River Vale

by Edmund A. Moderacki

Overview

River Vale explores a historically rich community that has been known over the years as the Overkill Neighborhood, Harrington Township, Washington Township, and the borough of Eastwood. One of the first settled areas of the Kakiat Patent, River Vale was the scene of the Baylor Massacre, New Jersey's bloodiest skirmish of the Revolutionary War. The area's fine farmland enabled some of Bergen County's earliest settlers to flourish. Strong streams provided power for the mills and the famed Collignon chair factory.

By the 1920s, a change came over the township. Its proximity to New York City made River Vale's land more valuable for recreation than for farming, and the township became known for its summer charms, golf courses, and ice arena. Visitors arriving in bus caravans traveled from urban areas to enjoy the pleasures of Herrmann's Grove, and fishermen flocked on opening day to angle for trout in the clear waters of the Hackensack River and the Pascack Brook. It was this very appeal that led to tremendous change as River Vale became one of North Jersey's attractive bedroom communities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738510804
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	10/01/2002
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	1,043,380
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.31(d)

About the Author

Edmund A. Moderacki was born in River Vale and has taught in the local schools for thirty-five years. He is a member of the Pascack Historical Society and is the River Vale Township historian. In River Vale, he has complemented vintage photographs from longtime local residents and the River Vale Free Public Library with fascinating and informative text.