When was passaic nj founded

At that time, it was the only bridge in the area to cross the Passaic River. To slow the British forces who were pursuing them, they destroyed the bridge behind them. With the Acquackanonk Bridge destroyed, the pursuing British forces located a spot three miles away in what is now Garfield where the Passaic River could be forded. A ford is the term for a shallow spot in a river where it can be crossed on foot or horseback.

However, the river was running high due to heavy rains, and they decided to wait several days for the water level to go down before finally crossing on November Meanwhile, the Continental Army continued its retreat across New Jersey.

From here they moved along the west side of the Passaic River to Second River now Belleville and Newark , and then headed southwest toward Trenton. They arrived on December 2 in Trenton, where they spent five days moving all the troops and supplies across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania.

Several weeks later, on Christmas night, they crossed back over the Delaware River and made a successful attack at the Battle of Trenton. The three signs pictured above are all located near a modern bridge which crosses the Passaic River at the site where the wooden bridge stood during the Revolutionary War. Both names refer to the same tavern, which is described in the entry below. Blanchard House Site River Dr.

This sign on the wall in front of the Saints Peter and Paul Church marks the site of the tavern called the Blanchard House also known as the Tap House which General George Washington is believed to have used as his headquarters on November 21, There are several other Revolutionary War items on the grounds of the church, which are described below. Walk up the stairs from the Blanchard House site marker to the south side of the Saint Peter and Paul Church to see this monument dedicated to George Washington.

It was erected in with funds raised by the students of Passaic public schools. It originally stood about a half-mile south of here at the intersection of Aycrigg Ave. A boulder monument on the north side of the church pays tribute to Henry Garritse, a resident of Acquackanonk who was prominent in Revolutionary War politics.

The plaque lists the roles he played in representing Essex County during the Revolutionary War era. What is now Passaic County was not created until , fifty-four years after the end of the war.

By examining the first or index sheet of a series, the user can identify the number of the sheet that covers a particular street or site in Passaic. Click here for the key to the color-coded information on these maps. Sheet 93 Sheet Sheet 83 Sheet 85 Sheet 86 Sheet The erection of this tablet was by the Passaic County Historical Society.

The event is worthy of being marked by a more permanent tablet. Adjoining the island were two contiguous tracts of land containing nearly three hundred acres, purchased from the Indians by Christopher Hoagland, a New York fur dealer, in May , and by him conveyed to Hartman Michielse on February The latter subsequently divided the same with this three brothers, two of whom settled thereon.

This land was known as the Point and is today covered by huge mills, business houses, and dwellings. He was so well satisfied with his purchases that he set about to interest, in addition to his brothers, ten other men, all of Communipaw Jersey City , fourteen in all, in the purchase of an adjoining tract of thousands of acres called Acquackanonk, which embraced not only all remaining land now comprising the city of Passaic, but included the present cities of Clifton and Paterson, for which a deed was obtained from the Indians, dated March 27, 16o The name Michielse became Vreeland, and members of this family for many years were the largest real estate owners in the county.

While Christopher Hoagland had obtained a patent July 15, , simultaneously with the deed from the Indians for the Point land, Hartman, owner of the island and the fourteen men who purchased Acquackanonk, like many others in East Jersey, denied the necessity of securing patents, claiming that Indian deeds were all that was necessary.

A controversy followed lasting four years, and ended only when the Governor, by a letter dated February 29, , notified all persons that claims of title under Indian deeds would not stand; that under them they had acquired no title and would have none unless they secured a patent, failure to obtain which would work forfeiture of the land.

They soon obtained patents. From a legal standpoint, deeds from Indians conveyed no title to the land, the real title, as held at present, being derived from the English Sovereign, who claimed it by right of discovery and conquest. The only right the Indians posses was that of occupancy, but with no title to the fee. Waddell, as reported in 16 Peter, The English possessions in America were not claimed by right of conquest, but by right of discovery.