How the Brits Helped Us Depart The rise of townships in Bergen County…..Hmmmmm….Some might suggest that this is an article to assist borderline insomniacs while others might postulate that it is for the anal retentive interested only in the arcane minutia of little known events and connections of many, many years ago. Well, this mighty pen (keyboard) will quickly dispatch those dragons……Hopefully if you remain awake to the end. Hang in and don’t despair as there are some pictures. I’ll try to answer your first question: What is a township and where did they come from? The answer is that a township is an administrative unit of a larger geopolitical…
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Installment #1 – Mother Nature, Men Without Good Maps
Oakland History Reconsidered Recap of Oakland History Presentation Installment #1 Mother Nature, Men Without Good Maps, the Brits, the Dutch and Indians The history of Oakland really begins with Mother Nature. A few billion years ago when the earth was forming, the forces of nature created the Ramapo Mountains which originally were as tall as the Alps. However, since their original formation there have been 5 Ice Ages. The ice, about 5 miles thick, literally wore them down to their current size and height in the course of advancing and receding. The same Ice Ages also created the Palisades along the Hudson River and the wide valley between known as…
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Boroughitis The NJ Disease That Created Oakland
Boroughitis – The NJ Disease That Created Oakland 17 Jun, 2014 in Features / Oakland Time Travels Boroughitis The NJ Disease That Created Oakland By Kevin Heffernan On April 8, 1902 Oakland seceded from Franklin Township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature. Hurrah! And in the words of Martin King, Jr., we finally were “Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty we are free at last!” While I will soon write far more about the details of this wondrous event, it’s important to do some stage setting with regard to the state and county geo-political environments in 1902. In other words, what was going on around us to enable the…
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An Ode to Our Doty Road Bridge
An Ode to Our Doty Road Bridge The current Doty Road Bridge has no soul and offers nothing to augment our wonderful memories. Made of the latest technology of steel girders wrapped in concrete, it is unable to recall Oakland’s glory days or even to inspire new ones. So sad. Is there a person among us that doesn’t have a fuzzy warm memory of the Doty Road Bridge? Is it just crossing it a thousand times? Or walking astride its beams to Pleasureland? Or perhaps it’s having a beer or two or three at the Pleasureland Pub, Auggie’s or Angie’s to some, at the foot of the bridge. Lee Eramo-Mouacdie…
