ACQUACKANONK LANDIIVG* - in Commerceand in War

ITYt{IlFILlTTn ACQUACKANONK LANDIIVG* - In Commerceand in war This history of Acquackanonk is the history wigwams but in sturdy cabins made of fire. Other saw and gristmills were tory of commerce and of the Revolution, tirnbers. An old Indian suggested"Michielse built later in the area, and the first Acquackanonk Landing was once the river set up a trading post on the island, which bleacherv in the state was that of Jarnes front part of Acquackanonk Township he did immediately after getting the deed Shepherdbuilt in I 8 t 3 on WeaselBrook which then was part of Essex County, and Apr. 4, 1678, the first building by a white on Highland Ave" i and it later became part of the City of man in Acquackanonk. A surviving direct , Passaic. It has an unusual history matched descendantof Hartman is Capt. Andrew T. Some of these plants were adjacent to only by a few other areas of its size. It is f)errom, vice-president of PassaicCounty Acquackanonk Landing, but all business noted primarily for its former shipptng ac- Historical Society. He was honored by and materials went through Landing, be- tivity as then the largest shipping port of former Passaic'sMayor Paul De Muro at coming at that time the largest shipping North Jersey and for its part throughout its Tercentenary Celebration Program. port in lrlorth Jersey. With this increase the Revolution, where Washington was in cornmercial activity, new roads Hartman was one of four brothers to whorn and saved with his army, and from which Pas- turnpikes were built from other credit must go for the purchase shortly areas. saic County and upstate were developed. to or through Acquackanonk after of theTamous Acquackanonk Patent Landing Being at the uppermost point of navigation with the only bridge over the Passaic from the trndiansin I 679 and from the on the PassaicRiver, once the "largest and River below Totowa. I-ords Proprietors of the Province of East There was the best fresh water fishing stream in the state'l first road, that formed River New JerseyMarch 15, 1684 by 14 fam- Drive and and one of the'greatest for shad, and on Lexington Ave. ilies covering all of Acquackanonk Town- and known as the King's which the first steamboat in the country Highway through ship, excepting Dundee Island and the Acquackanonk I-anding made its first trip, it developed into a thriv- and Point Patent issued to Christopher Hoag- beyond in 1707. It went to Newark. pcrt from which farm and forest pro- The land March 25, 1678 by Carteret cover- Acquackanonk Church Road, pre- tp and ore were shipped, inbound ma- viously a**, ing the Dundee section of Passaicadjacent an Indian trail and now Brook terials, supplies and equipment were re- to Landing. gray Ave. and later went also to the paper ceived, and later Alexander Hamilton's A large stone that was used as a marker for the Point Patent mills, built in 1707. Sip's Lane, now "Paterson- made goods" were wagonned to Van Houten Ave,, was laid out in 1724 Acquackanonk Landing. and later as a corner of the 14 acrescon- veyed to the Old First Church is now and later extended to Little Falls and In this growing process, Acquackanonk located at the southerly corner of Pas- Morris County. Bloomfield Ave. and Landing went through all stages of ec,r- saic and Grove. Mineral Spring built in 1803. The Paterson nomic development, frorn taming Indians and Hamburgh Turnpike started at and wilderness, harnessing waters for power lN COMMERCE - Once largestshipping AcquackanonkLanding in 1803-1809 port and navigation, through the wagoo, stage- in North Jersey - Frorn furs to Shipping as a toll road, later merged with the Paterson and New York Flankroad, coach, canal and railroad periods, and Acquackanonk Landing started in fur crossing emerged into the countyrs leading commer- trading rwith the lndians. Hartman set the bridge into Bergen County. The cial area and later as one of the states lar- up a trading post mentioned above on old colonial road to Hackensack gest industrial areas. During this early Dundee Island near the Indian Village. also started at thid bridge. period, first farm roads, some from Indian He had so much faith in the future of trails, and later turnpikes were constructed, Old Acquackanonk in fur, lumber, and F-or nearly 300 years there has been some then the first bridge over the Passaic River farming that he convinced his brothers w&y, by ferry or bridge to cross the Passaic at Acquackanonk Landing where turnpikes and the 10 others to acquire the Acquack- River at Landing near the present bridge. crossed Ahd where there was a rope ferry anonk Patent. It turned out that the fur, At first by rope ferry ( I 6 82) then by crude previously. farm and lumber businesswas so good foot bridge built about 174A. Then, as if that a tannery, gristmills