Volume 7 • Issue 1 TheHistoricCounSpringt 2006y Newsletter of The Passaic County Historical Society Bloomingdale • Clifton • Haledon • Hawthorne • Little Falls North Haledon • Passaic • Paterson • Pompton Lakes • Prospect Park Ringwood • Totowa • Wanaque • Wayne • West Milford • West Paterson

Lambert Castle Museum presents its new exhibition for the spring/summer entitled INSIDE THIS ISSUE D ressed In Character: Dressed In Character ...... 1, 3

PCHS Annual Meeting ...... 2 Masquerade And

Expanded Summer Hours ...... 2 Whortendyke Family Farm Theatrical Costumes and Barn...... 3

Passaic County Now and Then ...... 4 with Photographs

Canal Society Exhibit...... 4 from Saturday, April 29 through Sunday, August 27, 2006. Co. B, 2nd This new exhibition is located on the third floor in the Volunteers ...... 5 changing exhibitions gallery. Bernardus Boreman Helped The Passaic County Historical this vivid eighteenth-century suit coat, Build Old Passaic ...... 6 Society is home to a vast array of which is displayed in the exhibition, Thank You Members ...... 7 clothing, textiles, and fashion acces- provided the perfect costume for sories including some unusual the occasion. Thank You PCHS Volunteers .. 8 costumes that were fanciful- Embellishments were added ly worn to masquerade to the old suit, including PASSAIC COUNTY parties or at other elaborate lace fringe and HISTORICAL SOCIETY events, such as on a handmade mask and Halloween or at the hat were custom-fab- Museum Easter parade. ricated to complete 3 Valley Road, Paterson, The wearing of the ensemble. 07503 masquerade cos- Other costumes tumes provides an on display include Museum: (973) 247-0085 excuse for people several children’s Library: (973) 278-9337 to step outside of Halloween cos- themselves and tumes dating from FAX (973) 881-9434 become some- the 1920s and 1930s E-mail: thing unusual or that were donated otherworldly. This by PCHS member [email protected] was the case when, Marilyn Gray. in the late nine- These fun and Visit us on the web: teenth century, one colorful Halloween www.lambertcastle.org gentleman from outfits portray char- Paterson was con- acters such as Bo Peep, fronted with what to Lady Liberty and Marie wear to a costume party Antoinette. and finally decided on a The exhibition also features century-old man’s suit coat in dozens of historical photographs bold red with white stripes. Since from the PCHS archives of people costume rental stores were unknown dressed in a variety of costume, from at the time, to our Victorian gentleman Continued on page 2 PCHS Dressed In Character: Annual Meeting Continued from page 1 The Society’s annual meeting was 1960s Easter parade-goers with their Such is the case with a petit blue held in May and elections to the flamboyant hats to participants in the velvet acrobat’s costume worn by a Victorian-era novelty of ‘artistic’ pho- very young child that is part of the Board of Trustees and its Officers tography in which models were adorned exhibition. This child, the daughter were held. We welcomed several in costume for the camera. Other of Charles and Lena Egg of Paterson, new Trustees: Lorraine Yurchak, photographs depict all sorts of pe o p l e was Eleanor Egg who at a very Larry Korona and Gail Yannarelli. f rom Passaic County’ s past, festooned young age joined her parent’s acro- As always, we were saddened to in a variety of regalia. batic act known as ‘The Spauldings.’ see our President retire from the Eleanor later grew up to become an Board: Mrs. Maryjane Proctor. We accomplished athlete who was des- tined to represent the United States were also sad to say goodbye to at the 1932 Olympics. Eleanor’s Mr. Ken Brino and Mrs. Alice Booth hopes for a medal were quickly whose busy schedules no longer let dashed however when she incurred a them work actively on the Board. leg injury just before the team was to The Society is very grateful for all depart for Europe. A photograph of their work these many years. The Spauldings is included in the The meeting also saw election of exhibition, along with others that reveal typical costumes worn by New Executive Officers. Mrs. Doris magicians, comedians, jugglers, and Bauer as President. Her two Vice circus performers from the past one Presidents a re Mr. Sidney Lockwood hundred years. ❧ and Ms. Arlette Keri. The Tre a s u re r position was taken by M r. Robert This exhibition was made possible with Vermulen and Secre t a r y became support from the Jaqua Foundation. Mrs. Dorothy Decker. ❧

EXPANDED SUMMER HOURS ON WEEKENDS Please note that in the summer of 2006, during the months of July and August, Lambert Castle Museum will be open one hour Other historical cos- earlier on weekends only, tumes and photographs from Noon to 4 p.m. on display have their origins in the entertain- ment industry. B e f o re the advent of motion pictures and television, America was enter- tained by live theater in the form of stage plays, operas, vaudeville and the circus. Costume played a major role in creating the desired illusion or effect for these Charles and Lena Egg, also know as the Henrietta Weiss welcomes visitors. theatrical performers. ‘The Spauldings.’

