ilr/n - passaic county historical society

$ept. lst, 1928VOL. I, No. 2

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@hs ffiurxstf ({uuntg T$ixtsrtrsl Snrtrtg

28 1929^

OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR.'S ACTIVITIES

NEW MEMBER$ -_ NECRCLOGY

SPECIAL HISTORICAL ARTICLES

-By-

D. STANTON HAMMOND

WILLIAM L. R. WURTS

WILLIAM H. BELCHER

RUSSELL B. EVANS

ALBERT H. HEUSSER

t)

TEMPORARY MUSEUM AND OFFICIAL HEADQUARTER$

FREE PUBLTC LIBRARY BUILtr lNG

BROADWAY AND AUBURN STREETS' PATERSON, N. J.

@W lflurruir 6,nantg 1$ixtnrirul Surirlg

VOL. I, No. 2 Sept. ls t , 1928

D. Stanton Hammond

Carolina Troops stationed at Totowa in 1780 ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' 8

CONTENTS

Of ficers and Committees, 1928'1'929

Historical Sketch of the Societv since its Inception

Albert H. Heusser

The Thomas Ryder farm on Garret MountainWilliam H. Belcher

New Members, elected since publication of Roster ' ' '

Eugene Stevenson, A Biographical Sketch and AppreciationAlbert H. Heusser

Outstanding Figures in the Musical History of Paterson 'William L. R. Wurts

Necrology

The Study of Pre'llistory in Passaic^County ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' 'Russell B. Evans, B. S.

TheSociety 'sHeadquartersandMuseum ' ' : " ' ' ' ' ' 'Albert H. Heusser, Curator

Program of Meetings and Activities for the Season ' ' ' ' ' ' '1928,1929

PAGES

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5.9

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1,r , t9,

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2t.74

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27

h

TEMPORARY MUSEUM AND OFFICIAL I{EADQUARTERS

Free Publ ic LibrarY Bui ld ing

BROADWAY AND AUBU RN STREETS, PATERSON, N. J.

BRAEN,HEUSSF,R PRINTING CO.

l9L, l94 coDwrN AvE.Paterson, N. .1.

THE

PASSAIC COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES1 9 28- 1929

President. . / . ,HoN.EucnNnSrnvnNSQNFirstVice.President . . . / CHAS. E. DtnrzSecond Vice.President , . Wtrrlnu W. Scotr, oF PnsselcThird Vice.President , GEoRGE WlNtBRs, oF HnwrnoRNESecretary . / . . / ' ' Jurtac.PtencnTreasurer / . ' ' ' / RonERTP.BnoorsHistor ian - . . . ' HoN.HnNnyW.GrnputrrCurator / / / . . . / ArgnnrH.Hrussnn

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Consisting of the above off icers together with the fol lowing:Mrs. Joseph A. Bergen Walter A. LucasMrs. El izabeth K. Bunnel l James F. MortonMrs. rVi l l iam S. Carr Emma B. RauchfussD. Stanton Hammond Filbert t. RosensteinMary G. Jackson Robert Wil l iamsDr. Joseph H. Kenna Mrs. David Wilson

ARCHIVES AND PROPERTY COMMITTEEMr. Heusser , Chairman Charles P. Longwel lWayne Dumont Charles W. Mason, of HawthorneGeorge F. Winchester Jolln O. BensonMrs. Cynthia V. Fredericks Royal E. TerhuneGarret A. Hobart John R. Wilson

FINANCE COMMITTEEMr. Stevcnson, ex,off ic io-Mr. Brooks, ex,off ic io

Frank J. Bradley Geo. A. SchultzeChas. L. Auger Robert Wil l iamsDr. Joseph H. Kenna George WintersRobert J. Nelden

MEMBERSHIP COMN4ITTEEMrs. Bunnel l , Chairman Edwin A. LeonhardMrs. Wil l iam S. Carr W'al ter A. Lucas, of Hawthorne

John H. Col l ier Mrs. Wrn. McCol lom, of Cl i f tonMrs. F. B. Conant, of Passaic Grace B. Speer, of Passaic

ENTERTAINMENT COMMITTEEMrs. Bergen, Chairman James T. JordanFred Bcnz Li l l ian KaneSavi l la K. Dormida Joseph lv{anleyIda S. Doremus Margaret T. McNerneyArthur J. Harr is Eleanor S. N. Thorp

GENEALOGY AND BIOGRAPHY COMMITTEEEleanor Mombert, Chairman Mary G. JacksonMatt ie Bowman Samuel Mcl l royHon. Henry W. Gledhi l l Wm. St. LawrenceEmma Hopper Mrs. George F. Winchester

PI-JBLICITY COMMITTEE

Wil l iam A. Crrr , OhairmanEmnaet Bristor, of PassaicSusan ContesseJames Gabel leFlelen C. Galbreath

D. Stanton Himmond -George M. Hart t , of PassaicDr. Wm. FI. Rar-rchfussHerbert I l . SchmidtWm. W. Scott , of Passaic

CHURCH HISTORY COMMITTEE

Dr. Rauchfuss, Ctnairman Fi lbert Rosenst ienRev. D. S. F{amil ton H. FI. Schoonmaker

CURRENT' HISTORY AND SCRAP BOOK COMMITTEE

Mr. Dietz, Chairman Anna C. Birdsal lWil l iam H. Belcher George F.

'Winchester

HISTORIC SITES AND EVEhITS COMMITTEE' Mr.

-Bro.oks,- Chairman Mrs. Carol ine Frye Hobarr

' Joseph / . . ' Bergen Charles P. Longwel l. Susan Contesse Max Stciker

Hon. Henrv W. Gledhi l l

PUBLICATION COMMITTEE

Mr. GlerJhi l l , ChairnranJoseph C. DavidsonD. Stanton Hammond

TOPOGRAPHICAL AND FIISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY COMMITTEE

Mr. HarnTLond , Chairman Garwood FergusonJohn A. Dcol i t t le, of Cl i f ton Harold J. HirderRussel l B. Evans

WARS AND SOLDIERS' GRAVES COMMITTEE

Licut. Andrew T. Derrom, chairman Joi in Grimsha'"v, Jr.Major Augustus H. Van Gieson Lmma B. RauchiussFIon. Edgar H. El l is

II* ANCIENT CEMETERIES , COMMITTEE

Ed',vin N. Hopson, Jr, , Cl ' ta, i rrnan Harry C. CrosbyJoel E. Crandal l Mary L. L. fc lane

PRE,}IISTORY AND GEOLOGY COMMITTEE

Russel l i i . Evans, Chairman James F. MortonOtto Benz Carl Schondorf

' Frank A. Donnel lv

PHOTOGITAP}IY COMMITTEE

Frank M. Rich, Chairman Fred T. ThompsonVernon Royle

NUMIIJMATIC COMMITTEE

Nehe:rniah Vreeland, Chairman

SPECIAL BUDGET

President, ex,off ic ioDietz

Daisy S. ModemannJul ia G. PierceCharles A. Shritrer

COMMITTEE

Ilr. BrooksMr. Winters

TheMr.

HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE SOCIETY SINCE

ITS INCEPTION

By D. STANTON HAMMOND

Chairman of the Committee on Topographical and Historic Geographyand Member of the Publication Committee

The present incorporated Passaic County Historical Society is now in itsthird year-of existence,-having grown from the activity of a sT?11. gathering_ offive history lovers at the headquarters of the Paterson Rotary Club in the ColtBuilding on Thursday evening, February 18th, 1926. Charies E. Dietz presidedwith Albert H. Heusser as secretary. The others of the group were Robert P.Brooks, Henry W. Gledhil l and D. Stanton Hammond. It is noteworthy thatthe majority

-of these men are connected with the Paterson Public School

system.

It is l ikewise true that the germ of the idea had been ready to grow forseveral years before that t ime. So early as 1917, in fact, Superintendent ofSchools

'John R. Wilson, at the repeated suggestion of a number of cit izens,

spoke to the principals of Paterson on the desirabil i ty of organizing a PassaicCounty Historical Society. After outlining the reasons for such 1l organization,the Super intendent asked Pr incipal E. T. Whit ford of School No.6, the lateClair Pelton of School No. 1 , and Chas. E aDietz of School No. L7 to act asan organizing committee. This committ e<'' conferred with the late Burton H.Albee, a former president of the Ber y_,zn' County Historcial Society and with Chas.A. Shriner, the dean among Paterson's writers upon historic subjects.

An organization meeting was called at this t ime, now nine years &Bo, atwhich Mr. Albee was elected President and Mr. Shriner, Secretary. Two regu,lar meetings of the newly formed Society were held; on which occasions Mr.Albee read very interesting papers pertaining to' ' local history, each of whichwere published in the "Press,Guardian." The l i t t le group of interested cit izensmade a grave error, however, in not conducting a drive for members: and dueto the i l lness and death of Mr. Albee, and the lack of some one person to r iseto the posit ion of leader, this organization passed out of existence.

On the evening of March 10th, 1923, at a meeting of the Paterson Prin,cipals' Association, held at Walker's banquet room, Paterson and Ell ison Streets,Albert H. Heusser, one of the speakers, (representing the Captain Abraham God,win Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution), reminded his hosts of the eX,pediency of reviving the Passaic County Historical Society. Forthwith the presi,dent ( Charles E. Dietz ) , pursuant to a motion made by D. Stanton Hamrnondand seconded by Lewis A. Bennert, was authorized to arrange for a publicrneeting with this object in view.

