Waldwick Historical Society

12/07/2025

Consider this request to change the plans for the future use of the CNJ Terminal in Liberty State Park.

SAVE THE TERMINAL – Say “NO” to NJDEP’s plan

11/13/2025

Looking for contractors to bid on replacement of railings, repair/replace stairs on this historic property. Funds are in hand DM to express interest in learning more to bid.

10/03/2025

After more than two decades of stewardship, I believe it is time for the Waldwick Historical Society—and especially the WC Tower project—to begin a new chapter. Since 1999, when the Borough of Waldwick acquired the tower with my initial support, many dedicated individuals have joined together to preserve this remarkable piece of railroad history. Over time, that group became smaller, and in recent years I’ve been primarily responsible for the site’s rehabilitation, fundraising, operations, and repair. While this work has been deeply meaningful, I believe new voices and fresh perspectives are essential to guide the tower’s future.

With the Borough’s renewed commitment to the tower—financially and institutionally—the project is in the strongest position it has been in years. I plan to step down from leadership in December 2025 and transition to a supportive role, contributing to select activities based on interest and capacity. I’m confident the museum and tower will continue to captivate visitors, railfans, and history enthusiasts for decades to come.

For those newer to the project, here’s a brief reflection on our journey:
• The tower’s initial stabilization and remediation were made possible through Borough funding after years of vacancy.
• Community presentations helped spark interest and drew in early donors, including the generous bequest from Robert Keeble.
• Facing limited volunteer capacity, I stepped in to help manage the project and pursue grant funding—especially from Bergen County’s Historic Preservation Program, which significantly extended our resources.
• Together with skilled contractors, dedicated partners like Art Barthold, and volunteer contributions from Marc Balzarette, Mike Brunkhorst, and others, we completed a multi-phase restoration.
• Despite unexpected setbacks with one contractor, we recovered, regrouped, and finished major interior work thanks to renewed donations and employer matches.
• Additional grants, Scout projects, and civic support enabled landscaping, fencing, and the creation of the memorial garden.
• For the past several years, I’ve helped welcome visitors to the tower from spring to fall, a role that a small but growing group of volunteers has thankfully begun to share.

The WC Tower stands proudly today not because of any one person, but because of a shared belief: that this historic landmark still has the power to connect, educate, and inspire. I look forward to seeing the next generation of caretakers bring new energy to the project and guide it toward even greater impact. Thank you to all who have contributed over the years—and to those who will carry the torch from here. Should you wish to be part of the new future for the tower feel free to reach out and let us know.

Curtis Springstead

08/28/2025

Harvey Girls on the 9 o'clock train. Seems a shiny engine and your name on the side was more than recognition for a job well done. Newark Evening Star August 7 1915.

08/09/2025

George Washington in Ramapo area.

05/28/2025

Have you ever wondered about the tracks your parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents traveled — not just through towns, but through life? Local history holds the keys to those stories — to understanding how our communities grew, where our traditions came from, and why we call this place home.

The Waldwick Historical Society (WHS) is proud to keep those stories alive. But we know: in today's fast-moving world, it's easy to forget the journeys that brought us here. That’s why we’re doing something a little different — and we need your help.

Imagine: an art installation inside a historic interlocking tower, right along the railway tracks. A place where art meets history, where curiosity sparks, and where every passerby can’t help but slow down and wonder. We’re turning the Erie Interlocking Tower in Waldwick into an artwork that invites everyone — young and old — to pause, look, and reconnect with the past.

Art@WC — Repurposing Historic Places — brings color, creativity, and a fresh spark of life to this beloved local landmark. With your support, we can draw more eyes (and hearts) to Waldwick’s incredible story.

Whether you donate or simply spread the word, you’ll be helping us turn a hidden gem into a living, breathing piece of community pride.

Hop on board and be part of the journey!

Creating unique art in non-traditional places to bring attention to forgotten history.

05/09/2025

Imagine: an art installation inside a historic interlocking tower, right along the railway tracks. A place where art meets history, where curiosity sparks, and where every passerby can’t help but slow down and wonder. We’re turning the Erie Interlocking Tower in Waldwick into an artwork that invites everyone — young and old — to pause, look, and reconnect with the past.

Whether you donate or simply spread the word, you’ll be helping us turn a hidden gem into a living, breathing piece of community pride.

Creating unique art in non-traditional places to bring attention to forgotten history.

05/01/2025

All Aboard for Art and History!
Have you ever wondered about the tracks your parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents traveled — not just through towns, but through life? Local history holds the keys to those stories — to understanding how our communities grew, where our traditions came from, and why we call this place home.
The Waldwick Historical Society (WHS) is proud to keep those stories alive. But we know: in today's fast-moving world, it's easy to forget the journeys that brought us here. That’s why we’re doing something a little different — and we need your help.
Imagine: an art installation inside a historic interlocking tower, right along the railway tracks. A place where art meets history, where curiosity sparks, and where every passerby can’t help but slow down and wonder. We’re turning the Erie Interlocking Tower in Waldwick into an artwork that invites everyone — young and old — to pause, look, and reconnect with the past.
Art@WC — Repurposing Historic Places — brings color, creativity, and a fresh spark of life to this beloved local landmark. With your support, we can draw more eyes (and hearts) to Waldwick’s incredible story.
Whether you donate, volunteer, or simply spread the word, you’ll be helping us turn a hidden gem into a living, breathing piece of community pride.
Hop on board and be part of the journey!
Visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wc970/art-wc-tower-a-forgotten-landmark-reimagined to learn more.
Let’s make history visible — together.

04/24/2025

Starting in one week!

