11/01/2026
History of Allendale in 1869
By Henry C. Anthony, 1938.
A history of Allendale, New Jersey, as it was in 1869 by Henry Clay Anthony. Also an account of the Blizzard of March 12th, 1888 - and a genealogy of the Anthony Family of New York, written in 1938 by Henry Clay Anthony of Allendale, first child and son born to Daniel and Susan (Steele) Anthony at 59 Magin St, NY City. Also an account of the Steele family. This copy was made by Mary Anthony (Henderson) Lathrop, niece of Henry Clay Anthony, 325 East 72nd St, NY.
March 24th, 1979.
Population
Estimated at about 250 based on school district lines.
Area 1600 acres.
Roads and Streets
Franklin Turnpike. Starting about where Wienans gas station now located, extending North as far as the now DeNoyn Estate, the street now called West Allendale Avenue, from Franklin Turnpike West, to the intersection of now called street Crescent Avenue.
The street now called Crescent Avenue, running North starting just below the property of Mrs. Perry Critchley and going across the Franklin Avenue and the old Toll Gate House continuing to the property of the Gamble.
Hillside Ave. Starting from Crescent Avenue was then called the road to Ramsey Road, and extended as far as the McNally property, the road now called Forest Road, led to Wyckoff.
Brookside Avenue, as now called, started at Crescent Avenue west to the property of Dumarde.
West Allendale Avenue, as now called, started at the railroad track west to Crescent Avenue.
East Allendale Avenue, east from railroad track to the property of Appert. Continued from there to what is now known as the Boroline road.
This was all of the roads in Allendale in 1869.
Citizens and Property owners of roads.
Franklin Turnpike.
Starting from the South end, going to the North lines.
• Alfred Ackermann, east and west side of the Pike.
• Aaron Ackermann, east and west sides.
• Peter Powell, east and west sides.
• John A. Garrison, east and west side.
• Henry Mallinson, east side.
• Joseph Mallinson, west side.
• Steven Cable, east and west.
• Orinos Quackenbush, east side.
• John Van Horn, west side.
• Abram Quackenbush, east and west.
• Toll Gate Hill House, owned by the then Franklin Turnpike company.
• Peter D. Rapelje, west side.
• John Duer, east side.
• Michael and John Wilson, west side.
• R. W. Ostrander, west and east side.
• Patrick Garvin, West Allendale Avenue.
• Peter Powell, east side.
• R. D. Cable, east side
• Albert Zabriskie, east and west.
• East Allendale Avenue – Peter Powell, R. B. Cable, Albert Zabriskie.
• West Allendale Avenue - Joseph H. Mallinson, Smith Roswell.
• NEED TO WORK THIS
• Hillside Avenue – Jos. H. Mallinson, Garret Smith,
• William Christopher – east a d west side.
• Brookside Avenue – Isaac Courter?
• Crescent Avenue – starting on the southern lines John Van Blarcom
• East and West Sides – John A. Storms.
• NEED TO WORK THIS.
To be continued
Buildings, Stores, and Churches
There was only one store in Allendale that was located just back of the railroad station as now. Its proprietor was Charles May. It was a two story, stone and concrete house. It was a general country store and he sold all kinds of merchandise. He conducted a small bar, in one corner, where he dispensed ale only. Joseph Mallinson had a carriage and painting shop on West Allendale Avenue. Henry Mallinson ran a blacksmith and carriage place on the Franklin Turnpike. This was all of the public businesses at that time.
No churches. One public school on Franklin Turnpike - same location as the present municipal building.
Architectural
Some of the dwellings, were of Dutch design, they were one and a half stories , first story of stone, the rest clapboard siding, the roof the long sloping one, shingles were 4 feet long and thick at the base and were hand split from red Cedar. A porch extended the entire front of the house and the timbers were
hewn out of logs, one to two open fireplaces, and a dutch oven attached to the house where all bathing was done, the other houses were more modern.
School
The first schoolhouse in Allendale was one of the little red school houses. It was located on the point of land that makes the division of Chestnut Street and the Turnpike now owned by Erin Higgins. This school had been destroyed sometime before 1869.
After the first school was destroyed, the people in the vicinity decided to have a new one. Peter Powell sold a plot on Franklin Turnpike, this site of the present municipal building, for $50, with the proviso that in the event that the school house was abandoned the plot of land would revert back to his estate.
The school was a square building about 60 feet long by 30 feet wide with the cupola on the front part of the roof which contained a bell, one end of the room was a blackboard in sending the entire back of the room, a raised platform of about one and a half feet with the teacher set. remainder of the room, desks, and easels, it was heated by a large stove in the center of the room. This fire went out every night and in the winter if you did not sit near the stove it was very cold and lighted by oil lamps. This school was my first school in the winter. In the winter, we had as many as 80 scholars and the one teacher taught everything from the abcs to and including algebra. Hours were from 9 AM till 12 then 1:00 to 4 PM, 5 days a week, vacation July 1st to September 1st, only at vacations were the holidays.
