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In
the 17th century, Lenape Indians traveled the land we now call
Franklin
Lakes
. They made winter camp in the “Clove” near
Buttermilk
Falls
and fished in Micharagrape Pond (now
Franklin
Lake
).
Slowly, the Dutch
settlers made their way west from the
Hudson River
Valley
. In 1701 the East Jersey Proprietors confirmed to Michael
Hawden the land around the Pond. In 1772
Franklin
Township
was formed and included much of northwestern
Bergen
County
. Farming was the major occupation of the early inhabitants,
mostly Dutch with the names of Van Winkle, Van Houten, Ackerman,
Pulisfelt, Van Blarcom, etc. They built solid farmhouses of
sandstone and fieldstone. Fourteen of these historic homes
still stand in our Borough.
Mills sprang up
along the creeks: sawmills, gristmills, tanneries and forges.
Daniel Youman’s Grist Mill on
Franklin
Lake
was probably the first business established (it later served as a
saw mill and a cider mill).
The 1876 Walker
Atlas showed Franklin Lakes had about 100 residences, 5 mills, 1
tannery, 3 schools, 4 blacksmith and wagon shops, 1 church, 2
hotels, 1 store, and 2 railroad depots.
The railroad
stations were built in 1869 when the New Jersey Midland Railroad was
extended to
Oakland
. One station stood at Campgaw on
Pulis Avenue
, the other at
Crystal Lake
on
High Mountain Road
. Residents used the train for commuting, moving goods and
mail.
Around the turn of
the century, estate houses and mansions began to appear in the area.
The industrial revolution brought wealth, and many of the wealthy
became “gentleman farmers,” sometimes living here only in the
summer. Examples of these houses include the Bartholf-Hughes
house on
Somerset
, the Post-Terhune house on
Franklin Lake Road
, and the Atterbury-Brockhurst house on
Ewing Avenue
.
Eventually, the
Campgaw section became the civic center of our Borough. In
1922
Franklin
Lakes
separated from
Franklin
Township
, incorporated, and elected William V. Pulis as its first Mayor.
Edward May built
three lakes and started the Shadow Lake Swim Club, which evolved
into Shadow Lakes Estates. On the other side of the Borough,
J. Nevins McBride purchased land around
Franklin
Lake
and began building single-family homes in Urban Farms.
When Route 208 was
extended to
Oakland
in 1959,
Franklin
Lakes
became more accessible, and by 1980 there were more than 8,500
residents. The completion of Interstate 287 in the early
1990’s stimulated another boom in building. Today, the
population of our Borough is 10,422.
From a sleepy
rural community to an affluent metropolitan suburb,
Franklin
Lakes
has changed extensively, continuing to be a desirable place to live
and raise families.
The Franklin Lakes
Historical Society was created to help preserve our Borough’s rich
history, while at the same time looking to the future of our unique
community and those who choose to make this their home.
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