Oakland's Van Allen House, 3 Franklin Ave., Oakland, New Jersey Van Allen House, Franklin Ave/Rt.202
George Washington Slept Here - REALLY!
George Washington and officers stayed at the Van Allen House on July 14, 1777, on their way north to join more of their forces near West Point, when the troops and supply wagons got bogged down on the muddy trail that was the Ramapo Valley Road of those days. The troops camped down along the Valley Road. Washington wrote two letters addressed from the Van Allen House, of which we have copies at the House. History has recorded that General Washington led his troops up and down the 'Valley Road' on other occasions also, and stayed at other old Dutch Houses in Mahwah, Wayne and Ho-Ho-Kus as well as Morristown. In honor of General Washington's visit in Oakland (The Ponds aka Yawpo), we make a point of celebrating his birthday here each year, conditions permitting. OPEN HOUSES SUSPENDED DUE TO ONGOING RENOVATIONS! During the year we offer opportunities for people to visit the Van Allen House and experience local life as it was in the 18th & 19th Centuries on a farm settlement in northern New Jersey. The Lenni-Lenape Indians are known to have used the path which followed the Ramapo River Valley north and south, and has now become an interstate roadway, Route 202, which goes from Maine south into Maryland and beyond. Copies of letters George Washington wrote at the House are available there during open-houses when they recommence. Please check our events page to see when the house will be open. The site also has a building from 1902, built by Edward Page, one of the industrialists who settled along Rt. 202 to develop agriculture for the growing cities of Northern New Jersey, such as Paterson or Newark. The building has been reduced to its foundation, but will hopefully be restored in the next year or so. Watch for open-house signs in front of the Van Allen House, usually the 3rd Sunday of the month when they resume following completion of the repairs taking place inside the House currently. The roof restoration is done. Now the interior must be returned to a habitable condition. Photos are pending. |
Do you remember this 1964 Hit book on the latest history of Oakland? It had a maroon cover on either a hard-cover copy or a soft-cover one. Well, new ones have become available as unbound copies of the original pages were discovered in the Van Allen House during renovation. They are being bound and for a donation, a fresh copy can become a family keepsake of yours. You can also make a donation of time spent restoring the museum room for display. E-mail us at ohs.inc1966@verizon.net for details.
Happy New Year 2022! A virtual house tour of Oakland is included on the Oakland Borough YouTube link as part of This Week in Oakland series. NORTHWEST BERGEN HISTORY Coalition has published a new book: Stitched and Woven - Bergen County Quilts and Coverlets 1800 - 1976 by Peggy Norris and Kay Yeomans. It is a display of cloth works from each NW Bergen County historical society. A copy can be ordered through this site. A 100 anniversary of Womens' Suffrage is also taking place this year. Please share your stories with us on History Notes page or contact us by e-mail. Visit our Events page for all the details. Please e-mail Jerri or Klaus at ohs.inc1966@verizon.net or call 201-337-9652 to find status of repairs and when open-houses will be resumed. Historic documents are available by appointments with Society members to take place at the Public Library. Please see our Tribute to Edward Page on the About page. For all of you who are unfamiliar with the history of the Stream House at 3 Franklin Avenue, you can finally learn why Oakland would not be the great town it is today if it weren't for the efforts of the man who left us the Stream House to take care of. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: at the Van Allen House to continue working on the indexing for photos and documents there. We need volunteers to work on the yard, weeding and sprucing up the property in general. Please call 201-337-9652 for more info or to confirm your attendance. For your convenience, you may also use the Contact Us page to let us know you're interested! Call Jerri or Klaus at 201-337-9652 or e-mail ohs.inc1966@verizon.net for more information on any of these opportunities! |