BELLEVILLE POST VOL. 36 NO. 29
SEPTEMBER 2026
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Walkathon Historical Society has a lot to celebrate to take place
— See Page 2
PSA on local ICE activity
— See Page 3
Bucs seek great year
— See Pgs 18-19
By Daniel Jackovino Staff Writer What’s in a name? If the name is Belleville, according to Belleville Historical Society President Michael Perrone, it is to memorialize a profound gratitude to France by the town fathers of the settlement known before 1797 as Second River. “We found this out at the Newark Public Library, on microfilm, in the newspaper, ‘The Sentinel of Freedom.’” he said recently. “There were other newspapers on microfilm and we were hoping to find an article on Belleville being named. We never expected it, but we got lucky.” The article, Perrone said, was about the Fourth of July celebration of 1797 and the decision to rename the community was made by the village leaders. “They were all militia men from the Revolution,” he said. “It was a big day for them and they decided to honor France. The men were all Dutch, veterans of the war and understood the importance of the French alliance in the American Revolution. The French made the Revolution possible. They supplied much of the armaments and the navy. We had no chance of winning without France. George Washington even issued an order to paint the artillery light blue in honor of France joining the war effort.” A copy of “The Sentinel of Freedom” article, translated from 18th century-English and provided by Perrone, read, in part: “The 25th anniversary of American Independence was celebrated in the village of Second River, now called Belleville, with every demonstration of joy. At 11 o’clock a.m., the inhabitants assembled and formed a procession to the Dutch Church where the Rev. Mr. Stryker delivered a prayer suitable to the occasion and the Declaration of Independence was read by Dr. Wm. Burnet and prefaced by him on the important events which established the day. “The procession then returned to the house of John Ryerson, where they sat down to an excellent dinner provided for them, and the following patriotic toasts were drank, accompanied by a regular discharge of artillery.” According the “The Sentinel of Freedom,” numerous toasts were offered, including for the grateful remembrance of Independence Day; the United States; that the country never to be dissolved or disturbed by internal differences or foreign influences; President John Adams; for the vice-president and Congress to always think right and speak as they think; George Washington (three cheers); real patriotism by all political parties; friendship between the United States and France, among other toasts. In addition to undertaking research, members of the Belleville Historical Society get involved with patriotic observances of nearby communities. “We’ve been very busy this year commemorating America's
Photo Courtesy of Belleville Historical Society
Belleville Historical Society members Jeff Mattingly, at right, and Frank Russo, commemorate Independence Day. 250th anniversary,” Perrone said. “Earlier this year, we kicked off the Morristown General Lafayette Commemoration by firing a cannon salute on the Morristown Green. Then, in June, at Bloomfield Cemetery, we did a cannon salute for their 250th commemoration followed by our own annual event on July 4 in Belleville, which is always held at 11a.m. to commemorate the 11 a.m. start time of 1797.” Perrone, who is a mason, said he and his society colleagues also invest considerable time in cleaning the headstones of veterans. “We’re a small historical society,” he said. “It never grew into much having a large historical database, but we were able to cash in because we’re all tradesmen. We build monuments and do restoration work in six counties. We don’t do ancestry stuff. We get our hands dirty and take advantage of that.” Perrone and colleagues are scheduled to begin cleaning World War I monuments in Bloomfield. He noted that some are marble and difficult to clean. They recently cleaned Newark’s Founders Monument. It was created by Gutzon Borglum, Perrone said, the man who created Mt. Rushmore. Built in 1916, it commemorated the landing of Robert Treat, who founded the city. The monument was relocated to Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, in Newark. “I wish we were a big historical society, but that’s the way it is,” Perrone said. “I have no regrets. We even built our own cannon.”
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