2 THE WORTENDYKE FAMILY FARM AND THEIR NEW WORLD DUTCH BARN Robert Cohen PCHS Trustee and Curator of Wortendyke Barn Museum

In the year 1735, when the future first President of the posts using a tenon/mortise joint. Earlier Barns before 1810 fledgling United States was just three years, Frederick Jacobse used a scribe rule where the points met and each joint was Wortendyke Senior bought approximately 46 acres of farm- individually made. Roughly sometime after 1810, the square land acreage from Henrick Vanderlinda in the region of Old rule came into use, and all joints were universally made the B e rgen County called Pascack. same, thus square rule joints. F rederick descended from Cornelius Jacobse Stille who had The Wortendyke Barn was made using the earlier scribe emigrated from the United Province to New A m s t e rd a m , rule, there f o re, the Barn was most likely built prior to 1810. New Netherland in 1639. He had previously settled in New World Barns in general were built from 1680 – 1820 or a Tappan, but now decided upon a farm in Pascack. little after. The early Barns may have had thatch hay ro o f i n g Exactly when Wortendyke put up his barn is still debated, material, but virtually all roofs were made of wooden materi- but he probably used a variety of storage methods including al after experimentation with thatch. hay barracks, granaries, and maybe even an earlier barn. It is The Wortendyke’s farmed the area from 1735 until 1851. estimated that is was during After several generations of the late 18th or early 19th farming, their acreage was century when Wo r t e n d y k e reduced to 40. Wo r t e n d y k e family raised their jewel of a family members stayed in the New World Dutch Barn, a rea until 1901 when the last possibly the finest example Wortendyke surname left the in New Jersey and thro u g h- Park Ridge area. There are out the lower Hudson Wortendyke’s in other parts of Va l l e y. the country, including New New World Dutch Barns York State, Texas, the could be found thro u g h o u t Midwest, and Florida but the region of what was for- m y s t e r i o u s l y, it’s very diff i c u l t merly New Netherland— to find a Wortendyke surname f rom the Mohawk River and in the Bergen-Passaic area. If Scohairie Creek in upstate you know one, send them to New York along the Hudson the Barn which is open as a River—to what is now Bergen, Passaic, Monmouth, and B e rgen County Museum, with exhibits about the Barn, Old Middlesex Counties in Northern and Central New Jersey. B e rgen (which included Passaic County until 1837), farming T h e re may have been others built as far south as Delaware , history and maps, artifacts, tools, and pictures of the southeastern Pennsylvania, and southern New Jersey. But Wortendyke Barn and farm. the Barns that have been discovered largely cover the north- A New World Dutch Barn once stood on the property of ern half of New Jersey and the Hudson River Va l l e y, ru n n i n g the Dey Mansion (Wayne), however, it was torn down during slightly north of Albany and along the Mohawk and the 1930’s. But there is still one that the author knows Schohairie are a s . of…..The Old Milk Barn in Wayne. For decades, serving as The Barn was entirely made of wood down to the nails, an ice cream bar on Hamburg Turnpike, stood a New Wo r l d called "trunnels" (tree nails). The woods used for the con- Dutch Barn. Thanks to the concerted efforts of local citizens, s t ruction were local indigenous hard woods such as oak, the Barn was saved, taken apart, and currently in storage tulip, poplar, hemlock, and white pine. The Barns were awaiting its new assemblage in the Wayne Township are a . based on those found in the Netherlands and parts of You may contact the Wayne Historical Commission and the G e r m a n y. Their building methods were brought over to the town Mayor and Council people to tell them you are behind New World by carpenters and farmers who emigrated to the its restoration at the earliest possible time. mentioned re g i o n s . Besides the Wortendyke's and Dey’s, there were numero u s In the Old World, these Barns were lived in as well as used other farm families that lived and pro s p e red throughout the for storage but in the New World, virtually all were separate Old Bergen County. Some of these families were named f rom the farmhouse. The Wortendyke House is located Ackerman, Banta, Blauvelt, Demarest, Varick, Post, Pre v o r t , a c ross from the Barn on Pascack Road but is within easy Westervelt, Te rhune, and Zabriskie, among others. While waking distance. some of these families’ ancestors might have come from other Most Barns had a northern exposure for warmth. The con- parts of Europe, the Dutch culture predominated in the are a s t ruction of the Barn was based on an H-frame, the key fea- of New Netherland, and they all would have built New t u re of its infrastru c t u re. Massive anchor beams fit thro u g h Dutch Barns. ❧ 3 PASSAIC COUNTY NOW AND THEN Philip Jaeger, PCHS Trustee

