on the right, huge barn in rear where my brother played as a child,” Bob, Thanks for adding additional info on this building. Please post your your comment as I think that it would be good for everyone to know and and appreciate both your and Oakland’s heritage. At the bottom of the pic is a hand written notation, “The Bush…
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A Veteran’s STORY
“A Veteran’s STORY” What does it mean to be a “Veteran”.. To some it is pride in serving their country at a time of need, or an obligation, or perhaps some inner need to prove something to themselves or perhaps others. Back in 1964 when I graduated from High School, I like others of my age at attaining the age of 18 years, had to register for the draft which was then in progress. The country was involved in a war in southeast Asia, a place called Vietnam. The year before we had witnessed the tragic death of our President at the hands of an assassin in Dallas, Texas. President…
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Antisemitism in Oakland
This interesting picture is what we call Jewtown Hey Ron, Considering that you and your family has lived in Oakland forever, I think of you often as THE SOURCE of Oakland info. Remember that I’m a relative newbie as I have only lived here since 1979. That said, I do have a question or perhaps a hypothesis that has been intriguing me for a while. It relates to the possible antisemitism in Oakland’s past. I’ll explain. My hypothesis starts with my possession of a photo of Klein’s Beach taken on 8/24/1932 by Mr. Bush. On the back in his handwriting is the following: “This interesting picture is what we call…
