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Pequannock Township Historical Society |
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History of the Museum and the Society |
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Present view of the Pompton Plains Railroad
station (left) and the Museum sign (right). |
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| The Railroad in Pequannock | |||
| Let us start with a brief history of the
Railroad through Pequannock Township. Between 1869 and 1871, a new
railroad called the Montclair and Greenwood Lake Railroad acquired
land and laid down track from Montclair to Greenwood Lake, eventually
connecting to track in Jersey City and purchased by the Erie Railroad..
The lake was a summer resort and ended at a ferry terminal which took
passengers to the village located across the border in New York state. Two
stations along this line were Pequannock and Pompton Plains. While the
line was used by commuters, it also carried vacationers to summer
bungalows in Pequannock along the river. Many bungalows built between 1900
and 1930 still remain as year round homes. |
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| The Railroad in the 20th Century | |||
| The line served both freight and passenger
service until 1966 when passenger service was discontinued. The Pequannock
Station existed until about 1967 when it was torn down by the railroad,
through not without some local citizens making an attempt to save the
structure. Freight service continued until about 1979. By this time,
Conrail had been formed and shortly thereafter, the line was sold to the
successor to the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad and they
resumed limited freight service on the line, which still exists to this
day. |
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| The Pompton Plains Station | |||
| With the end of passenger service in 1966,
the railroad sold the station and the land adjacent to a newly formed
private organization called the Pequannock Township Museum and Cultural
Association. This organization existed to support artistic endeavors such
as concerts. Some of the bands that played in Pequannock include the Dover
Gutter Band, the Bloomfield Civic Band and the North Jersey Symphony. They
also hosted smaller concerts, such as performances by pianists. At some
point, they may have changed names as they were later referred to as the
"Society for the Arts". They provided scholarship money to
graduating High School Seniors. The Society sold the lease to the building.
A private individual purchased it from the Railroad who rented the building out to various
tenants. The building was maintained by the owner and was not altered in
physical shape or general appearance. |
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| A brief history of the Society | |||
| The earliest reference found is to the
"First Election of Officers" found in the April 14, 1960 Butler
Argus Newspaper. The Officers elected were: President, Carl Edwards; Vice
President, Irving Worden; Secretary, Marian Kusant; Treasurer, Robert
Jones; Curator, Edward Muller. The Trustees were: Jones and Worden (4
Years); Edwards and Stewart DeBow (3 Years); Kusan and Grant Van Saun (2
Years); Muller and Mrs. Charles Bogert (1 Year). There were 36 Charter
Members and annual dues was set at $5 per year. The Society has existed
from that point, with hiatus time, working toward the preservation of the
Township History. |
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| Now, back to the Museum | |||
| In
1990, the Township Council passed an ordinance establishing the Pequannock
Township Historic District Commission, a 9 member Commission appointed by
the Council to advise and recommend to the Council and the Planning Board
on items that related to the History of the town. To that end, the
Commission has maintained a growing collection of material,
presently stored in the History Room of the Pequannock Library (built in
1994). In September of 2005, the Township Council approved the purchase of
the Pompton Plains Railroad Station for its use as a Museum, with a grant
provided by the Morris County Heritage Commission Trust Fund. The Station
is presently undergoing an Historical Architectural review from
the perspective of the station as it was circa 1907. The Commission and
the Society jointly support and staff the museum when it is open to the
public. |
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| Images of the Pompton Plains (left)
& Pequannock (right) Railroad Stations depicting life in Pequannock and Pompton Plains around the turn of the 20th century. |
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| Links of Interest | |||
| Pequannock Township | Pompton Valley History Group | Pequannock Yahoo Group | Pequannock Library |
| Erie Lackawanna Hist Soc. | Pequannock Archival Exchange Center | Butler, NJ Museum | Maywood, NJ Museum |
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This page was last updated Mar 18, 2007 - Contents are Copyright Pequannock Township Historical Society |
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