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Ridgewood
was a wilderness of trees and streams in
1698 when Johannes Van Emburgh and David Provoast purchased
250 acres of land here. The area was called Hochaos (now Ho-Ho-Kus)
after the Native American name of the brook
that runs through the Village. By 1725 the area was known as
Paramus
and there were enough families in the area to establish a
congregation of the Reformed Church. The first church was a
strategic military point during the American Revolution; troops
encamped here throughout the war. George Washington visited and
wrote letters here and the Patriots and the British skirmished in
the churchyard.
The
area around the church and across the Saddle
River(at the intersection of today's East Saddle River Road
and East Glen Avenue} was the center of activity in the area for 150 years. Old
Paramus Reformed Church (built in 1800) and four other
historic buildings still stand there today.
Ridgewood
was settled primarily by Jersey Dutch people who traced their
ancestors to the Netherlands
as well as immigrants from other European countries who assimilated
into the Dutch American culture. Their way of life was agricultural,
growing crops and raising livestock to support their families and to
trade in markets as far away as New York.
Ridgewood
had a blacksmith and there were small grist and saw mills
along the streams.
As
Ridgewood
grew, so did the
amenities of the Village. In 1899 the first
bank was established. Live entertainment and movies were
popular at three venues-the Opera
House, the Playhouse,
and the Warner
Theater
(still in use today).
Graydon
Park, home of Graydon pool, was established in 1910 and still is a
popular summer destination. The first lending library
was established in 1898 by a group of volunteers and has steadily
grown over the years to a collection of 130,000 volumes today. The Village government has been housed in many locations over the
years, but today makes its home in the former Elks building (under
renovation in 2003).
Ridgewood
's residential areas were fully developed by
1970 and all vestiges of its agricultural past were gone, replaced
by housing for commuters. Many styles of residential architecture
are evident. Striking individual examples include the 18th century
Dutch sandstone
houses,
a home designed by Henry
Hudson
Holly
(a noted architect), and the James
Rose
house
(built by an influential landscape architect). Streetscapes of
similar or harmonious houses exist all over the Village,
encompassing styles
as diverse as late nineteenth century Tudor revivals and post-war
cape cods. Ridgewood's history reflects in many ways the history of
our country and the history of railroad suburbs in New Jersey
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