Our “Now and Then” section will focus on a particular location in the county and the change that has been wro u g ht by time. Whenever possible there will be a common ele- ment such as the Passaic River in the paired images to serve as a point of re f e rence. Comments on the contrasting scenes are welcome as well as suggestions and photos for future issues. This 1915 photograph (top right) in West Paterson was taken just one year after the municipality had separated f rom Little Falls. The view looks north on McBride Av e n ue to the “Highbridge” of the Boonton Branch of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. Service on the line began in 1870 and the bridge saw its last train in 1963. At center stage is Public Service car 1422 with its uni- formed motorman and conductor. The trolley is on the Paterson-Singac line and will soon pass Idlewild Park en route to its terminus at the Little Falls-North Caldwell border. Public Service publicity at the time stated: “Twelve trolley roads provide transportation for the people of Paterson and its suburbs. The most picturesque of these, from the tourist’s viewpoint, is the Singac line.” At the far left is the Passaic River while the steps at the far right lead to an 1858 school. In 2006 the same view (bottom left) finds Interstate Route 80 occupying the former site of the Lackawanna “Highbridge.” The Route 80 bridge was installed in 1971. Trolley operations on the Paterson-Singac line ceased in 1927. Steps at the right lead to the offices of the West Paterson Board of Education that now occupy the former school. ❧

COMING THIS SEPTEMBER TO LAMBERT CASTLE MUSEUM The Canal Society of New Jersey will be sponsoring this The Canal Exhibition will open at year’s late summer/early fall showing in the changing Lambert Castle Museum on September 2nd exhibition gallery at Lambert Castle Museum. Entitled and run through October 14th, 2006. ‘Canals of New Jersey,’ the exhibition will explain how New Jersey’s canals were built primarily to bring Pennsylvania coal to the tidewater market. By traversing the state, canals enabled the expansion of the economic base for New Jersey’s industries in the nineteenth century. The exhibition will explore both the and the Delaware and Raritan Canal. Through graphic panels and historical photographs, this exhibition will show exactly how the quicker and cheaper transportation offered by canals significantly improved the transporta- tion system for the young nation. The Museum’s Director and Curator are working closely with Canal Society member and PCHS member Fred Spain o n developing this exhibition especially for Lambert Castle. ❧ 4 ATTENTION! President Lincoln has called for Volunteers to Suppress the Secessionist Revolt! JOIN!! Co. B, 2nd Rhode Island Volunteers

The Passaic County Historical Society and Company B, held firing demonstrations, drills, and depicted the camp 2nd Rhode Island Volunteers hosted a living history Civil life of a civil war soldier for the visitors. War Weekend bivouac at Lambert Castle on Saturday, Inside the castle, the Unit displayed original weapons April 22nd and Sunday, April 23rd. and artifacts from the 1860’s in addition to displays of The April weather did not cooperate — cold, damp, and civilian crafts. rainy — but encamped for two days and one night on the Company B, 2nd Rhode Island Volunteers is a non- castle’s great lawn, the hardy Company B, 2nd Rhode Island profit 501(c) organization. Please visit their website at Volunteers braved the harsh elements, and enthusiastically www.freewebs.com/2rivb

