FEBRUARY 1, 2021 • PASCACK VALLEY PRESS
4
Discover local history at museum The Pascack Historical Society, 19 Ridge Ave. in Park Ridge, invites members of the public to stop by its museum any Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission is free. Face masks are required. The museum is home to thousands of objects, artifacts, and ephemera that chronicle life in the Pascack Valley from the Lenape Indian days until the present. Visitors will discover a special section devoted to colonial artifacts, relics from the production of wampum in the Pascack Valley, rooms recreated to illustrate early 19th century and Victorian life, a collection of Lenape stone tools, and more.
SEEKING VOLUNTEERS The museum has varied volunteer opportunities for those who take an interest in history and want to give back to the community. (Note: You must be a PHS member to become a volunteer.) • Docent: Lead public and private museum tours. • Treasurer assistant: Ideal for a small business owner who knows QuickBooks and wants to help manage PHS finances. • Textiles Department: A person with some knowledge of antique garments is needed to help hand sew, mend, and preserve PHSʼ textiles collection. • Education: Help develop and deliver educational programs for kids and adults. • House and Grounds: “Handyperson” to help maintain PHSʼ 1873 building with light repairs, painting, and carpentry. Volunteer applications are available by clicking the “Get Involved” button at pascackhistoricalsociety.org, or stop by the museum any Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. for more information.
ADVERTISE YOUR SERVICE IN THE SERVICE DIRECTORY IN THE PASCACK PRESS.
inside LETTERS CUPID’S GUIDE
2 11
LIBRARY CALENDAR 14 HEALTH & WELLNESS 24 HOME IMPROVEMENT 28 REAL ESTATE
29
SERVICES
35
OBITUARIES
38
B ck in time...
OUTSIDE THE OCTAGON HOUSE on Grand Avenue in Montvale, winter 1908.
A MONTVALE SCENE FROM LONG AGO
T
BY KRISTIN BEUSCHER OF PASCACK PRESS HEREʼS NO MISTAKING this local landmark, above, as it looked on a winter day back in 1908. The group is gathered around Montvaleʼs iconic Octagon House. Thousands of people pass by this unique Grand Avenue building every day, and itʼs even pictured on the borough seal. Yet, most probably do not know its story. A man named John J. Blauvelt Jr. inherited the land in 1832. In the 1850s he decided to replace a pre-Revolutionary War sandstone house which had long stood on the grounds with a new home of contemporary design. Blauvelt was reportedly a friend of one colorful character named Orson S. Fowler, who in 1848 had written a book, “A Home for All,” espousing the benefits of octagonal building. Fowler wasnʼt actually trained in architecture. In fact, he was a noted lecturer on phrenology (a
MONTVALE
EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING Serving Emerson, Hillsdale, Montvale, Park Ridge, River Vale, Township of Washington, Westwood 201.664.2105 and Woodcliff Lake FAX 201.664.2109 MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. BOX 335 E-MAIL US AT Westwood, N.J. 07675 pascackpress@thepressgroup.net
pseudoscience popular in the 19th century that claimed the shape of oneʼs skull can be indicative of character traits). Nevertheless, Fowler convinced his friend to build in the octagonal style. While Fowlerʼs status as an architect was self-styled, there must have been something to his idea: More than 160 years later, the Octagon House is still standing and is the most famous structure in Montvale. In Blauveltʼs day the land also included a saw mill and a mill pond from which ice was harvested during the winter and sold in the summer—a common practice in the days before refrigeration. In 1857, Blauveltʼs daughter, Jane Amelia, married 22year-old Garret Hering. After Blauveltʼs death in 1882, Hering, Jane and their three children moved into the Octagon House and Garret continued the operation of the saw mill and ice harvesting businesses. Hering was a man with some influence in early Mont-
PASCACK VALLEY’S HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER
THE OCTAGON HOUSE, looking much as it did in 1908, serves as the offices of Perfect Limo.
vale. He petitioned for the community—formerly part of Washington Township—to break off and become a borough in 1894, and that same year he became the first freeholder to represent Montvale in the County Seat at Hackensack. He was also the boroughʼs third mayor, from Publisher Editor Assistant Editor Art Director Director of Advertising
John J. DeFina John Snyder Kristin Beuscher Keith J. Harcher George F. Harcher
1898–1901, the railroad station agent, a justice of the peace, and Montvaleʼs postmaster. Two other mayors have lived at the Octagon House: Jules Schwenker, in office 1942–1945, and George Huff, in office 1946–1959. The Huffs ran a restaurant there in the 1950s.
The articles and opinions printed in Pascack Press are not necessarily those of the publisher. Pascack Press is neither liable nor responsible for typographical errors. This publication contains material developed independently by Pascack Press. It may not be reproduced, in whole or in part. Pascack Press is published in Westwood and is distributed to every household in our circulation area.