This contemplated gathering was never called together, br,rt Mr. Heusser,during the spring months of 1923, secured the signatures of some fi f ty residentsof Paterson and Passaic who were interested in the project. At this t ime, Wm.W. Scott, the historian of Passaic, although giving his support to the proposedorganization, expressed grave doubts as to the possibi l i ty of a resurrection. Dur,ing these weeks, moreover, two conferences were held between Francis R. North,Charles A. Shriner, Mr. Brooks and Mr. Heusser relative to the subject, at whichplans for the future were outl ined.

Nevertheless, f or over two years more the plan remained in abeyance, duein part to the fact that Mr. Heusser was absorbed in literary and editorial work.Then it was, in the closing months of 1921, that Robert P. Brooks and CharlesE. Dietz stirred up the embers of the smouldering f ire and in conjunction withMr. Heusser, began seriously to plan for the society's immediate organization.

THE PASSAIC COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

The time was ripe, so it seemed. for such a movement. TLre Hon. HenrvW Gledhi1l, who poiu".r.s lrrore than any other citizen of the county a krro#ledge of historic facts and events, entered whole,heartedly into the movernent.Tha Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution gave their support, bothas individuals and as chapter organizations.

Lists of subscribers for charter membership were circulated throughout thccounty and on Feb. 1Bth, 1926 as stated at the outset of this sketch, the organ.iaers inet in f inal prel iminary conference.

The f act was now brought out that away back in 1 B 67 there had been inexistence an original and quite active Passaic County Historical Society, organ,ized by some of the leading citrzens of the community; al l of whom, however,had passed away during the intervening years, save ens-Vice Chancellor EugeneStevenson.

The public organization meeting of the present society was held in theI?"ctary Club room$ on March 10, 1925, at vrhich t ime the ]tdinute Book of theoriginal socicty of sixty years be{ore was exhibited as a loan f rom Wil l iam W.Scott , through the kindness of Mr. Steve nson. { ' The huppy thought of l inkingthe o1d society wlth the ne\,v organizatiorr by the selection of lv{r. Stevenson asthe last member of the o1d society and the f irst presidcnt of the new one, origin,ated in the fert i le mind of Mr. Gledhi11, at whose earnest suggesticn steps forincorpcrat icn under the laws of New Jersey were also taken.

The second general meeting cf the nev,zly orgaaized soc{ety haC of necessityto be held ln larger quarters at the irev"' ly establishcd Charnbcr of Ccmmercerooms in the Fabian Bui ld ing. This cccurred on Monday, Apr i l 5th, 1926 andat th:s meeting the i i icorporation pairers \-rere executcd by the twenty incorpor,ators.

The third generai meet ing was heid in the audi tor ium of the Y. M. C. A.c, f Faterson on Thursday, Apr i l 22, 1926.

At this meeting the rvork of the Comr',rittee on Constitution andwas careful ly studieC, and aftcr several changes f inally adopted. Noha., 'e appeared necessary tc the present t irne. :

On thls cccasion Mrs. Francis A. Westervelt, curator of the BergenI"dictorrcal Soc;iety was electcC the f irst honorary mernber of the PassaicI- i istorical Sccictv.

The neet ing of june 10, 1926 \E as held in the F{oce1 Alexander Hamri l ton,th c Society engaging the Gri l l Room f or the occasion. At that t irne the Hon.Ccrnelius Fi. Doreilus adciressccl a large tr-rrn,oLit cf che Socicty on the carlyhistory_of Bergen Cc_unty, a_trd 1oca1 incidents and custcms. At this meet:ngJudge Doremus was eiected the second Flonorary Member of this Society.

During June, Ju1y, August and September the Socicty \:7as qrritc rn fermeniabout perrnanent headquarters. The l-ambert Castle irroperty, in the possessionof the city of Paterson \&/as looked upon by scme as ideal. Prohibit ive costs ofmalntenance and inaccessibi l i ty to hosts of peoi: le who should be reached, i f pcs,sible, by the al lurements of history, put the damper on this plan. During thist ime, hcwever, Cut'ator Heusser had been very busy, and with the assistance ofMessrs. Brooks, Dietz and others had arranged with the Trustees of the Pater,son Fublic Library and with Librarian Geo. F. Winchester for a temporarynruseum and headquarters of the Society in very accessible accommodations inthe main l ibrary building cn _Br.cadway, Faterson. At this place, with the expendi,tttre of but a few hundred clotrlars, but rvith the outlay of a great deal of intelli,gent e$ort, a spiendid display of i tems of local history *ui arranged in glassshow cases. etc.

By,Lawschanges

CountyCcunty

' : rAn interest ing i tem in conncct ion with this old minutelast sentence, wr i t ten in 1871, was by no cther hand than thatnotabIc i r istor ian of latcr years.

bock was thc circum:tance that thcof ' f r / i l l iam Nelson, Passaic Ccunty 's

T}iE PASSAIC COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

The f all meetings were characte rized by the Committee Reports, which laidout a scope and plan of historical activity. The museum plans were to be underthe guidance of Curator l leusser. The Historic Sites and Events Committee,under Chairman Brooks, planned sign markers. Three of these have been erectedto date; the f irst in Passaic, where the earl iest white men entered PassaicCounty in 1678; the second at the "Bull Mii l" site on Mil l Street oppositePassaic Street, the f irst Paterson mil l ; the third sign ai the Totowa Borough civiccenter, commemorating Revolutionary events of L7 7 9,80 .

The Topographical and Historical Geography Committee under ChairmanHammond planned a Sesqui,Centennial M"p of Passaic County for the Society'ssubsequent publication and secondly a study into the origin and history of thenames of streets in Paterson to be {o11owed by those of other municipali t ies ofPassaic County. The Ancient Cemeteries Committee, under Chairman EdwinN. Hopson, Jr . , is prepar ing an index of a l l cemeter ies in northern PassaicCounty comprising al l names and dates prior to 1 B i 0. The Society plans toprint this in the near future. The Pre,history and Geology Committee, underChairman Russell B. Evans, has nrapped out an extensive archaeological plan f orthe study of Indian camp,sites, rel ics, etc. of and for the county. The Com,mittee on Current History and Scrap Book, under joint management of Mr.Dietz and Mr. Belcher, has undertaken a large plan of cl ipping, pasting andindexing, in permanent book form, of the sr-r i table iterns of current news for fu,ture refercnce. Already a mass of material has been so ccl lated under a num,ber of appropr iate headings.

The meet ing of Dec. 9, 1926 was graced by the presence of and the addresson the lJnited States Constitution by former Governor Edward Casper Stokes.

The Soclety next rnterested it-"ei i in the plan to mark the site of thef i rst f ree pubLc'school in Paterson, locared wheie the present (new) Frankl inTrust Co. Bldg. stancls on the corner of Market ancl l .Jnion Streets (Paterson)on the centennial of i ts cstablislrrnent. A f ine bronze tablet was f inaily aff ixedtc t lrat buiiding and unveiled with suitable public ceremonies on Muy 1 8, 1927 ,the Frank[n Trust Co. defraying al l of the expenses. Further plans to markother noted spots in and about the city are clevelopirg. This work is beingivrought out, by Flistorian Gledhil l .

On Juire 18, l9Z7 the Society completed i ts f i rst annual p i lgr image from thePaterson Library to the Dundee Island Fark in Passaic, noting forty,four his,toric spots on the w2|, and dedicating the hanging sign marking the f irst whrteman's set t lement in Passaic Couniy in 1678, which was on this sr te.

During the suir l lrer arrd fa1l of 1927 the comii innitv was mucir interesiedin the reclaiming of the Holland Subrnarine f rom the bed of the Passaic Rivernear the rvest end of the Spruce Street Bridge, this city. Thrs f irst moclel hadlain for nearly f i f ty years under the mud. The group of young Patersonianswho as students of engineering accomplished the work were inspired and ?rr,couraged by the Society in ccnjunction with the County Board of Chosen Free.holders and Lrlayor Cclin ]vfclean of the City of Paterson. Suggestions werenaturaily made that the Society become the repository for the rel ic. This washardly within the capacity of the Society, however, because of the narrow l imitsof i ts museum. The subtnarine was about 1 t f t . long and r,veighed somethinglike 2 tons. It is now lodged in the Paterson City Museum. This historic rel iclspres€rvation is, as has been conceded, indirectly due to the Society's revivingpublic interest in matters historical.

The f irst annual dinner of the Society was helC at the Hotel Alexander:Hamii ton on Tuesday evening, Feb.9, 1?2S at 7 p.rrr . Hon. Wm. B. Gourleyand Vice Chancellor Stevenson made addresses on local history and Editor Wm.B. Bryant off iciated as toastrnaster.

At the March meet ing i928 President Stevenson presented a plan to use theNathan Barnert hotrie, now clty irroperty, as a perrninent headqlarters for the

TFIE PASSAIC COUNTY }{ISTORICAL SOCIETY

society, the Library Trustees having formally presented this proposit ion. Theunsuitable condit ion of the building at the t ime, hovrever, and the subsequentdeath of Mr. Stevenson ( Muy 72nd) indefinitely deferred this plan.

-This

March meeting was the last one Mr. Stevenson attended. The Muy meeting wasnotable by reason of the historical contribution of Mr. Wm. L. R. Wuris onPassaic County's Musical History for the past fifty years, which constitutes oneof the features of this publication.

The second Annual Pilgrimage was taken by busses to Preakness andFornpton; visit ing R.evolutionary sites and scenes en ;:oute. proving to be one ofthe most successful features of the Societv's activit ies. This occurred on Mon,duy, Jrly }nd.

A circumstance interesting to cur organization v/as the public auction sale .of the Stevenson l ibraries on July iOth and 13th. The Societywas unfortunatelyunable to obtain any ertensive rnernentoes of i ts f irst president except some pic.tures, books and papers, and the etchings and l i thographs of the Passaic Fallsbequeathed to the Society under a codici l to Mr. Stevenscn's wi1l.