5 From The BERNARDUS BORNEMAN County HELPED BUILD Historian E. A. Smyk OLD PASSAIC

In mid-September 1925, several workmen toting wre c k i n g They lived there until 1853, when they purchased two acres tools approached a modest-looking house off Main Av e n u e, of property and built their homestead. As Acquackanonk between Central and Harrison Streets, Passaic. The demo- increased in population, so did Borneman’s reputation. lition men had been given a specific assignment. Within a He was a diligent and reliable contractor. short time, the air was filled with clouds of plaster d u s t According to his own handwritten account book, the and the unpleasant sounds of aged boards splintering stouthearted contractor had a steady supply of customers under the assault of crowbars and hammers. The clapboard between 1866 and 1871. In May 1867, Borneman recorded house was soon a pile of debris. More than a few old-time that he contracted with J. Vogelsang “to make a house city residents lamented its passing. 16 feet by 29 with 7 windows, 1 door, 1 closet and stairs” E rected by Bernardus Borneman in 1853, the wood-frame for a total of $100. Vogelsang paid his bill in two installments. structure managed to survive its original owner by just During the Summer, Borneman noted he constructed a more than two decades, and during tie many years of two-story house for George Eager at a cost of $200. He existence, the place had attained the status of a minor also agreed to provide Eager with “2,000 feet of lumber landmark. Borneman was a skilled carpenter who built for fifty dollars, and a cart it from Paterson for an addi- the house with his own hands. He erected many others tional 4 dollars.” On October 2nd, the Borneman account book contains an entry for repairing N. Kip’s “stoop” – at a cost of 75 cents. He also sold Kip 6-1/2 pounds of honey for $2.20. James Cornelison Merselis’ name was entered into the account book on the same day. Merselis paid Borneman $17.95 for completing various household improvements. He gave the carpenter $10.95 in cash. Borneman liquidated the outstanding bal- ance when he agreed to let Merselis’ cow graze in his pasture for seven weeks. (The cow literally ate off his owner’s $7.00 indebtedness.) Exactly how many houses Borneman built in what became the bustling town of Passaic will p ro b a b l y never be known, and most, if not all, have fallen Above: Bernardus Borneman, standing at right of tree, poses with victim to either larg- family and friends at his Main Avenue residence in the late 1880’s. er houses or com- Right: Bernardus Borneman 1851 Tax Bill. mercial structures. The Borneman fami- like it in the then township of Acquackanonk. The future ly members were contractor and his two brothers had emigrated to the U.S. photographed in from Holland in 1849. They stayed for a brief time in front of their own Buffalo, N.Y., and then in New York City, but a cholera modest house at epidemic induced them to move. Borneman’s brothers some point in the decided they should never have left Holland and booked late 1800’s. Standing passage on the first available ship home. under a stately tree and gripping the lapel of his suit, B e r n a rdu s Borneman, his wife and 1-year-old son headed Borneman appears to be what he was in life – a solid and for the infinitely more healthful hamlet of Acquackanonk. respectable Dutch-born craftsman from o l d With less than 3,000 residents, the township had wide Acquackanonk. Borneman lived to see the glimmerings of open fields and was largely agrarian in character. The 20th century technology. Enfeebled by advancing age, he Borneman family found lodgings in the center of town. died in Passaic in December, 1904. ❧ 6 THANK YOU PCHS VOLUNTEERS! In recognition of April as “Volunteer Month,” the Passaic County Historical Society held its fourth annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon at the Brownstone in Paterson on April 18, 2006. Twenty-nine people were in attendance to enjoy a delicious meal in the brightly-light conservatory/greenhouse room on a sunny spring afternoon. Director Richard Sgritta re c a l l e d the many diff e rent ways volunteers serve the org a n i z a t i o n : as docents in the Museum; as researchers in the Library; developing and delivering educational programs to school groups; managing the Museum Store; and with various fund-raising activities, including the annual Holiday House Boutique. Trustee and Passaic County Historian Edward A. Smyk spoke about this year being the eightieth anniversary of the founding of the Passaic County Historical Society, Standing: Diana Massar, Jim Petropoulos, Rebecca Petropoulos, Betty Lou Walker, Jean Pellegrino. Seated: Marie Moskvan, and provided anecdotal recollections about some of the Josephine Pascrell, Betty McLain, Ruth Bauer. organization’s founders.

Standing: Kathy Altheidt, Clair Murphy, Hazel Speigelberger, Standing: Helen Wispelwey, Henrietta Weiss, Rich Sidney, Bob Esik, Maryjane Pro c t o r, Geri Mola. Seated: Annita Zalenski, Malcom Weiss. Seated: Lorraine Yurchak, Rich Sigritta, Karen Zalenski, Dorothy Decker, Doris Bauer. Edward Smyk, Jessie Hladick, Eleanor Yanics.

