presenting the history of Oakland I’ve been engaged for a few years now on Facebook presenting the history of Oakland to all who desired to fondly recall their roots. And I have done this as a relative stranger among the multitude who grew up here in Oakland and indeed lived, breathed and who were so enriched by the simple, wonderful joys of our Mayberry. Along the way since my wife and I moved here in 1979, I have been blessed with many friends, many of whom grew up here and shared what it was like then. I am insanely jealous. one of ten children in 1951 I grew up in…
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Notes on Clifford MacAvoy
Notes on Clifford MacAvoy The MacEvoy trail is named for Clifford E. MacEvoy who was a wealthy contractor of large public works. MacEvoy helped conceive and construct the nearby Wanaque Reservoir. In the 1920’s, MacEvoy bought property in the Ramapo Mountains to form the Bergen County Hunting and Fishing Club. MacEvoy’s estate was sold and purchased by the State of NJ using Green Acres and federal funds in 1976 and became what is now known as Ramapo Mountain State Forest. Mayor of Oakland 1936-1942 Died in 1960 Buried at Ponds Cemetery Married to Bernice Ryerson Daughter married Bud Vervaet – Oakland Mill Built Ponds memorial Bldg. Started Rt 208 $543,724 grubbing and clearing contract for…
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Pleasureland Past and Present
Pleasureland Past, Present,… As the Borough of Oakland considers the future of the Pleasureland property, The Journal offers a multimedia presentation covering Pleasureland’s past and present …including photos, music, and videos…for those interested in reading about the infamous event, you can click here. ….Otherwise, enjoy the better memories…. click to enlarge “Our annual family ‘picnic’ was held at Pleasureland, or Suntan Lake! Our parents would take us to all these cool places, like Wild West City, or Fairy Tale Forest, or The Land of Make Believe! (I’m tearing up, here!) We had no cable television, so Saturday morning TV consisted of Wonderama! (If you got up REAL early, you had…
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The Pulis House and Pond
The Pulis House and Pond Sometime In the early to mid 50s, my wife Elaine’s father John Oldenburg rented a house on Ramapo Valley Road and opened Bergen – Passaic Engineering and Surveying. Soon after, he accepted a position as Borough of Oakland Engineer and became close friends with Milt and Aggie Pulis. Before moving to Oakland in 1957, Elaine recalls frequent trips to the Pulis home with her brother John and mother Betty, who would later become the Valley School Nurse. Massive Concrete Piling One of Elaine’s special recollections is of the top of a massive concrete piling that came up from the basement and ended flush with Pulis’s…
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Installment #2- Slavery in Oakland
Slavery In Oakland In this era of hyper politically correct sensitivity, did you know that your property was once owned by a slave owner and that your same property was once farmed by slave labor? your property was once owned by a slave owner Yup, it’s true. And did you know that the very founding and settling of what is now Oakland was accomplished by virtue of slave ownership? Yup, it’s also true. In fact there are a few slave graveyards still in Oakland. So, let’s start from the beginning and explore the facts. Prior to 1664 the Dutch laid claim to all of New Jersey and New York…
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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 Ramapo Mountains 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…
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IF YOU’RE THINKING OF LIVING IN; OAKLAND
Real Estate New York Times – 1985 IF YOU’RE THINKING OF LIVING IN IF YOU’RE THINKING OF LIVING IN; OAKLAND By RACHELLE DePALMA Published: December 8, 1985 NESTLED along the banks of the Ramapo River with the profile of the Ramapo Mountains etched sharply against the sky, the Borough of Oakland stands as a rustic outpost in the northwestern corner of New Jersey. This Bergen County community This Bergen County community owes to the sparsely populated mountains a mix of light, contour and color that visitors have called breathtaking for more than 300 years. Its nine square miles are dotted with lakes, ponds and streams that flow near restored farmhouses,…
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True and Tragic Story of Downtown Oakland
How Did Downtown Oakland Go From This to This? Oakland was truly a Mayberry Ladies and gentlemen, lend me your ears and hearts as I will tell you a true and tragic story of downtown Oakland. It is a story that will bring tears to your eyes for what was and now lost and the decline of what is and what remains. I will tell you a very sad, tragic truth, a truth of the destruction and decline of our historic downtown. Up until the late 1950s, Oakland was truly a Mayberry, a backwoods section of Bergen County. Route 208 wouldn’t arrive to Oakland for several years although it was…
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BRIEF HISTORY OF THE OAKLAND VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE OAKLAND VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT 1909 – 2014 The Origins of the Oakland Volunteer Fire Department History records that in November, 1903 a major fire was discovered at the large barn of the Calder estate then located where the Coppertree Mall is currently situated and the need for a fire department in Oakland became apparent. Six years later on June 10,1909 a informal meeting was held at Ivy Hall to create a volunteer fire department in Oakland. Ludo Wilkins, the owner of the Wilkins Brush Factory in Oakland, was appointed as the first fire chief. And he served six terms as chief until 1916. In December,…
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History of the Railroad in Oakland
History of the Railroad in Oakland Source: The History of Bergen County, James Van Valen, 1900, p. 185-6 Bergen County
