Ridgewood History
Oral History Excerpts, 1994 & 2002
Excerpts from transcriptions of oral histories with Ridgewood residents.
World War Medal
Clarence Tourse, Sr. received an honorary medal from the people of the Village of Ridgewood for his service in the Army during the Great War (World War I). In 2014 the medal was found in the sands of New Mexico.
Leary Ledger, 1894-1896
Edward Leary was the owner of a grocery store in Orvil Township (now Ho-Ho-Kus). He was married to Mary and had three children and his mother at home in 1900.
This ledger page shown is for Seth Hawley, who owned the Zabriskie-Schedler house, at 426 West Saddle River Road, Ridgewood. NJ. In December of 1894, he bought: 2 axes (six days apart), butter, currants, coffee, citron, tomatoes, beans, oranges, lard, shot cigars, shoe strings, and pills, among other things. All of this is on account and reflects the running total and amounts paid.
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY:
This would make a wonderful research project for someone interested in local history.… Read the rest “Leary Ledger, 1894-1896”
Shade Tree Commission
Ridgewood's Shade Tree Commission was formed in 1909 to plant trees in the rapidly growing Village. We've had a love-hate affair with trees ever since.
Letters From a Soldier
.. Becker sent letters home from the ...front in World War II. Later he moved to Ridgewood and raised a family here. His letters were used to create a beautiful book where you can read about the life of a soldier.
Sycamore Tree at Graydon
In early 2018 the Sycamore Tree at Graydon had to be taken down due to an illness. It stood for decades on its own island at the corner of Linwood and North Maple Avenue and was a landmark to the Village. The tree has been at Graydon prior to the pool being built in 1926, and many memories were made at the site. If you have any images of the tree please share them by email heritagecenter@ridgewoodlibrary.org.