and sawmills (there ' ', First Settters- Being at the head of river by a dream, Essex County was no ! '1 soon appeared. The first tanner was PassaicCounty then) and Bergen County navigation surrounded by forested rolling Stephen Bassettand his tannery was hills for hunting, fishing and farming, it was authorized a new bridge to replace the 'quickly built in 1735 on Lexington Ave. (then inhabited by the early Dutch *a' old footbridge. This became the famous King's Highway built in 1707). He was Revolutionary bridge referred to below. ders, farmers, and explorers from New Am- ' probably also the state's first manufac- sterdam and It was later destroyed by ice about 1781- Communipaw, now Jersey City, turer. When he died in 17 63, it became seeking extend fur find- 2, and replaced by another bridge which to their trading and a brewery. The first gristmill in the i+g better farm lands. One of was also damagedby ice in I 81 I , and these was county was built in 1698 by John Brad- Hartman Michielse or.Vreeland - who is three more bridges were built since. - bury at Yanticaw Pond in the Delawanna believed to have been the first white man part of Acquackanonk. This later be- to have set foot upon, purchasdd land, Early Merchants- The first store in Passaic and came a papermill. The first papermill settled in Acquackanonk Township next to County was that of Robert Drummond whcr - in PassaicCounty was also in Delawanna. Hing. He found a well organized and operated a general store with post office It was the Kingsland mill which started ';"*._-rblished Algonquin Indian Village there and real estate and shipping business as a sawmill in 1741 then run by John across from what was known as Dundee , near the Acquackanonk bridge. He also Berry, member of the Provincial Con- owned and operated iron mines at Char- Island. But they were not Living in transi- gress. About I 8 l0 the Whiting Paper lotteburg and had interests in iron mines *Footnote-Use Co. (still in existance) and Melville of Pompton, Ringwood, and it was re- =., of Acquackanonkanp.Landing here- ,- in representsthe samearea as part of Acquackanonk Ctutis of the Saturday Evening Post ported he alsohad interests of some kind Tou'nship.Later, when Patersongoods came through family and then the Kingslands made in nearly every iron mine not only in Tl: *lryashington paper at this plant later destroyed by New Jersey but also in s.everalmines in :', alwaysreferred to it asAcquackanonk . Bridgg *-' 1- i."' '.r, . ,jJ:r .. -:-..:1-;, adjoining New York and Pennsylvania. DURINGTHE REVOLUTION. Of ,these, Henry Garritse,Robert Drum- He wasa memberof the GeneralAs- WashingtonSaved With His,Army mond, MichaelVreeland, and John Berry semblyof the hovince of New JerseY Acquackanonk Landing's part in the were electedmernbers of the Provincial and a deputy of the Provinsial Congress' Revolution was as impressiveas that. Gongress.This mee{ing,washeld in Unfortunately he turned Loyalist and of any other areainvolved in the war. JamesLeslie's tavern, originally the recruited a battalion of Loyalists most- There are enoush historical markers churchparsonage ( 17| 3, and later ,r known ly f_rbmBergen County, but none from in the smali arei to substantiate. as the BlanchardHouse. Of the ;l Acquackanonk. His property was all above,,thefollowing wereburied in the U confiscatedlater. His geneial store Why WashingtonDecided on old AcquackanonkLanding graveyard : had beensold to John Low, then to AcquackanonkLanding as his M. Vreeland,H. Garritse,P. Peterie,J. SamuelSeeley. and then to Abraham Headquarters- Berry,T. Post,R. Ludlow, J. Spier,J. Ackerman who rnadeanother success Following the battle of White Plains Van Riper, L. Wessels,F. & C. Van of the business,as he built extensive and the concentration of British forces, Winkle,H. Post,Jr., J. Vreeland,A. Van docks for a line of boats plying between Washingtonpredicted they would enter: Riper,Dr. Roche. Ryderand Drummond hereand New York City, and at one New Jersey,and instructed his engineers turned Tories. time owned most of the Landingriver to survey and record safe areasfor re- front property. The businesswas treat. He then selectedAcquackanonk A rousing and memorable meeting was acquiredby Ryersonand Van "Bridge" wherehis troops would be held in the old tavern on July 3, 1776 to later consider the question Houten who later sold out to Peter safe. Retreating from Ft. ke, but of defense, should Peteralso ran boatsto New stopping briefly at Hackensackand the enemy invade. Acquackanonk Land- Jackson. point York, and alsoengaged in the timber found the people mostly apathetic, tre ing at that tirne was an important on and wood businesscut from his own decidedto go on to Acquackanonk the main artery from Newark to Hacken- woodlands.

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