C,AROLTNA TROOPS STATXONED AT TOTO\VA IN LTSA

ALBER"T H. HEUSSER

While the circumstances of Washington's sojourn in this vicinity on twooccasions in 1780 are well known, vei:y l i t t ie in the naiure of documentary proofof the fact exists except that which is provided by the correspondence anddiaries of the Commander,in,Chief and some of his more prominent off icers. Afew months &go, hovrever, John Heise, an autograph dealer of Syracuse, N. Y.,catalogued for sale the original receipted Salary List of "Captain Daniel Fendle,ion and his company of Carolina art i f icers,"-u Z page fc1{o dccunent dated at"Carnp Totowa, Oct. 26th l- 7 80," and twice signed by Fendletcn. That thepayment of this money haC been lcng deferred before it was forwarded byQr,iarter,master General Timothy Fickering is evident f rom the f act that Cup,tain Pendleton receipted for i 800 Continental dc11ars, Lieutenant Grannis $ 1200,and every pr ivate in the ranks $500.

Your curator made a bid for this autograph item by telegraph, but i t hadalready been "snapped up" by another equally ardent collector of New JerseyRevolutionary items.

It is interesting to set dovrn the fact that Captain Pendleton was soon there,after appointed one of the aides to General Nathaniel Greene and in this capac,ity won distinction at the batt ie cf Eutaw Springs ( Sept. 8, 1781 ) being citedby Congress for gallantry in action.*'

' : 'These resolut ions of Congressin the Preakness Hi l ls . (See B. J.

were dated Oct. 29, 1781, just about aLo.ssing's "Field Booft of the Revolut iot t ,

year after his sojournVol. I i . p. 498.)

THE THOMAS RYDER FARM

BY WILLIAM H. BELCHER

Member of the Neu, J ersey Historical Society and Current HistoryCommittee, Passaic Co. Historical Society

Right on top of Garret Mountain, just a l i t t le past the recently,developedAmusement Park, was once the farm of Thomas Ryder. It has been cut up unti lthe homestead tract proper is now but seventeen acres in extent.

On this f arm, in the Revolutionary period, a port ion of the ContinentalArmy was stationed, consisting of the Artillery of Major Parr and Cgl. Moylan"sDragoons. It is easy to see why this spot was chosen-primari ly, of course, be'caurl the height commanded a view of road from Cranetown (Montclair); and

Ancient Homestead of Thomas Ryder, Royal ist of the Revolut ionary period; st i l l standing northof the Weasel Dri f t road, Garret lv lountain, letween the Rif le Camp Road and

thc descent into Albion Place .-Photograph by Albert H. Heusser.

to the west, of the Second Mountain, [beyond which Washington hirnself wasencamped Jrly lst to 79th and Oct. 8th to Nov. 27th 1780, his headquartershaving been at the D"y Mansion, Lower Preakness.] Secondly, because, on whatis now the Weimer f arm and was then the original Ryder homestead, a sweetand cooiing spring bubbled up, and, too, at the very t ip of the Weasel Driftanother spring was on duty next to the late Rea place, and sti1l helps to quenchthe thirst of the passing traveler, ?s both have done for the past one hundredand f i f ty years. It is impressive to stop and contemplate, as one does, in drink,irg at these springs, that the mil i tary heroes of the Revolution undoubtedly didthe same thing, and it is pleasing to note how well kept they bcth are.

In "Scott 's History" we f ind the fol lowing:"On M"y 3, I r\7 5 , a meeting vras held in the tavern opposite the church

in Acquackanonk, and a cornmittee appointed to act with other committees of ad,jacent townships to take action in regard to the protests against the enforcementof the obnoxious tea tax and other laws. Twenty,three were on the committee:sixteen of them were buried in the old churchyard. They were rnost al l farmers.Two of them, Robert Druminond and Thomas Ryder, turned renegade."

THE PASSAIC COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY10

It is of the latter we write. Instead of using his energy for the causefavored b-y his neighbors, he apparently became a member of thJ committee solelyto get information to use against i t . Only a few weeks intervened before Ryderwas missing from his home. He turned up with a British detachment thatscoured the cou ntry in Bergen County, robbing and killing all who were friendlyto the Colonies ; and it was learned, too, that he was implicated in the murderof Jonathan Hopper, one of the bravest and staunchest pafriots, in 1779.

He left his family, who still resided on the farm, and it was at this partt,cular place that Joshua Hett Smith, connected with 'che treason of Arnoid,- whohad made hi_s _escape from the Godwin tavern, stopped for succor on his wayover Garret Mountain to }dew York. He was known to have taken the Rif leCamp road. In those days there was no Main street in Paterson, and this{S8ion was well beyond the settled portion of the community at Totowa Bridge.Despite_a11_efforts for his capture, h" eluded his pursuers and arrived in safetywithin the Brit ish l ines.

. Thg _Byd"t. family kept themselves quiet, and their neighbors did not molesrthem. Althouglr they were chagrined to-have such a situation in their midst, thefeeling .]Bainst the Ryders_ seems to have been one of pity, and the family stayedon unti l after the war closed. Ryder never came bacio and was r.rr"r heardfrom again.

_ Sybsgquently, about I l7 B, an inquisit ion was made against Ryder, the re.sult of which is more specif ical ly, srated in the fol lowing:

Jo.. Hedden, Jr . , \bamuer H"t; i and I Pargain and sale Deed.

Thomas -CJnnLle,

I Dated -J4v

1. ' 1779

three of the , Proved Oc_tober 16, 1804

commissioners of the / Recorded Muy 3, 18 3 6

co,,,'tv oi E;;-;- J"v

\ Bnl r"hli:".i"??',

orriceToJo6n Moore I

Considerat ion, { , I1L.I

Recites:Vr'hereas, lately, that ^ is to say in the term of lune, in the year of our

Lord 1,779, in the Cor:r t of Comii lo l l F leas held in Pompton, in and' for the saidCounty. of Bergen, before the- judges of the same Court , f inal judgment washad and entered in favor of the State of New Jersey pursuant to law, againstThomas Ryder, late of t\ . County of Bergen, on an inquisit ion found a[ainstthe said Thomas Ryder, for that the said Thomas Ryder, on or about th; f irstday of Ocober, in the yeat of our Lo.rd, I,778, did ioin the Army of the Kingof Great Br i ta in,^against the form of hiq al legiance io the States; 'and whereas,a{ter the entry of the said judgment and in the execution of the same, to wit:i ir the term of June, in the year of our Lord, 1779, a certain v,,r i t issued out olthe said County of Essex_, directed to_ Joseph Hedden, Jr., Samuel Hayes,Thomas Canfiel4 John Closson, and Daniel Marsh, Cornmissioners duly

'ap,

pointed for the County of Essex aforesaid, on the part , or in behal f of the'Stateof New Jersey, to take and dispcse o{, for the irse and benefit of the same!the estates of certain fugrt ives and offenders in the said County of Essex, orto any. two or more of thern, were commanded and enjoined to sel l 'and dispose ofal i and singular, thg_ lan_ds,_ tenements, and hereditaments held in f ee, or for termof 1ife,. uttd generally al l the estate. real, of what nature or kind soever, b"1orrg,glg or lately.belonging to the said Thomas Bl.l"-., within the saicl Co""ty JfEssex, according to the directions of an act for forefeit ing to and .resting ir i thesaid State of, New Jersey the real estate of certain fugit i ie and off..rJ.r-.,- ' , 'ud"a.nd passed t-h" 1 l th dpv of December, in the y^lar t l7 g, and by the r".oi] ofthe

-saine judgment and writ r^emaining in the Clerk's of f ice of the saiJ Co""ty

9J Essex may .ful ly al?pear. And whereas, _th" said joseph Hedden, j . ; 5u-""1Hayes, and Thornas Canfield, three of the Commissioners aforesaid, 'b; ,r irtue of

THE PASSAIC COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY 11

the said writ, did, af.ter duly advertising the same, sell the same to John Moore,he being the highest bidder.

Conveys:Being

'butted and bounded as follows: north on Hartman -Vreeland, west

on Peter ?ost, south on John Freeland, and east on the edge of the mountain,containing forty,one acres, be the same more or less, all the right, title, and in'terest of Thomas Ryder, on the f irst day of October, 1778.

\[sgg-This deed was not signed by Thomas Canfield, and was proved

October 16, 1804, as to the signatures of the other Commissioners.

John Moore left a wil l , proved November ,, 180t, devising .the property

to hft sons, Jacob and Cornelius. Jacob sold six acres to Cornelius in 1851.This portion passed through various hands until 1914, when it became the prop'

erty of Rayton E. Horton, who still holds it. Mr. Horton recently gave. a stripof

'this land to the county in order to straighten the roadway_. The old road

(the Weasel Drift) turned to the right oppoiite Mr. Horton's hous_e,- and -made

; triangle, below which is located th; original Ryder homestead and farm build'ings, now the Weimer place.

" 'A cellar on the land once owned bv Cornelius is st i l l in evidence, and the

location of the walls clearly defined. Lilacs, shrubs and vines cling about the

ruin, and now and then yo., pick up a piece of earthenware. The farm itselfhas not been much cultivited bf late yeais, although there are folks about here

who have seen it "blossom as the rose."If Ryder could return, he would be amazed to see the Sowerbutt Quarries,

drrg far into the face of the "edge of the tnountain" tha1, in his time, seemedimiregnable. Garret Mountain Park and the houses to the west are al l on hisoriginal possessions.-

The farm is beyond the l imits of Paterson (it West Paterson, as a matterof fact), there being no trace of the city visible from the houses now there; andyet, going a short distance down the fine road which has been constructed overihe -steep rocks." a panorama of the most bewildering beauty and vast extentopens up, i t which are included New York and all , i ts environment. The WeaselDrift is a favorite route for pedestrians, and it is a short cut for automobilesvia the Rifle Carnp road to Little Falls.

