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Below are excerpts from: A Bicentennial History of the Borough of Northvale, by James P. McDonnell, 1976. Northvale is part of a tract of land that was purchased from the Tappan Indians by Jan Haring, Adrean Smidt and Huybert Blauvelt and other associates. Most of these settlers already had large farms in the Bowery section of New York but, because of crowded conditions, wanted to move north. In 1683 the first settlers began moving into the area and clearing the land. A Patent was granted to them in 1687 giving them legal title to the land. It became known as the Tappan Patent and was granted by the New York Colony because at that time there was no distinct boundary separating the Colonies of New York and New Jersey. New Jersey claimed the land as far north as Haverstraw, and in turn New York claimed the land south as far as Closter. This confusion in the boundary lasted until just before the Revolution. In 1704 parcels of the land were divided and Cosyn Haring built a stone house on DeWolf Road in Old Tappan. The house remains standing today and is one of the oldest houses in New Jersey. At the same time, his brother , Abraham, was given a parcel of land east of Tappan Road in present-day Northvale. By 1746, Abraham Haring had been given, or had purchased, most of the land on the east and west side of Tappan Road up to the state line. He and his family for the most part were the owners of present-day Northvale. In fact, one of his sons lived in a house which still exists as part of a restaurant/caterer business on Tappan Road. In 1774 there was a settlement of the New York-New Jersey boundary dispute, and the northern tip of Bergen County up to Tappan became part of the province of New Jersey. This result left the residents of the area without a formal type of government since they had been part of Tappan. So they banded together and petitioned the province for a new township. Their petition was granted and Haringtownship became a reality. Northvale remained a part of the township until 1916. Before, during and after the Revolution, agriculture was the main means of livelihood in the Northern Valley area. Most of the farmers were prosperous because the close proximity to New York created a profitable market for their goods. New York fell early in the Revolution, and so Bergen County was at the mercy of the British and their raiding parties. Bergen County was a pivotal point in the history of the Revolution. On the morning of November 20, 1776, under cover of darkness, Lord Cornwallis led a force of some ten thousand men from Closter Dock landing pointg up the Palisades. Legend tells us that the Americans at Fort Lee were saved that day from a surprise attack through the heroic efforts of a Northern Valley resident. This unknown patriot was out plowing his fields when he spotted the British marching down Closter Dock Road. Quickly he unhitched his plow and raced on his horse to Fort Lee to warn General Greene. After receiving the message, General Washington ordered the evacuation of the Fort. An orderly retreat was conducted by the Continental Army as it marched northwestward through Englewood over the New Bridge into Hackensack. Time was the important factor, and it seemed to be on the side of the Continentals. It seems the British has one great problem--faulty maps of the area--and so it is generally believed that they marched too far westward before turning south towards Fort Lee. Thus, the American Army was afforded an opportunity to escape and fight another day. One of the darkest moments for the Continental Army during the Revolution took place not far from Northvale. In September, 1780, General Benedict Arnold, Commander of West Point, met with Major John Andre of the British Army and turned over the plans of West Point's fortifications. Major Andre was captured and ordered to be sent to Tappan to stand trial. The present-day restaurant, The '76 House, was his prison. Major Andre was found guilty of being a spy. General Washington, who was staying at the DeWindt house in Tappan, gave his approval of the findings and ordered Andre's execution. On the afternoon of October 2, 1780, Major Andre was taken from his prison and brought to a hilltop on the Northvale border and hung. Today a monument commorates the place of execution while the body of Andre lies buried at Westminster Abbey in London. In the early 1800's, Northvale was still inhabited by people of French and Dutch ancestry. They enjoyed a long period of peace while farming their lands. However, a startling change took place with the advent of the railroad. Up to that time, it was a very arduous journey to go from Northvale by land to lower New York. It meant a journey by stagecoach and ferry and took two days. After 1840 a steamer began stopping at Piermont, NY, making it a little easier; but it was not until 1859 that the area opened up when a rail line was completed. During the Civil War, several residents of the Township served in New Jersey's volunteer regiments. In 1866, Lucien Sanial filed a map with the Bergen County Clerk; it was entitled "The Map of Carrieville", named after his wife, Carrie. The map comprised most of Northvale. On this map, the streets running east and west were named after major cities, and the streets running north and south were named after famous people. In 1875 the first railroad depot was developed under the name "Neuvy". In fact, a railroad guidebook of 1887 describes the Northvale area as follows: "Neuvy" is a quiet town of 400, mostly French and Italians who conduct a quite extensive business in the manufacture of materials for artificial flowers." During this period the numbers of trains stopping in the area was increasing so that by 1899 some 33 trains a day stopped at the depot. Another industry of the time was making bricks. The Smith Clay Company created Cooper's Pond by scooping up the clay and baking it into bricks to be sent to New York. In 1890, the Roman Catholic Church of St. Anthony's opened its doors. Its first registered baptism was conferred in 1891 by Father Mariano Lepore. In 1894, the state legislature passed the Borough Act which eliminated large townships. Old Tappan, Closter, Demarest, Alpine, Haworth, Norwood, Harrington Park and Northvale were created out of the old Haringtownship. Northvale was incorporated in 1916. The Volunteer Fire Department was organized in 1896. The first Fire Chief was A. Muzzio. Nathan Hale School was opened in 1909. 1921 brought the first street lights to Northvale - on Paris Avenue, Livingston Street, and Walnut Street. In 1923, East Northvale seceded from Northvale and became Rockleigh.
For more history and other information about our town, feel free to visit the Borough of Northvale website. |