Help promote local history, history that tells the story of your parents, grandparents and great grandparents. It helps us understand how our families came to be where they are, understand our traditions and why our communities exist. The Waldwick Historical Society (WHS) is only one of thousands of similar organizations that bring that understanding to the people and organizations of our communities.

We can become so focused on today and tomorrow that we don’t have time to reflect on what has happened before our time so that we can replicate the positive and reduce the negative in the future. To get that attention we need to be creative so that everyday citizens will take even just a moment to pause and reflect.
Here is a clue to the surprise we have coming winter of 2025. Help spread the word.

Preview our Kickstarter effort to bring art to the WC Tower
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wc970/art-wc-tower-a-forgotten-landmark-reimagined

04/19/2025

Come visit our historic railroad interlocking tower this Saturday 10-4 as part of this county-wide tour.

NW Bergen History Day 2024
Unlock the Door to Local History

History Day 2024, sponsored by the Northwest Bergen History Coalition, will be held on Saturday, April 27 from 10 AM to 4 PM. For the price of $10, you can visit all or as many of the twelve NW Bergen museums and historic homes as you choose.

Each historic site will feature unique textiles, artifacts and ephemera and share information that will enhance your knowledge of Northwest Bergen County’s history. The museums and historic homes on the tour include:
The Hermitage 335 North Franklin Turnpike in HoHoKus is steeped in three centuries of history. George Washington visited The Hermitage after the Battle of Monmouth in 1778. Aaron Burr married Theodosia Prevost there in 1782. Elijah Rosencrantz purchased the house in 1847 and renovated it in the Gothic Revival style. The last resident, Mary Elizabeth Rosencrantz willed the property to the State of NJ in 1970. Come visit and explore the lives and histories of the people who called The Hermitage home.
John Fell House 475 Franklin Turnpike in Allendale is a 22-room Colonial Revival mansion and home to John Fell, a leading patriot during the Revolutionary War. This home is on the National and State Registers of Historic Places.
Mahwah Museum 201 Franklin Turnpike in Mahwah features five new exhibits including 10 Mahwah Stories Told by Everyday Objects, Les Paul and Mary Ford in Mahwah, Palisades Amusement Park, Ramapough Legacy, and Heritage, and You are Here – 150 Years of Mahwah Train and Town History in Film and Pictures. Visitors can also enjoy the Donald Cooper Model Railroad and walk across the street to see the Old Station Museum and Caboose.
Van Allen House 3 Franklin Ave. in Oakland was headquarters for General George Washington on July 14, 1777. The museum preservation work has been completed and there will be displays inside and outside at this 275-year-old home.
Old Stone House 538 Island Road in Ramsey is the oldest building in Ramsey dating back to 1740. This historic building served as a tavern and stagecoach house and is now a museum with period furniture, a display of vintage toys, and artifacts and photographs from a century of education in Ramsey.
Schoolhouse Museum 650 E. Glen Avenue in Ridgewood was built in 1872 and served as Ridgewood’s first school. Their current exhibit is It’s Personal: Exploring 300 Years of Obsolete Everyday Essentials. This fascinating exhibit displays previously indispensable objects made obsolete through innovation and technology. Visitors will be enthralled by What is it? a fun showcase of uncommon items.
The Museum at the Station 176 Rock Road in Glen Rock is housed inside the original 1905 Erie Main Line Train Station. There will be a display of Glen Rock life through the years, Erie Railroad memorabilia and works by Glen Rock artists and noted Glen Rock architect, Carl Kemm Loven, Designer of Dreams.
Hopper-Goetschius Museum 363 E. Saddle River Road in Upper Saddle River dates to 1739 and is the centerpiece of a rural farming complex that includes a tenant house, Dutch barn, out-kitchen with beehive oven, privy, woodshed, and working black-smith shop. New to the house is an 18th century Dutch kast and a display of some seldom shown items. The tenant house features a schoolroom plus displays of Native American artifacts and African American history.
Waldwick Museum of Local History 4 Hewson Avenue in Waldwick is in the restored Waldwick Railroad Station. Built in 1886, this rail station depot is listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places. Their current exhibit is dedicated to the Erie Lackawanna Railroad for its contributions to the growth of Waldwick and Bergen County during the late 1800s to the early 1970s.
Waldwick Signal Tower 1 Bohnert Place in Waldwick houses the Harvey Springstead Memorial Museum. This interlocking tower built in 1890 by the New York, Lake Erie and Western RR was the control point for all the rail traffic from Ridgewood to Suffern. Featured on History Day will be information about the work performed by hundreds of area workers who kept the Erie Railroad running. Hear the personal stories of these workers and view the tools they used.
Wyckoff Historical Society at The Barbershop next to the Pond on Franklin Ave in Wyckoff is housed in a 9x12 building dating back to 1905 when it was occupied by John Lawrence, a barber at night and a railroad employee by day. Visitors will learn about Wyckoff through the photographs and artifacts on display.
Zabriskie House 421 Franklin Avenue in Wyckoff is believed to be the oldest house in Wyckoff circa 1730. On History Day docents will open the doors to this lovely home with its collection of historic and rare furnishings from the 17th to the 20th century.
Tickets at $10 for an adult, free for children 16 and younger, will be on sale starting April 1 at the Mahwah Museum Saturdays from 1 to 4, Abma's Farm Market 700 Lawlins Road in Wyckoff Mondays through Fridays from 8 to 6 and Saturdays from 8 to 5:30, and the Schoolhouse Museum Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 3.
Tickets will also be sold at each of the sites on History Day. All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the twelve historic sites in Northwest Bergen County.
Be a part of History Day 2024 and learn about local history at these wonderful museums and historic homes.