Pequannock Twp Historical Society

Pequannock Twp Historical Society The mission of the PTHS is to inspire the community
to preserve, share, celebrate, and honor
the diverse heritage of
greater Pequannock Township.

Memorial Day is the occasion to remember those who died in military service to our country. All gave some... but some ga...
05/26/2025

Memorial Day is the occasion to remember those who died in military service to our country. All gave some... but some gave all.

Mark your calendars for our next event - Tim Roth of the Canal Society will be our presenter on Tuesday, June 3!
05/04/2025

Mark your calendars for our next event - Tim Roth of the Canal Society will be our presenter on Tuesday, June 3!

Thanks to all who visited the Martin Berry House today! We welcomed folk from all over, many from out of the area. The e...
05/04/2025

Thanks to all who visited the Martin Berry House today! We welcomed folk from all over, many from out of the area. The entire house was open, and the walls displayed paintings, maps, and more.

Our special attraction was Celeste Sherry, who demonstrated the domestic art of fiber spinning - which would have been practiced at the MBH during all of its existence - and invited guests to a little hands-on experience.

We in the local-historian community would love to find a photo, or even a sketch, of James R. Evans. He was a Justice of...
04/19/2025

We in the local-historian community would love to find a photo, or even a sketch, of James R. Evans. He was a Justice of the Peace, and a constable, in Pequannock Township, and for over 25 years was the station agent at the Pompton Plains railroad station. Oh, and he fought in the Civil War and was awarded a Medal of Honor.

From 1879 to 1891, Evans owned and lived in the Martin Berry house. He extended the telegraph line that ran to the station so that it also ran to the house - so he could attend to business at either place.

We think Evans might be in a group photo of Justices of the Peace; such things were a custom in his time. Perhaps one of our readers knows how we might find out.

Fun fact: According to this faded 1960 newspaper article, Pequannock Township's crest was designed by then-Township Cler...
04/05/2025

Fun fact: According to this faded 1960 newspaper article, Pequannock Township's crest was designed by then-Township Clerk Carl I. Edwards and adopted in 1960 by Township Council. The Latin slogan "pax in virtute" means "Peace in Virtue." It's still in use 65 years later.

The Martin Berry House throws open its doors this Saturday, May 3. Come for the house tour, and be sure to watch Celeste...
04/03/2025

The Martin Berry House throws open its doors this Saturday, May 3. Come for the house tour, and be sure to watch Celeste Sherry as she demonstrates the domestic art of fiber spinning in the late 18th century (1760-1785) and throughout history.

She'll have activities that both children & adults can try, including picking, carding, and spinning. Not to be missed!

This is terrific news! It's been, like, decades since the public has seen the inside of the Schuyler-Colfax house.
03/12/2025

This is terrific news! It's been, like, decades since the public has seen the inside of the Schuyler-Colfax house.

Important news from 1950:"DO NOT START TO DIAL UNTIL YOU HEAR THE DIAL TONE."If you do, your call will get lost in the e...
03/11/2025

Important news from 1950:

"DO NOT START TO DIAL UNTIL YOU HEAR THE DIAL TONE.

"If you do, your call will get lost in the equipment and you will have to start all over."

Over 500 people came to witness the groundbreaking for the Forrest S. Chilton III Memorial Hospital in July 1949. The ho...
02/09/2025

Over 500 people came to witness the groundbreaking for the Forrest S. Chilton III Memorial Hospital in July 1949. The hospital was founded by his father, Dr. Forrest S. Chilton II, and named for his son, a lieutenant who died in World War II while on a bombing mission. The eight-acre tract on the Newark-Pompton Turnpike had been previously donated by the Chiltons.

Dr. Chilton set up his practice in Pompton Plains sometime around the early 1930s, and was the only doctor for miles around. He'd make house calls and charge only what a patient could afford - sometimes accepting foodstuffs in exchange. The need for a hospital closer than Paterson was obvious, and Dr. Chilton set about to change that, spearheading an ambitious fund-raising drive.

On Nov. 20, 1954, the 50-bed hospital opened, but the facility was quickly overwhelmed; dresser drawers were used for newborn babies because the nursery was full. By 1960, the hospital had delivered 6,355 babies!

A new fundraising drive financed two new three-story wings, and a third story on the original section, which boosted the hospital to 175 beds. (Ironically, the original plans had called for 75 beds, but that number was deemed too optimistic.)

When even the expanded facility became inadequate for the community's growing needs, a new Chilton Hospital was erected in 1984... but that's another post.

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Pompton Plains, NJ

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About the Pequannock Twp. Historical Society

The Pequannock Twp. Historical Society was founded to preserve, interpret, and promote the history and diverse heritage of Pequannock Township, NJ. The society started out in 2014 as an audience for a presentation about the Martin Berry House given by Pequannock’s town historian, Ed Engelbart.

We learned that the house was the second-oldest house in the Township (circa 1720); that it predated not just Pequannock Township, but the United States itself; that it was the only pre-Revolutionary ‘substantially unaltered’ building in town; and that the owner, Eleanor Bogert, was determined to see the house preserved as a community gathering place and a living museum -- as she and her late husband Charles Bogert had intended, and planned, since they purchased it in 1951.

That evening ended with several of us forming the “Friends of the Martin Berry House.”

In 2015, we incorporated as a non-profit society to assist Pequannock Township in purchasing this historic property. The Township Council, working with the Society, was able to secure grants and funding to purchase and preserve the house. The next step -- to restore and prepare the house for use by the public -- will be achieved in stages over several years. At this time, we anticipate that the house will be open to the public sometime in 2020.