This piece of property is one of the very f ew in Passaic County acquiredby the State of New Jersey in this peculiar way. In Bergen County, whichwas a hotbed of loyalty to the King, many farms were forfeited to the State bysuch processes of divestment.

It will pay anybody to climb the hill. When its summit is reached, thefinest view in this vicinity will repay the lover of Nature. We do not appreciatewhat we have at our own door, but go to Europe and enthuse over scenes nothalf so wonderful.

NE\XZ MEMBERSElected by the Executiue Co.mmittee since publication

of original Roster

ParffhsoNBEATTIE, MRS. CHARLES G.

4ZB Park AvenueBERGEN, LEIGH B.

3 5 4 East 40th StreetBOONSTRA, ALFRED

4 tlnion AvenueBORDEN, FANNIE V/.

386 El l ison StreetBRADLEY, FRANK J.

462 East 3 lst StreetCREW, MRS. ALFRED

3 91 15th AvenueDUNPHY, LUCINDA G.

287 BroaclwayEDWARDS, JOHN G.

49, 15th AvenueELLIS, EDGAR H.

67 5 East Zith StreetFITZPATRICK, MARY H.

382 }y1ain StreetGALL, JOHN W.

2,39 ,Straight StreetHAINES, HARRY B.

143 Ell ison StreetHARDING, N{RS. RUTH GUTHRIE

604 East 28th StreetF{ORTON, R.AYTON E.

IJZ Market StreetMER.REY, GRACE FI.

l i Manor RoadMERRITT, MRS MINNIE L.

3'7 Hamilton StreetMILLER, CLAOMA

59 20th AvenuePACKER, PHILIP W.

182 Jasper StreetPROBER.T, MRS. KATHERINE

168 Graham AvenueREAR, FRED

ll} North 1st StreetROYLE ,WIILIAM K.

225 Derrom AvenueSCHONDCRF, CARL F.

15 4 Michigan AvenueSIMON, MRS. CHARLES

594 Broadwav

STAGG, 'ALBERT E.146 North 5th Street

STAGG, MRS. ALBERT E.146 North 5th Street.TUERS,

DR. G. E.418 Park Avenue

VAN NESS, WALLACE M..677 l4th Avenue

vAN NESS, MRS. VONETTA (W. M.)677 14th Avenue

VAN WINKLE, N{RS F. D.670 East 25th Street

WINTERS, ELLA119 Auburn Street

WURTS. WILLIAM L. R.460 Ellison Street

BENNISON, J. FRANKLIN77 East 2nd Street, Clifton

BENZ, OTTO396 West Clinton Street. Haledon

CHESTON, A. D.Clifton

CONNORS, GEORGE R.40 4th, Street, Clifton

GOOQE, EDITH A.i30 Gi'amarcy Place, Glen Rock

HORTON, J. CLARENCE22 Lakeside Avenue, Pompton Lakes

HORTON, MRS. SUSANZZ Lakeside Avenue, Pompton Lakes

HUNZiKER, PETERRidgewood, R. F. D. No. 1

LUCAS, WALTER A.i6 Tuxedo Avenue, Hawthorne

LUPTON, THOMASTotowa Boroush

MAYNARD, . W. J. -

North HaledonPROSKEY, DAVID

Box 27 5 , Litt ie FallsROBERTS, JEN{IMA RYLE

'7240 Germantown Ave., phi la. , pa.SUHRIE, GEORGE

HaledonWINTER.S, MRS GEORGE

142 Diamond Br idge Ave., Haw'ne

EUGENE STEVENSON1 B 49- t928

FIRST PRESIDENT OF' THE SOCIETY

The Hon. Eugene Stevenson, f irst president of the Passaic County l l istori,cal Society, passed from the affairs of earth after a protracted i l lness on Tuesdly,Muy 22nd, in his seventy.ninth y?ar, one of the few survivors cf the notablegroup of jurists who stood in the f irst ranks of the profession in_this state thirtyor forty years &go, contemporary r,vith Vice,President Hobart and Attorney Gen,eral Gr iggs.

Born in Brooklyn, June 28, 1849, the son of Paul Eugene and Cornei iaPrime Stevensono the descendant of colonial ancestors whose lnemory ire alwaysrevered, h" came to Paterson as a youth of seventeen" Here he made his homethroughout his l i fe; marrying in 1884 Miss Heien Hornblower, the daughter ofthe Rev. Wm. H. Hornbtower, a former pastor of the First Presbyterian Churchin this city.

Graduat ing f rom New York Universi ty in 1870, Mr. Stevenson took upthe active practice of the 1aw under Socrates Tutt le (the father of Mrs. Hobart)r-rnder whom so many otirer bri i l iant legal rninds were trained two generations

TF{E PASSAIC COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

ag.g. He was admitted to the bar in 1874, and three years later became a coulr,sellor. Being a staunch Democrat in poli t ics, he was appointed prosecutor forPassaic County in 1881 by Governor Ludtrow. He r"..r"d but o.r" term, how,ever, declining re.appointment in order to devote hirnself to private practice, forcivi l actions were far more congenial to him than criminal pr6secution.

{o. a period of twenty years his reputation for integrity and sound jrdg.

ry_ent brought him increasing patronage and distinction. I i -ar,

therefor, not ata1l surprising that, in 190 i, Chancelior Magie named hirn as Vice Chancellor forthis distr ict of New Jersey, one of the t oui popular selections ever made. Twice,when his terms of off ice had expired, hu *ur- re,named to that post. I t is saidthat some of his written decisions during this period are masterpieces of judicialthought and wri l iong remain as examplei of trte equity in chanL"ty proceedings.

. During l l i t latter years the Chancellor l ived a quiet 1ife. Mrs. Stevensonhaving passed away, he devoted a great deal of i f fection upon the youngpeople of his_ acquaintance-boys and gir ls of neighbors u.td fr iends.' Hi;kindness to this group of youthful admirers was ; tradit ion; in childhoodhe fondled and caressed them as his own, in youth he encolrraged them to make,headi,r,'ay in tll" r",ror1d, in many instances lending financial sufport during theiryears at scirool and college.

The Vice Chanceilor was a member of the Fresbvterian Church of theRedeemer, and f or many years a meinber and vice,president of the Council ofNevz York Universrty. To that institution, at his deith, he made handsome be.quests.._ Besides his membershjn in the Lotus Club of New York City, the Ham,il ton Club of Paterson an d the two leading local ccuntry clubs. Mi. Stevensonwas a member of St. John's Salmon Club of Quebec, Canada. He was an enothusiastic f isherinan. His tr ips to the Canadiin wilds, interspersed rvith oc,casional voyages abroad, gave hiin. new vigor from'year to y.ir and kept hisnrind cheerful and alert. In 1926 he was called to assume the presidency bf th"Fassaic Cciunty Hrstorical Society.

It was the members of the Executive Committee who carne to know andappreciate the late Vice'Chancellor rnore intimately than the general mernbershipof the Society. . The monthly.meetings of that board were

-gsually held at hit

home and on these occasions he delighted in the part of host and excelled inthe arts of hospitality. In mental attainrnents he was notable, in conversationbri l l iant, in manner unassuming ald humble despite his posit ion, an d in privatel i fe he was one of the few men about rvhom we rnay sai that hir character wasabove reproach.

. Dgring the terms of his presiderrcy .of the Historical Society he lent dignityand-stabi i i ty to the organizat ion. On-the other hand, the ,"rul i . " , he rend?redil this capacity-the^last

-public labor of his long ancl well,spenr l i fe-w.r"-fo.

him a source of profound pleasure.

We shall long reinember hirn; not only for his beneficences to us when suchsupport was a vital need, but for his o'vvrr sake, who, ioving ofhers, made himselfbeloved.

ALBERT H. TIEUSSER.

OUTSTANDING FIGURES IN THE MUSICAL HISTORY

OF PATERSON DURING THE PAST FIFTY YEARS

An Address delivered before the Society, Muy 13th, 192.8

By WILLIAM L. R" WURTS

Vice.President of the Orpheus CIub

"My childhood recollections begin at a time igtt . a{ter the Civil War.Among musical leaders of that era *ay be mentioned Charles E. Atherton, viol in'ist, terior singer and song writer. He sang in the choirs of St. Paul 's and theFirst Presbyterian church-es. He led a male quartet, known as the AmericanBards, who sang at poli t ical ral l ies in the old Wigwam.

Wil l iam Riuchfuss, born in Prussia in 1839, came here in 186t. He wasthe f ather of Dr. Wil l iam H. Rauchfuss. He was organist, in succession, ofHoly Communion, Episcopal, Grace MethoCist Episco_pal, First Reformed, St.

Joseph's, Our Lady of V ictories. and Our Lad;t of Lourdes Roman CatholicLhrri.h.s and seveial Masonic lodges, and led German singing societies. Theriver baths, where he taught swimming, are remembered by many old residents.He died in 1902.

DAVIS AND BENSOA{

Wil l iam Davis, born in Germany in 1849, made his advent here in 1866.He was organist and choirmaster of St. John's Roman Catholic Church forty'twoyears, f rom 1868 to his death in 1910, and conductor of the Germania .SingingSocieiy eighteen years. One of his achievements was the direction of the localamateur plrf ormance of Gilbert and Sull ivan's "Pirates of Pe n2nnss" twice forthe benefit of the hospitals, when there was a chorus of real Paterson policemenand Big Sam Lockwood, champron heavyweight singer of New Jersey, was thePirate King.

