Glen Ridge Historical Society

08/07/2026

Glen Ridge librarians were a fashionable lot in 1937, with coats, hats, and shoes straight out of the pages of Vogue. Elizabeth Randall, Sara MacPherson, Library Director Cora Hendee, Jane Mitchell, and Dorothy Stickle promoted the year’s best sellers like Gone With the Wind and Northwest Passage to library card holders struggling with the hardships of the Depression. The Borough appropriation to the library that year was $14,352.

If you'd like to learn more about Glen Ridge history, we're hosting open hours this Saturday, August 8 from 9:00-noon. The Terry S. Webster Archives is located on the third floor of the Glen Ridge Congregational Church. Enter on Clark Street.

07/08/2026

In 1976, the “Washington Crossing the Delaware” float was a highlight of the Bicentennial Memorial Day parade in Glen Ridge. Designed and propelled by a creative group of friends including Ed Seymour, Mark Yustein, Bill Stoughton, Joe McLaughlin, Ron Travisano and several unseen others behind the General, Jack Harr, the boat cruised deftly down Ridgewood Avenue to raucous spectator applause.

If you'd like to learn more about Glen Ridge history, we're hosting open hours this Saturday, July 11 from 9:00-noon. The Terry S. Webster Archives is located on the third floor of the Glen Ridge Congregational Church. Enter on Clark Street.

06/25/2026

06/12/2026

The social life of early Glen Ridge revolved around the Men’s Club. Its shingle style clubhouse was erected in 1888 “for the purpose of recreation, diversion and rest for business and professional executives.” Amenities included a lounge, library, meeting rooms, billiards, and two tennis courts. Women shared in the merriment until their own club opened next door in 1925. The Men’s Club was torn down in 1936 and replaced by the U. S. Post Office.

If you'd like to learn more about Glen Ridge history, we're hosting open hours this Saturday, June 13 from 9:00-11:00 a.m. The Terry S. Webster Archives is located on the third floor of the Glen Ridge Congregational Church. Enter on Clark Street.

05/07/2026

Before crossing gates were installed at the Chestnut Hill/Benson Street Station, an attendant stepped from his hexagonal shelter and swung a lantern to warn passersby of a train’s arrival. Between trains, the unnamed fellow prettified the perimeter of his little place with flowering plants. The photo looks north towards Clinton Road. The train station is just beyond the shelter.

If you'd like to learn more about Glen Ridge history, we're hosting open hours this Saturday, May 9 from 9:00-11:00 a.m. The Terry S. Webster Archives are located on the third floor of the Glen Ridge Congregational Church. Enter on Clark Street.

04/20/2026

It’s that time of year again—**membership renewal season for the Glen Ridge Historical Society!**

We are the stewards of Glen Ridge’s history, and your support makes everything we do possible.

With your membership, you help us:

* Maintain and preserve our historic house files
* Offer engaging seasonal walking tours
* Host outstanding public programs throughout the year
* Bring the community together at our annual holiday party and beloved gingerbread house decorating event
* Publish the award-winning *Gaslamp Newsletter*, sharing stories that keep our local history alive

Every membership directly supports the work of preserving and sharing the history of Glen Ridge for future generations.

If you’re already a member, we are so grateful for your continued support. If you’re not yet a member, we’d love to welcome you—there’s never been a better time to join!

JOIN Please Join Us! with your Annual MembershipJoin online using PayPal (processing fee applies). You can also join by check. Details below. $20.91 Annual Membership Senior $51.52 Annual Membership Household $102.53 Annual Membership Patron $153.55 Annual Membership Sponsor $510.65 Annual Membershi...

04/14/2026

JOIN US! for our Annual Meeting and Guest Speaker Presentation!

Join us at our Annual Meeting, Spring Social and history lecture! On Thursday, April 23, 7:00 pm at the Women's Club of Glen Ridge, 219 Ridgewood Ave. Mark your calendars; it is open to all members. We look forward to seeing you there.

Lecture: The American Revolution at 250: Digging into a Complicated Past, by Jen Janofsky, Ph.D.

As our nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, the air is filled with the sound of fifes, drums, and the excitement of reenactments. But beneath the polished veneer of parades and historical markers lies a much more complex reality.

What was it actually like to live through the Revolution? This presentation moves past the myths to explore the "forgotten" stories of the conflict: Quaker pacifists trapped in the crossfire of war, African American patriots fighting for a liberty they weren't promised, and Hessian soldiers buried in unmarked mass graves. Using the lens of the Red Bank Battlefield, we will examine who our national memory celebrates—and who it has left behind.

Dr. Jen Janofsky is a Giordano Fellow in Public History at Rowan University, Director of the Red Bank Battlefield Park and a Glen Ridge Historical Society Trustee.

New members are welcome to join at the door. Now is a great time to join and support the efforts of the society!

JOIN Please Join Us! with your Annual MembershipJoin online using PayPal (processing fee applies). You can also join by check. Details below. $20.91 Annual Membership Senior $51.52 Annual Membership Household $102.53 Annual Membership Patron $153.55 Annual Membership Sponsor $510.65 Annual Membershi...

04/10/2026

In 1932, a competitive bid for scavenger services in Glen Ridge was won by Miele Bros. Their five-year contract for the collection and disposal of ashes, garbage, and rubbish was challenged in court by the prior contractor, C. Egan and Sons of East Orange. The Miele bid prevailed, and first year charges were $31, 582. Soon after, the town's incinerator was permanently shut down, and ash heaps no longer allowed on Carteret Field.

If you'd like to learn more about Glen Ridge history, we're hosting open hours this Saturday, April 11 from 9:00-noon. The Terry S. Webster Archives is located on the third floor of the Glen Ridge Congregational Church. Enter on Clark Street.