Churches
The only churches, there was one very small building located what is now called Waldwick on the Turnpike about where the old trolley used to run. the Roman the building contained a small pulpit and pine benches for the people to sit on, the Methodist held their service is there, it was called the new prospect church. they continue to hold services there until the present church was built now this place is called Waldwick.
Occupation and life of the citizens
Allendale at this time was given over entirely too farming and fruit growing. the crops were corn, rouy, oats, buckwheat, and Hey. the principle cash crop with strawberries. every farmer had from one to 5 acres in this crop. the season began about June 1st until July 1st the principle market was New York City and Patterson. the berries were picked in half pint woven wood baskets with handles. an expert picker could pick 300 in today. then berries had to behold and it was a backbreaking work as the writer can vouch for as the first money I ever earned was by that method. The picker was paid one cent per basket. have seen at the railroad switch as many as 5 car load box cars lean for New York. a commission handled the product in New York this was the first money that I former is received in the spring and that meant a general payday to all of their creditors. the payment of all indebtedness was based on strawberry money that was then the custom. Patterson was the local market for all other products. Seasons and climate.
Winters generally began about November 15th with cold and snow. Thanksgiving we either had skating or slaying and this snow and ice stood on the ground until March 1st. March 15th snow, ice and Frost gone and the former started their spring plowing. I have a diary of my father showing that he plowed peasant potatoes March 17th probably he thought better the day better the deed. Summer weather by June 1st and Frost by September 15th at times during the winter the snow would be from 2 to 3 feet deep on the level and at times would drift so badly that the citizens would have what was called breaking in the roads. that is shoveling the drifts so that the roads would be open to the public.
Heating and lighting
Heating was done principally by would. only a few homes possessed coal stoves. lighting intensely by oil and candles.
Railroad and station
The first Erie railroad station was a small building where the waiting room now stands. the railroad then was what was called a broad gauge line, extending from Jersey City to Buffalo New York. the engineers were burning wood as a fuel. the cars were much smaller and the trains much shorter period cars lighted with oil and heated by 2 stoves. one in each end of the car. If you were riding in these cars, if you were not near the stove, you became very cold. The brakemen had to use the hand brake when stopping the train period the run to jersey city took about an hour period trains that stopped at Allendale were two in the morning and one at noon and two at night period the first station agent with Smith Roswell. He was agent for a number of years.
Hunting and Fishing
The vicinity was then a hunters paradise. The only game was the hunting season, which began in November 1st until January 1st. No other restrictions and the fishing any times during the year. The streams were filled with all kinds of fish and the uplands and fields were overrun with rabbit, quail, partridges, woodcock, and gray squirrels. The beautiful large fields of suitable land is now covered with brush and woods.
Living
There was no heated house excepting stove and fireplaces. No baths or toilets. If you wished to take a bath in the winter, it was the wash tub in the kitchen. However, the people was not interested in sanitary measures then. When the water in the streams and ponds became warm enough the whole family went to this favorite bathing place and did their spring washing. Their foods were simple and not many. They raised their own rye and corn which they had ground into flower and meal. No wheat flour. No fresh meat other than their own chickens and pork. They raised sufficient hogs to furnish them with fresh meat and salted and smoked pork. So you see that their menu was limited, but they were healthy and long lived.
The passing of the older people. The younger generation gradually gave up farming and took up other pursuits - and those beautiful fields were given over to brush and woods.
Voting and Polling Places
At this time Allendale had no polling district. They voted in various places, Ramsey, Hohokus, Wyckoff, and Saddle River. They eventually had enough voters to establish a voting district and their voting places.
Post office facilities
There was no regular post office in Allandale. the mail was given to the railroad station agent and you called for it. A few years later the government appointed the railroad agent Smith Roswell as Postmaster, and he served in that capacity for over 20 years.
Miscellaneous
It is too bad that some of the old houses could not have been preserved to show their architecture. Unfortunately, there is nothing left of old Allendale.
The history of the Anthony family and Allendale.
In the early spring of 1867 my father bought a farm on Crescent Ave of John A. Storms. It consisted of 26 acres a one and a half story high. it contained first floor one large room with a bath room, connecting larger room had an fireplace. A wide Hall and stairs leading to the second floor, a dining room with bedroom connecting a larger kitchen and bedrooms and outside kitchen with open fireplace and a larger Dutch oven of fine well and lettuce well house a good seller under the main house a large barn and other buildings some years later my father bought the 7 acres of wooded land on the South end of the farm from John a Garrison and 3 acres from Joseph a Mallinson on the North end which is now a part of recreation park my father was a shipbuilder in New York located in Magnin street.