In 1866 also came Thomas Benson, born in Birmingham, England, in 1843,and r.vho l ived to be dean of the musical profession in Paterson. Forty,sevenyears choirmaster of St. Paul 's Episcopal Church, from I8' lZ to his death in 19i9,was his dist inction. As organist there, he was succeedeC in 1898 by John G.Zabriskie, but retained the other position. Freviously he had been for a shortt ime at Market street and Cross street Methodist Episcopal Churches. He or"ganized in 1871 the Paterson Choral Society, the city's f irst English speakingbody of that kind, and led it unti l the dissolution eleven years later. His widow,contralto singer, formerly Miss Sadie Halstead, this year was in the choir of St.Paul's Church for her f i f ty.f i f th Easter, as the Rev. Dr. Hamilton then ?rr"nounced from the chancel.

A PATERSOI{ BOT',S FAME

Percy Goetschius is a native Patersonian who has won international famein the teaching of the theory of composit ion. Born in this city in 18t3, he wasa piano pupil of R.obert E. H. Gehring, a prominent teacher of that eta. Mr.Goetschius was organist of the Second Presbyterian Church 1868.70 and of theFirst Presbyterian I870.73, and pianist of Mr. Benson's Paterson Choral Society.He went to Stut tgart , 'Wuert temberg, in 1873 to study in the conservatory, andsoon advanced to the teaching ranks. The King conferred upon him the t i t le ofroyal professor. He composed much, and reviewed performances for the press.In 1890 he returned to his native land to take a chair in Syracuse University,visit ing Paterson once in 1891 to lecture on the opera. In LB9Z he took a l ikeposit ion in the New England Conservatory, Boston, and four years later openeda studio in that c i ty. In 1905 he'went to the staf f of the New York Inst i tuteof Music and Art, headed by Dr. Frank Damrosch. Prof. Goetschius has pub,l ished nlne textbooks on theory, which are accepted as standarcis in the musicalwor1d.

16 THE PASSAIC COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

THE OBORSKI ERA

Twenty years of musical uplift for Paterson is the story of Florian Oborski,Polish emigre, born in 'Warsaw in 1 B 3 9. He came to Paterson by chance, astranger in a strange land, in the summer of 1872, as one of a band of strol l ingmusicians who gave a concert in Kuett 's Mil i tary Hall, Ei i ison and Cross streets.His art istry at the piano drew the notice of German auditors who, learning thathe was almost destitute, although he had been eminent in his native land, securedfor him some pupils and the posit ion of organist and choirmaster of St. Boniface's

FLOI{IAN OBORSKI ( 183e.18e2)

Wearing the uni form of the Pa€rson Light Guard, N. J. N. G.when Lieutenant of the Gun Detachment. about 188t.

Roman Catholic Church. Wil l iam Davis was the judge who passed upon hisqualif ications. Mr. Oborski organized his choir as the St. Cecil ia Socity, whichtook part in the f irst concert he directed in the city, early in 1873. He also wasmade leader of the Paterson Quartet Club, of German men, and the ArionSociety. Introducing hirnself to the general public at a concert in October, 1873,at the Opera House, in which Percy Goetschius took part as pianist, his person"ali ty and talent soon won a large circle of fr iends and pupils.


PATERSO].{ MUSTCAL YryrO}'l

Leading citizens of Paterson gave a court dress concert January -1t , L87 4,,

directed by" Mr. Oborski, for thJ benefit of the many jobles_s in those hardtimes. About $500 was realized. This was the genesis of the Paterson MusicalUnion, organized a f ew days \ater, with Henry \)y'aters, principal of the Patert'son Seminiry, as president. Mr. Oborski 1ed the society unti l 1887, when heresigned, and Hen?y G. Hanchell conducted in his stead until its dissolution in1888. In i ts heyday, about 1884, the society had eighty,six. active singing andseventy,four associate members. The Union in all gavq thirty'four concerts,twenty,one of which were classed as public rehearsals,_ and_ took -part in a scoreof others, many of thern for charitable or patriotic ends. One of its distinctionswas to give, in 1883, the f irst performance in the world of Mendelssohn's oratorio"Christ l ls." The society during its career performed more than 100 composit ionsby sixty,olre different composers, including several by great masters never beforegiven in Paterson.

OT,F{ER SOCIETIES

The Gruetl i Maennerchor, Swiss men's chorus, organized IB7 Z, had Mr.

Oborski as i rs leader f rom 187 3 to 1880. J. H. Wei ler and F. A. Horn have

been among his successors. It is st i l i in existence, and cherishes fourteen trophies,

chiefly si lver cups, won in competit lon at national or intersectional festivals.Nicholas Murray Butler, no* president of Columbia University, was the

first president of the Boys' Musical C1ub, which Mr. Oborski directed in songs

and Lhild."tr 'r symphonies during its career, 1876,80. It gave three concertsand took part i; eight others. Other members now s]lrviving ate Dr. Bufier'sbrothers, f{".try M.*and Wil l iam C.; Flenry W. Gledhil l , A. D. King, FrankA. Piaget and Charles Blundell.

TEe city's f irst English speaking male chorus was ancther of Mr. Oborski 'senterprises.

- The Faterson Glee Ciub, organized in 1879, lasted _only a f ew

months. Its speedy end was unforeseen and was brought abou! bV ttt_" fact thatthe Paterson Ligfti Guard was forrned about tha.t tirne, and ltfr. Oborski andseveral members of the chorus went into the new mii i tary outf i t with enthusiasmand were soon too busy soldiering to keep up the singing society. It took partin two concerts, but gave none of its o\r/n.

An of fshcot of the Faterson lv{usical Union was organiaed in Apri l , 1886by soine of i ts former members in the shape of the Mendelssohn C_ircle, a mixedchorus, rvith J A. Reinhart, principal of the High School, as rts f irst president,and Mr. Oborski as its leader. It gave three concerts, took part in several others,and dissolved about the c iose of 1889.

The Schubert Octet, a mixed doubie quartet, was under Mr. Oborski 's direc,t ion, 1886,91. Mrs. S. A. Barbour, formerly Miss Laura Lee" and John G.Zabriskie, are among its survlving members. It gave three cotrcerts and aidedin three others.

PATERSON PHILHARMONTC SOCIETT

The arnateur orchestra of yollng men, mere boys at i ts outset, which cameunder Mr. Oborsici 's care and was one ' 'of his pet institutions, was immenselypopular in the city. The nucleus of the Paterson Philharmonic Society \&'as aninstrurrental tr io composed of Frederick L. Borden, regarded as the founder;Walter B. and Wil l iam S. Ackerman. They were joined by the sons of i l ieiate James Ingl is and others, and the society v/as organized in January, 1885.In 1888 Mr. Oborski accepted the baton. Under his leadership, unt i i h is lasti l lness in 1892, the society gave nine subscription concerts; H. $kalmer conductedone, George Wiegand three, Carl Hauser three, August Hasse f our and C.Mortimer Wiske two. The society, having outgrown the juvenil i ty that made itschief charm for the publ ic, passed out of being in 1899.

L7


Besides all these activities of leadership and his priv ate teaching, Mr. Obor,ski was organist of St. Boniface's Church, 1877.1874, and the First PresbyterianChurch, 1 8 7 4.1892. He was on the staff of the New York College of Musicfrom 1868 to his decease. His composit ions included his popular t 'Polottaise,n'

a Te Deum, "Evening Hymn," "Our Father," a Masonic ode, "First Battal ionMarch" and two songs, "Why Turn Away?" and 'uI Cannot Spin Tonight."During his career in this city he led f i f teen musical organizations, conducted ortook part in eighty,four concerts, many of them for charitable or patrioticob j ects; was organist of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey Freemasons and activein the First . Battal ion, where he was color,sergeant, writ ing and publishing atreatise on the use of the colors which was commended by military authoritles,and afterward l ieutenant in cornmand of the gun,detachment. His last publicqppearance was a patriotic occasion, conducting the music Jrly 4, 1897, at thePaterson centennial exercises in a tent at Market nad Carrol l streets.

His death in St. Joseph's Hospital, November 23, 1892, after a l ingeringil lness, of bronchial pneumonia, calne as a public calamity. His funeral

- th;

Church of the Redeemer was attended bv a huge throngh of mourners. Membersof the o1d Musical Union _sang chorales. The Rev. Dr. Magie in his eulogy saidthe departed musician had "wrought in this city a great

- and varied work of

which it stood in need, and which remains as his noblest monun)ent."Incidentally to the review of Mr. Oborski 's career, we must mention a

couple that had been early fr iends of the leader here-Gustav ZitteI and hiswif e. He made his home with them on Pearl street for years, and the placewas a center of the city's musical l i fe. Mr. Zittel was a bass singer, and organistof the Broadway Reformed Church for fourteen years. He died in 1882. Mme.Bertha Zittel, soprano, was the city's leading exponent of the German songs ofSchubert, Schumann and Robert Franz. She sang in the choir of St. Paul 's.-Herdeath occurred in 1894.