“VOLUNTEERISM; THE GIFT OF SERVICE” The Passaic County Historical Society relies on the help Library & Archives of generous volunteers. Their Gift of Service is critical to • Volunteers are needed to assist Library patrons and/or the Society’s operation. These are some of the volunteer work on special projects opportunities available: • Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons and 2nd • Lambert Castle Museum and 4th Saturday’s of each month • Elizabeth A. Beam Memorial Research Library and A rc h i v e s • Fundraisers and Special Events Educational Programs • Enjoy working with kids? • Children’s Educational Programs • Assistance with our Children’s Educational Programs. Docents • Training will be provided. • The Museum needs Docents to give tours of the Museum Publicity • Assist at the Reception Desk, Wednesday though Saturd a y • Experienced with Public Relations, Journalism, or Museum Store Media Contacts? • The Museum Store is up and running. Sales help, displaying, • Extra sets of hands also needed for Newsletters and Flyers. arranging, and marking the merchandise is needed. Special Events Office • Assistance at our Special Events is always welcomed! • Volunteers are needed for the Office weekdays at 973-247-0085 if you can help with any • Answer phones Contact Us… of these opportunities. Thank you! • Perform light clerical work & General office duties 8 THANK YOU MEMBERS! The Board of Trustees wish to thank the following members of the Passaic County Historical Society who contributed to the 2005 Year-End Appeal which netted $1,925.00:

Joseph Abbott Paul & Elaine Hennion John Popovich Barbara Balfour Robert Hofmann Maryjane Proctor Barbara Belli Shahedul Islam Nancy Ratay Edward & Janet Bowers Philip Jaeger Kathleen Secker Thomas Caldroney Robert Jaggi Richard & JoAnn Sidney Cathy Capo Arlette Keri Hazel Spiegelberger Wilma Colella Dennis & Janet Kolano Ron Swede Emma Lou Czarnecki L. Korona & E. Werner Myrtle Tensen Harold Daniels Jack Kuepfer Lawrence & Ellen Tosi Dennis & Dianne DaSilva John Leitner Jean Wardle George & Dorothy Decker Timothy Lyons Karen Weeks Jay & Elle Dowd James & Josephine Lyons Barbara Westergaard Jean Fiore Charles & Seraphia McCormick Egbert Winkler Edith Floyd Margaret Meek Walter & Annita Zalenski Barrie Gauthier Geraldine Mola Maryanne Graham Jennie Natoli Thank You Members!!! Barbara Grapin Josephine Pascrell Joseph Hannan Sophie Pohl

PASSAIC COUNTY PCHS GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH POLICIES AND FEES 1. A search is two hours. The fee is $30.00 ($15.00 per hour) for members of the Passaic County HISTORICAL SOCIETY Historical Society, $50.00 for non-members. The non-member fee can be structured as $20.00 for MEMBERSHIP PCHS membership plus a $30.00 research fee as a new member (see below). Payment is required I would like to join the Society as indicated: in advance. ❏ Student (under 21 with copy of current student ID ) $ 1 0 . 0 0 2. Additional research can be requested at $15.00 per hour for members or new members, $25.00 per hour for non-members, to be billed at the completion of the search. Please specify a time or ❏ Senior Citizen (65 & over) ...... 2 0 . 0 0 dollar limit. ❏ I n d i v i d u a l ...... 2 5 . 0 0 3. Up to twenty-pages of photocopying are included in the initial fee. Additional copies are billed at $0.30 per page. Please specify any desired copy or dollar limit for extra copies. ❏ F a m i l y ( P a rents & Children) ...... 3 5 . 0 0 4. R e s e a rch results cannot be guaranteed. You will be provided with a list of sources consulted in the ❏ ...... S u s t a i n i n g 5 0 . 0 0 s e a rch. The more information you give us to start, the better the chances are for a successful searc h . ❏ B e n e f a c t o r ...... 1 0 0 . 0 0 5. We regret that we cannot conduct searches in other repositories (e.g. County Archives). ❏ P a t ro n ...... 2 5 0 . 0 0 6. Inquiries are handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to the current backlog, you can expect a completed search within thirty to sixty days. Receipt of your query, however, will be ❏ I n s t i t u t i o n a l ...... 7 5 . 0 0 acknowledged along with a more specific, likely completion date.

I have read the above policy and wish the Passaic County Historical Society to conduct a two hour search. My check is enclosed for the correct amount ____ $30 as a current member, ____ $50 as currently a non-member of the Society.

S i g n a t u re ______Date______Funds should be drawn on a U.S. bank, or funds by international money ord e r, in U.S. dollars, payable to: “Passaic County Historical Society. ” FOR CURRENT NON-MEMBERS ONLY: I would like to use $20 of my $50 research fee as annual dues to become a member of the PCHS with further research billed at $15 per hour. _____ Yes _____ No

■ I would like to become a member of the Historical Society o n l y as indicated above. Name: ______A d d ress: ______City: ______State: ______Zip: ______Telephone: (______) ______E-Mail:______As a member of PCHS, you are eligible to join the PCHS Genealogy Club at no additional cost. Membership includes an annual subscription to the Club newsletter, The Castle Genie, published quarterly. I would like to join the Genealogy Club? _____Yes _____No 7