How Allendale received its name
Before the building of the Erie railroad through the place it was a part of Hohokus Township. The railroads chief engineer, a Mr. Allen. When the road built a station here, it was named after him. Hence Allandale.
Brookside Avenue
The path was in existence and used by everyone living West of our place. nearly 70 years and it continued would have become a public highway. my father then decided to open the road then called Anthony street. now, part of Brookside Avenue. the other road that was plant across his property was a 1 that hillside Ave would continue through 21st St. these streets were laid out on the plans of the Sherwood and Talman map, now on file in Hackensack.
All of the above is accurate and correct data as furnished by my mother and the older citizens and my own recollections.
Henry C. Anthony
1938
The Blizzard of March 12th, 1888
My recollections of that awful, wonderful, and most severe cold and snow storm.
I was in my 27th year living home with my parents in Allendale New Jersey and was employed by Ogden and company lumber concern located at the corner of Washington and late streets New York City.
Sunday March 11th it rained during the night it snowed Monday morning it was still snowing and getting cold my brother Dan and self took a train that left allandale at 7:11 AM and my father took one that left at 6:30 AM at 7:30 AM Monday the wind had developed into a Gale snowing so hard and with the wind you could go across and the shortest. The train managed to get to Patterson one hour late we could not go any further. They switched our train on the track back of the Depot and we could in the cars and we stayed in the cars until 3:30 PM. We were playing cards. A friend playing cards with us suggested that we had better find a place to sleep period we tried everywhere, all of the few who homes were filled. My friend happened to remember of a friend of his that lived somewhere in North Main Street across the River . So he and I started out to find him. We managed to locate him. Arrived at his place exhausted and nearly frozen. He could put us up. We stayed there until Wednesday. I am it had stopped snowing and was much warming and the highwind had gone. Patterson for those few days and nights was a wild place for here were people from the West and all of the local pub and commuters. They they stand drained the city supply out. Wednesday about noon the railroad had succeed in getting one back clear to Jersey City and sent out the first train which was packed and jam . It took 2 hours to make the trip. My brother my brother Dan having slept in the cars Monday and Tuesday night decided Wednesday that he and a friend was going to walk up the railroad tracks to allandale. I protested against it but without avail. They started them over 4 hours to reach allandale. My father having taken a regular train managed to get as far. The Bergen tunnel. Everything snowed up to the terminal. He got to the top of Bergen and was fortunate enough to the to the something. Wednesday noon. I gotta train to Jersey City standing room only. 2 hours to get there. Took the ferry to New York the streets where they had shoveled the snow off was from 32 for above the sidewalk 3 or 4 feet above the sidewalk the elevated railroad was then running fairly well but the latter part of Monday and all day Tuesday they did not run. I got to the office and found only the man in charge moved over the office. I started at once for home, gotta train out an app to 3 hour run arrived in allandale. The wind anna's light rain had formed a heavy crust on the snow. Would have would be up in new one. So I headed for a direct course to our home. The snow had covered all of the fences, got home and good shape com it took the railroads over a week to get their row the normal condition. In New York City and its streets was in an awful condition at that time the city did not have the efficient street cleaning Department that they have now. There was a great ski of milk and fresh meats and cold. It was quite a long time before all of the surface cars could run period of course then the subways were a dream. Out in the country the snow had drifted so badly and the drifts were so high it was at least 3 weeks before all of the road symbol. In fact in included an protected places you could find snow in the early part of June. We have had some severe snowstorm since, but but nothing to equal this one period or do I think ever before. These are my recollections of the events of March 12th 1888, 50 years ago. Can assure you they are as fresh in my mind as if they occured yesterday.
There have been quite invitations called the Blizzard clubs formed. Anyone living now that had gone through that wonderful time and can remember it can vouch for this mighty snowstorm. This writing March 12 1938, Jersey.
Henry C Anthony.
I was going to refrain from quoting the depth of the snow an height of some of the drifts, created by the storm. Less be accused of them alignment. However this is absolutely correct. The snow was at least 2 feet in depth and in places so badly drifted that there were from drive to 15 feet high and in some places the Gale had swept it clean of snow. These conditions were there and not by any means dreams. March 12 1938
HCA
The first storm in what is now called Alan Dale.
This was located on the southeast corner of Franklin Turnpike and cottage place. The building was a brick and stone 2 stories an addict the red later the house was erected in the latter part of the 17th century as late as 1900 a part of this building was standing had not yet been inhabited in years and is now gone entirely. Her sit opposite now owned by Joseph B Taylor was owned by an old frenchman at that time but the organ but the original house where he lived on this side of the present one gone many years ago.
Pretty was acquired by Stephen cable in 1860 the owner then, a family by the name of Ackerman. Mr. cable hired man digging a ditch South of the present house discovered a box containing a number of French and English , an old rumor that there is treasure buried on the place com apparently buried to escape the English soldiers. Nothing since has been brought to light. March 12 1938 Casey Anthony