THE WTSKE ERA

Paterson's "W'iske era" of about twenty,two years was inaugurated by theOrpheus C1ub, male singing society, when it brought C. Mortimer Wiske- hereas its conductor. The founder and f irst president of the club was Robert H.Fordyce, and his inspiration was a concert given by the Orpheus Club of Newark,grganized in 1889,_and_1ed by Samuel A._ Ward, in the Park Avenue BaptistChurch in 1 8 9 3 . The Paterson Orqheus Club was organized in Mr. Fordyice'shouse February, 23, 1894. Mr. 'Wiske, born in Vermont, in 18t3, had at ta inedeminence as a leader of societies in Brooklyn and other places, and as chorus,master of Theodore Thomas' W_ug.rg1 f estivals throughout the country. Therewas a connecting l ink between the Oborski and Wisl ie eras in the fait that ninemembers of the Paterson Glee Club of f i f teen years before took part in theOrpheus Club's introductory concert M"y 22, 1894.

The club's f irst subscription concert was given December 18, 1894, and fortwenty'two years ensuing three of these events were given each season. Theclub is st i l l in f lourishing existence.as a purely social-body, holding quarterlydinners. Francis Porter is i ts president.

In the sprjng of 1896 Mr. Wiske removed with his family from Brooklynto Paterson and occupied as his studio the former Hamil mansion, at Broadwayand Summer streets, where the Second Presbyterian Church now stands. I;1900,_ need_ing more foo.m, he took the forrner D. G. Scott mansion, Broadwayand Straight street, had a large addit ion built as the f irst Orpheur Hutt. u.rdmade it the center of varied activit ies. When the site was sold for the erectionof St. Mark 's Church in,1902, !h" o1d Emmanuel Bapt ist Church, at Broadwayand Carrol l street, was obtained and renovated as th; Second Orpheur nutt-_only recently demolished.

_ Puprls ygre organized into classes for study and lectures, and the Ladies'Cecil ia Vocal Society was forrned. Several cantatas were given, and one notable


event was a perf ormance of \4assenet's "Eve" in the Waldorf 'Astoria, NewYork, by Mr. Wiske's chorus in 1897, which was highly commended by metro'poli tan crit ics, and repeated in Paterson.

Mr. Wiske decided to inaugurate something new for Paterson, in the l ineof music festivals, and he organized a large chorus and gave Handel's "Messiah"

in the armory M"y 1 8, 1 B 9 7 " The next year the Paterson Festival Associationwas organized. ]viendelssohn's "Eti jah" was rendered in the armory in MuY of

that yd.ut, occupying one night, Josef Hof mann pianist, f eaturing the .other."The 'Messiah" ^was

repeated -in

l9OZ. Huydn's "Creation" was given in _theOpera House in 1903; Rossini 's "stabet .Mater" in the same place in t904. Forlack of f inanciai support, i t became necessary to use a smaller chorus and orches'tra, and revert to^ Orpheus Hall, for a few years, lvlendelssohn's "St. Paul,"Gounod's "Redemption," Baif e's "Bohemian Girl," Barnby's "Rebek&h," Bar'nett's "Ancient Miriner" and Flotow's "Marta" being offered . Later a returnwas made to the armory rvith "Eli j?h," and in 1911 Ftrandel's "Israel in _Egypt,"the People's Choral Union of Pater.son and Fassaic and the Young People'sOrchestra having been organized.

Altogether uncler Mr. Wiske's direction bdtween 1895 and l9L7 f i f teenfestivals *"re given in Paterson, some of the important works beside those alreadynamed being

- St . Saens' "samson and De1i iah," Mendelssohn's _Hymn of

Praise," and- concerL perforrnances of "Faust," 'uAida," "Cavall iera Rusticaox,n'and "Chimes of Normandy."

Mr. Wiske took the posit ion of organist of the Church of the Redeemerin Muy, 1899, and was choirmaster of the First Presbyterian Church from lvlaY:i 909,

'untrl lr is removal from Faterson about twelve years ago. FIe directed

the rnusic at the funeral of Vice,President Hobart in the Church of the Redeemerin 1899, and at the McKinley menror ia l exercises in Eastside Park in 1901.

Among noted solo art ists brought to Paterson for the Wiske festivals wereErnestine Sihtimann,F{eink, Li l l ian Nordica, N4ary Garden, Ndargaret Matzenauer,Louise Flomer, Marcella Senbrich, ]r,4arie B.appcld, Alma Glt ick, Glovanni Mar't ine11i, Bonci, John McCormack, Guiseppe Campanari, Henri Scott and HerbertWitherspoon, s ingers; Josef Hof nann, Ethel Leginska and Fannre Bloomfield 'Zersler,, pianists; Maude Poweil an d b'{:scha Elnan, viol inists.

AMATEUR OPERA

Popular performances of l ight opera intermittently over a span of seventeenyears was the record of the Paterson Amateur Opera Association under the musicaii irectron of John G. Zabris\:re, with sucir ablb amateurs as Laura Lee,Barbour,Wood McKee, the late Edward J MacDonald and Frederick A. Parker, f iguringprominently. The germ of al l this was the performance of Giibert and Sull ivan's"Patience" under auspices of the Paterson High School senior class at Apo11o Hallin 189 1 v;ith Miss Lee in the title part and Mr. Zabriskie director. In 189 3the association was organized and "The Mikado" was given with great tr iumphin the Opera House. Other per formances have been of "The Beggar Student,""Pau1 Jones," "Wangr" "Half a Kingr" "The Viceroy," "Ei-minler" "The Girlfroin Paris," and three of Mr. Zabriskie's ow"n works, "King Con," "The GrayGoose," a:rd "The Jol1y Prince."

We finally revert to earl ier t irnes to mention some of the historic brass bandsof the city, beginning vrith that of Albert (Obby) Zabriskie, grandfather of JohnG., in the i0"s. There we:e also Fred Johnson's, Ed. Wi lk inson's, Wohlrab €dNicholls', John

'Woolley's, and Gus Saalf eld's. A remarkable organization wasSaal's Band, originaliy cornposed of a father and nine sons, frorn Germany, whichilourished for about f i f teen years from 1882. The lace Albert J Robinson or.ganized his American Band in 1898, and i t became the enl isted band of theSeccnd and Fi{th Regirnents, and won third prize at the national meet of theElks at Bai t imore in 190 3 .

19

NECROLOGY

List of Deceased, Members since the inception of the Society

Rnv. JonN A. Dtrrox Rnv. Wlrrnu MnwnlNNEyLnoNano H. Doneuus Sauunr Gnrry McKlnnNAN

, JorrN Eowanos JnNr NnnnHoN. H. J. Erv LlrrrnN O'DnnHoN. Ronrnr H. FonDycE Davm pnosrny

D. W. Fnazrnn Ioe G. SancnaNrKern srncc FurroN Dn. Jnr'rns M. srrwanrHoN. JoHN w. Gnrccs HoN. EucnNn srevnxsoNDn. Aucusr J. HUNZTKER wrlrrau J. Sr. LawnnxcnRev. GnoncE WenNn Lanaw Wn*.rs J. Tunns

rr

THE STUDY OF PRE-HISTORY IN PASSAIC COUNTY

BY RUSSELL B. EVANS, B. S.

Chairmen, Committee on Pre'HisLory and Geology

"The pre.history of any region includes ever-ything that. has happened t lere

previous to^ the t ime'of the'earl iest written records. Fiom the viewpoint of . Na'

i.rr" it includes geological history, or the slow transformations that the land itself

has undergorr", ?".rr l t" ing in the'mountains, hi l ls, va.l leys,- lakes .and streams that

we see ub&rt .r, toduy, irtd regard as ever,lasting: It includes the beginning .andgradual evolution of u1l fo.ntr 'of .plant and ani*i l l i f", the vast rnajority of which

Eurr" been long extinct, a few having vanished from our own region, at, least,

since the coming here of the European sett lers."In fact, th"e l iving species of plants and animals, no_t only of Passaic County,

but of the enttre *orli, ir" t"gurded by competent students as representl"g. but

the topmost twigs of the great lr"" of hfe, al l ihe lower branches having died. and

f a1len into the sf,ade of pist t ime. These twigs we see above oilr modern horizon,

and they ate all that we know about unlesJ .,ve are able to decipher the ^pages

of tft" ,ockn and to so reconstruct some of the innumerable rnissing l inks. A few

are found as fossils, preservecl in enCuring chatrcedony (which resembles_ glass),

b.rr it is probable thit the rnajority of th; extinct species flouriehed and disap'

peared ,tr^d"r condit ioirs unfavorable to therr preservation in a fcssii state.^ "As the forr,rs of l i fe have coire and gcne, so have the everlasting hi11s. A

m.ountain, as any student of ' geclcgy well knorvs, is one of che least permanent

structures of Nature. The highei:- ihe mountain, the more rapldly i t is broken

down by glacier and avalancl:e; 'che llro_re quickly it is dissected by its swift'cutt ing it .Juuu. The mountain is carried. av/ay as _clay and it becomes a swampor is iaid dcrvit as mud at the botto;n of the sea. Sc, in rnountains, v.;e have theseeming paradox that the blggest is the ycungest.

"Thi low hi11s of gneissic rocl i , from Riverdale to Stccl ihoim, and beyond,which are a part of the N"* Jersey l{ ighlands, are alnong the oidest to be foundon earth. T6ey are al l less than 1,5C0 feet high and average abcut 1,000 feetin elevation.

-High Fcint, in Sussex County, is nearly twice as high, br! even

the rock of whic6 it ;s coinposed was nct forrned unti l the Silurian period. Ofcourse this does not mean that th.e youngest rocks form the highest mountains.It is true of rocks as of men that al l are not uniformly subject to the same elevat'i . tg inf luences. Great size, in mountains then, is a sign of youth and of swiftdegradat icn.- "The bearing of this geological observation on the "youth movement" inultra,mcdern t imes I leave to your better consideraiion. Great stze has beeninterpreted as one of the main causes leading to the extinction of the dinosaurs.Of the myriad species that have become extinct within the lati tude and longtitudeof Passaic Cor,inty, a few have done so within historic t imes. Among these arer,volves and Indians, survivors of both being sti11 found elsewhere, and the pas'senger pigeon which is totally extinct. The last of the Indians lefy these partsabout the rniddie of the Eighteenth century. They were among the latest arrivalsand the f irst to go. Lrke the big mountains, warm,hearted and protecting, theywere swept away by the glaciers and avalanches of the whites; t irey were deci,rnated by the swift,cutt ing streams of avarice. One very readily beccmes cynicalin dealing with that story because of al l the creatures in the great family cfNature that have sufrered degradation and death in the civi l ization of PassaicCounty, the Red Man was our closest of kin. So in our study of pre.history, wefind more bonds of syrnpathy in the task of archaeerlogical research than indeiv ing into the non,human past.

22 THE PASSAIC COUNTY HIST'OR.ICAL SOCIETY

"This l irnits our f ield somewhat, but, in the area of 196 square miles com,prising Passaic County, there is work enough for generations to io*e. The f ieldis not on_ly area1, i t includes the third and very imporiant dimension-depth. Itis a study- necessari ly based on speculation. It i ; a f ield in which

"rr"ry step

must be taken with hesitancy and care. I-Jncertainty is i ts dominant note. Th;investigator has ever before him an immense questioir mark. It is his pi l lar off ire ̂ bV_ night, his beckoning cloud by d"y, leading him on into the past wherehe f inds himself in regions of utter strangeness ar-d distort ion. Strange becausethey exhibit f ew or none of the things with which he is f amil iar.

"Distorted because the evidence he f inds is mostly of two kinds-enduringstone and baked _ clay. ' f hus, handicapped by lack of nearly al l the material iwhich make up the -dcructure of history, he is confrcirted with a l imited numberof tangibie clues to the existence of a human population before the t ime ofwritten records. He knows that Nature, in her manifold operations, has probablynev.er engaged in the processes of chipping f l int into certarn definite fcims, norsculpturing and polishing other stones, nor moulding, decorating and bakingclay.

"These activit ies postulate the early presence of human beings, and thisconclusion is verlf ied by the study of primit ive races now existing in other partsof the wor1d. It is thus a fortunate circumstance t irat human culture has notadvan ced uniformly !h" world over. Condit ions long extinct in Passaic Countymay be reconstructed in many details by a study of similar condit ions now i;cxistence elsevrhere. Thls study is further augmented by a perusal of writtenrecords, ai l too meagre, that have come down to us from the earl iest sett lers.From 1497 or even perhaps f rom 1 ,000 A. D., the picture had commenced tochange. Ic has been changing ever s ince, so that in Passaic Ccunty at leasc,scarcely a vest ige of i t remains. The story of the American Indian i ince l49Zis a matter of history-- an account made up of words and f igures that we under,sg2nd-6f descriptiorrs and dates. The pre,historic pages, wittr which this conr,rnitcee has to dea1, are few and scattered.

"The t ime element rnvolved is a matter of controversv. The record haslargely to be written. It rs tc be derived froin ' the study cf specimens and oft ire condit ions under which they are found. Our p.obiem is tc establish thechronology and attendant circumstances of one or rnor. culturcs erist ing vrithinour boundar ies before the advent of Europeans. Our chief task thei is thcdiscovery and exploration of ancient sites.

-We have to extract fror,r them and

from the art i facts which they contain, al l the data possible. Where these siteshave been disturbed there is usually 1e.*s to be iearned than in those rarer cageswhere rel ices ate found in situ. The interpretation c-,f sites and specimens wil lconstitute the chapters and pages of _our acccunt: The whole stoiy wiltr neverbe knovsn for at least two reaions. In the f irst place, many sites

"f aboriginal

occupation have been total ly obli terated."The southern portion of the County has assumed the appearance of an

almost continuous ctty. The sites are covered over by an impenitrable crust ofnew construction. Here is an example. In the building of the Minisink tenniscourts on the old Terhune property, west of Lakeview avenue, clay was takenfrom the edge of a sma1l swamp lying southwest of the corner of Lakeview ?Ve,nue and Market street. While fki"g this..clay over the new courts, our crtytennis.champion, Jgh"- Russell Terhune,. discovered two perfect arrow,pointsembedded in i t . I bud yet to see a pre,historic site located in a swamp so wewent in to inspect the excavation.

" I t was f ive feet broad, s ixteen fe.et . long,^ qld . i t -averaged two {eet deep.Four inches ot ' top soil , then about six inch"r of black hrrmus"were underia- ftth"- .hv.deposit in a compact gra,v mass. How did the arrow,h"uJr--f;; ;*"embedded in this clay? . To t ire archaeol^ogist their presence here

""foiJr ; 1o"g

and interesting story which I wil l briefly outl ine. Of course rhere had bl"r,no camp in the swamp. Nearby, ho'wever, at the southwest corner of the above

THE PASSAIC COUNTY }IISTORICAL SOCIETY 23

srreers, \,vas a high kno11, the sand and gravel. of _which hqd paftly been. carried

away 'at

that tirie. This knoll, and its gentle slope to the south, would have

made an exceilent camp site."That i t was so used seems an inevitable conclusion because an examination

of the area yieided several chips of flinty_ material, a block of white'weathered

biack f l int f rom all sides of *hi.h chips 'had

been struck off, and on the very

i"p "f

the kno11, a beautiful arrow,point of white quartz. Primitive man had

f arried here at least long enough to chip out some stotte tools or weapons - and

to lose a well,made ,p".I-"tr bisides. As f or the ad jacent swatnp, . i t may have

been caused by u beaver,dam where Market stret now crosss its outlet. I f so it

was more o, 1"r. of a pond for a t ime, attracting water'fowl in their season and

forming a drinking pla-e for animals of the chase.

"In other words, i t was an especial ly favored l i t t le hunting g_round, pro"

viding Jri" lo and food betimes. The n"arby. knoll . wal high 1nd dry-a good

ptu."-o" which to camp awhi le; near enough to. . the Fassaic River _tc -partakeii ttr benefits , let far enough from the beaten traiis, which presurnably followed

its banks, to insure a degree of privacy.

"Animals inhabiting or vlsiting this swamp attracteC the swift arrows of

the red huntsmen and ,uJe infer that at least two of these arrows not -only

rnissed

ih"i i *urk, b"f pl"nged -qo deeply into the soft mire as to remain lost. In this

connection it has been noticed thui certain primit ive peopie cherished -a prgjecti le

chat has f ounJ rts mar l<, believing it endowed with -

a sort of "go9d medicine"

whereas one that missed its target was often abandoned then and there. Mean'

while the ."*iiip iras shrunk. "Its

margins of nru{ have dried anC over them

has washed a thin iayer of new soil, prescrving the humus of years and, per'

haps, of centur ies."The wcoden shafts, the sinerv wrappings aird the pret-ty featirers soon

decornposed along v,zith th" remains of _ generations . of swamp plants, leaving

an indestructible "residunr of clay to sett iJ down and deposit i tself about these

enduring arrowheads. If you g,o ogq Market streei tomorrow, you wil l , f ind

the .*ui lp neai ly obii terated wiih rubbish. The sanctuary has become a midden,

the Red i l4un', larder has become the white man's dumping ground. And where

is the high knoll on which he did his work and rested from his hunting?

"It has been leveled by steam,shoveis and carried a\ /ay in big qot_or trucks,giving place to severai attractive lots al l covered with seconctr 'handed automo''8i1".." fnstead of the rel, ices of prirnit ive industry, you wil l f ind the rel ics of the

automotive industryl So the site has vanished. In t ire second place, the 'uvholestcry of pre,historit man can never be tcld because most of hrs rtomentoes havegou" the way of the wooden shaft, the sine'ws and the pretty feathers.

Even if we could recover every arrow,point and every other lasting rel ic

in the w[o1e County, they wculd inerely indicate a part^of th_at story after. the

manner of the three ar:row,points from Market street. Sci1l there is soniething

of value and much of interest in this vain attempt. Our map of primit ive sites

and our careful ly annotated ccl lection of aboriginal rel ics wil l preserve . for

iuture studentu ir inuch of that vast record as we are able to now gather.

T6ere will be plenty of opportunity for thern to adcl ';o it as tirne goes on. This

is not the t im" for'u repori on the work of this committee, but a few instancesof our act iv i r ies may b; in order. Cne of oLrr chief . . ' joht ' is- to interest othersin the society to th; end that they rnay contribute al l the information possible.

"Every aboriginal site in the Ccunty_ is _privately o_wned,. and _ many ofthese owners have collections of rel ics that they have picked up themselves. Nowthe person who f lnds a primit ive rel ic has a double d.rty to perform. The f irst, isthe important, narnely-to note where and under what circumstance-s the -specimenwas found. This duty cannot be foo strongly emphasized. No one bui the f inCerhimself wil l ever be abie to supply this infcrmation. Historical societies every'wftere have hundreds of spccimens, unclassif iecl and aimost rneaningless becauseunlabeled. Somebody collected them. Somebody e1se, per,haps thought they


Yerg too good to throw awx|, so they were dumped into the nearest museum.And there they l ie in unwieldy groups, defying systematic study.

Dr. Austin Flint Rogers, head of the department of Geology at StanfordUniversity, once told me in regard to mineral specimens, " A inineral with,out a label is about as good ar no mineral at ali.'; Mr. Morton will bear himout on this contention, I am sure, "Where did it come from ?" is the mostimportant

-question the collector has to answer. He is responsible for that

answer and we have the job of gett ing him to make it before lt is to late. Thisbrings us to the second dgty oJ ord who owns a collection, n"*"Iy,: thatof placing it in the care of a museum. We cannot expect to live foierrer andmust look forward to giving up our treasures and sduvenirs sooner or later.It behooves all of our membert- 1o _"speak a good word for the Society where,eJer _you go" so that those who have appropriate materials will look towardthe Passaic Co_unty Historical Society

"r- i final, permanent and worth,while

repository for thern and to take such steps as will ultimately place them in ourgrowing museum. Two new accessions of Indian rel ics are ihort ly to be enteredinto our collections.

"The f irst is from a "known" .site, published by the State Department?Conservation and Development, through

- which publication we relocated it a

l"y years ago. !t i_s on a f arm in Singac, its present occupant being WilliamSelle and son. Both are co,operating with us i.r the saving of r,r. l i rel ics asar.e. brought to light in- tillage operations. At our last visii they presented usYlth 1.1 1 specimens of primitive workmanship that they had ro gathered.This shows a f ine spir i t of interest and helpfulness urd the thanki of theSociety afe 4t"- these generous neighbors of ours at Singac. This is theirsecond gift which, together with the specimens that the

-erib"rs of this corD,

rnittee have found themselves, will further increase the total from this site.' tNewton Van Duyne, of Mountainview has permitted collecting on his farm

{ol- years so_ that when we visited the aborigini l site i t containr,"*" found itwell 'nigh

-exhausted._ He, however, took a kindly interest in the work we are

doing ?nd presented us with the two only rp"ci*"tt, he had at the t ime. Wehope these will be augmented by the finds bf' other collectors from this siteas it appears to have been one of some importance in ancient t imes. Thereare many phases of procedure yet to be worked out, with detai ls aplentv andwe are moving ahead with great deliberation so that our work *it t form abasis on which future committee,men may build and not require *6oi"rut"a.nd t ime,consuming revision.

THE SOCIETY'S HEADQUARTERS AND MUSEUM

By ALBER.T H. HEUSSER, Curator

The Board of Trustees of the Free Pubiic Library have rendered us anaccommodation of incalculable value in sett ing aside for our use the spaciousaparrmenr on the main f loor of their magnif icent building. In gorye respects theMrr"1-rt lr is the most tangible proof of our existence arrd accomplishment; at leastin so far as the public isloncerned. Had we not been offered some suitable placefor the exhibit ion and safe,keeping of oLrr archives and historic treasures at theoutset of oltr work, we shouid- have been greatly retarded in our efforts in thisdirect ion.

To give a detai ied report of the acquisit ions to date, or even to i ist the namesof the d-onors to the museum during the two years of i ts existence, would requirea space exceeding our present l imi ts. In future, hclwever, , i t inay be possible toisstie sornething in the nature of a catalcgtte, to come out distinctly as a musetllnbul let in.

The iab'or and care incident to properly arranged museurn records can scarcelybe comprehended at f irst thought. Index card.s must be provided for the indi 'vidual do.rorr, alphabetically arranged, so that at once it can be ascertained

-justwhat that purt i . . i iot member or fr ier 'd of the Society has contributed, and w,herei t is to be iacated. This last is very important. I f a desired document or objectcannot be produced rvhen want ed rihe entire purpose of the museum and itsarchives is defeated. Again, carCs cf var ious coiors must be provided in orderadequateiy to l is t the object-* or papers themselves, indexed by name or.subject .In orr system bl,ue signif ies sper:imettts and curios, such as swords. ink wells,pistols and warming,pans ; buff for rJocuments and printed matter _( includingphotographs and maps, ) inclexet l an d somet imes cross, indexed under

- proper

nu-.r o.rd subjects covered. For the l ibrary, ( t i rat is , for our bound voiumes),pinl l cards, l i l rel.vise arranged, are uti l i : led. To i l lustrate the working. 9f thesystem, one example wil l

-suf{ice. It r;o happens that Mr:s. f iunneil rnade the

first contribr-rt ion to the muselrm. It was a f ramed l i thograph of a Rogers,Ketchurn €d Grosvenor locomctive made in Paterson about 1850. This acquisit ionnecessi tated three index cards, i . e. ; one for Mrs. Bunnel l , another headed"Locomotives," and a third "Rogers, Ketchutn €d G'rosvenor." This order off i l ing, while laborious, places before thr: researcher al l the information required,as the cards tel1 whereaboui in the museuln the object sought may. be found,or in what part icular binder, case or cabinet the precious written or printedrecord has been placed for preservat ion. I t must be boine in mind that the greatstore of materiai treasured by e\/ery hist;oric body or lnriseum, is never seen bythe casual visitor, but is thus secureiy put away unti l cal led for by some inquiringsttrdent or res.earcher. The vital essenl. ial, therefore, is to l lnow where to f i ind it .

To the general public, however, i t i .s the historic objects or curios that givethe museum its attraci iveness. Thereforr: the endeavor to have cases well f i l ledwith interesting mementoes of past t imes, of war or peaceful Cornestic pursuit, ofart or industry. And the more 1ocal in character these things may be, the greaterthe value and appeal to the community. Hence, the archives and property com,mittee of every organization i ike our own is ever cn the look,out for things todisplay and

. l1no**Iedge to horde away.

"Short,t ime,lcans" are of l i t t le value. The labor of gett ing specimens orshow pieces in and out of cases is considerable; and the necessary processes oftemporary record coustitute sc much useJess effort. The thought of permanencyis back of our Historical Society; i t is t ire custody of loca1 and cor-rnty materialfor a l l t ime to come that we most desire. The same idea, ( that of perpetualcare and preservation at our hands) ought to animate those who entrust cheprecious things to our custody. This is th e att i tude of every similar organiration,to see( and to sa,ue forever that which might otherwise be lost.


Vp to the present titne, the Passaic County Historicai Society has acquiredsomething like 22t articles such as are suitable for exhibition because of virioushistoric associa_tio.q, and a l ibrary consisting of 80 bound .roir*". and over 1I0pamphlets- We have five valuable manirscript record,books, 800 and morephotogr."Pbg, 4OO portra_its of old,time citizens, 20 maps, 25 printed broadsidesor hand bi l ls , Z0O medals and badges, and between 50^and 60 autograph let ters?t' td lega1 documents. Of the above, some forty specimens are f.u*ZJ

""a now

hang upon the wa11s of our room at the Library. ^

The disposit ion of newspaper and magazine cl ippings presents anotherserious problem for every museum curator, lik"ewise the'r.."jr,book, which .orrr"in from time to time, many of these lattdr fiiled with good'material ;;e ."pr",senting tb. l .apor of years, yet well,nigh valuelesr beci,s" they are unindexed.No one should attempt to save cl ippingi unless they are pasted into a book withnumbered pageg, ?nd indexed rrgitZrl{; otherwir" ihi. *ort i *tf i accumulare andnever be attended to. Most hisioric societies are over,whelmed with draws andboxes and o1d copy'books stufred with loose and torn or badly.pasted cl ippingsUsually these mines of information are not availed of b".",1ri of the

^almoschopeless task of f loundering through the discouraging mass.

^ Happily, we ourselves have made a proper beginning. Mr. Belcher, of the

Current History Committee, has recently iompleted"and t irrned over the iociety'sltt t scrap b_oo\, the only lhj""g of i ts ki;d I have ever seen demonstrating properindexing. It is a beautiful ly accurate piece of work and a real asset'fo1. ourarchives. Mr. Dietz has another in. proiess, to be handied in the same fashion,and eventually we .shall not only kbep up with the current i tems of interescwhich appear in the county p"p"rr ft_o^

^d"y to duy, bur shali Ji;p;;"

-

" i- ' th"her i tage of some 3,000 odds-a"d ends, c l ipped f"om the pup". , " f

th" past,which have come tc us, among other things,^ as well,meant dtnations.

Our collection of Indian rel ics has been subordinated, in a measure, to orherphases- of the work, for the reason that i t is deemed best to confine o".*t.r", tot"gh things as have been {ound strict ly within the l irnirs oi P;r;" i ; Co""ly- u'dduly authenticated. Mr. Evans, of the'Pre,history and C";i.#fommi6ee, writesupon this subject elsewhere in this issue. '

_1- , Fi1,a.lly', it is to be regretted that our Museum cannot always remain open to

the publ ic, but a sense of responsibi l i ty demanded tbat proptr p.ecaut ions betaken to safeg.uard the property entrustei to our care. n"."?";itt ..rffi.i.rrJ

-*Lu.,,

may be found available to enable the Society to maintain some one in constantattendance. As it is, arrangements have been made with the Lib;;y

-."*i i ' ro

admit duly accredited visitori during the ubr..r." of the ;";;;r.

PROGRAM OF MEETINGS FOR THE YEAR

1928-L929

L928Sept. 1Oth-Monday; Church HistorY

Oct. l0rh-Wednesday: T opographical and Historical Geography

Nov. 8th-Thursday; Military History

Dec. 10th-]vlonday; Literary History, including T{ewspapers

L929Jun. 10th-Thursday ; Genealo gy

Feb. ' 6th-Wednesduy, Banquet, and, Spea\er

Mar. l l th-Monday; Annual Business Meeting and Election ofOf f icers

Apr. l Cth-V/ednesday; Sclrool ETistory

Moy lOth-Friday; Phas"es of Industrial HisTory

Jtrne 8th-Saturday; Third Annual Pil,grimage

' -7

Unless fuiure notice to the contrary is €iven,all regular meetings wil l be held in the Hobart Art Gallery,

Public Library Building, Paterson, N.J.

ilr/n - passaic county historical society

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