The following entries are taken from the Glen Ridge Heritage Book which was published in 1977 as the culminating project of a year-long celebration of America’s Bicentennial. The Glen Ridge Historical Society was founded soon after its publication.
One of the distinctive features of life in Glen Ridge is the political system which for 63 years has been dominated by the Civic Conference Committee. At one level, the CCC is simple to define: it is a method of selecting candidates for public office based on merit rather than political affiliation. In other words, it is meant to be a non-partisan system which avoids factionalism and political infighting in a small community. CCC delegates are apt to describe the […]
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Glen Ridge was incorporated on February 13, 1895 after separating from Bloomfield Township. From the time of its inception, the dedicated citizens serving on the governing body of the municipality have strived to provide complete and efficiently-run services to residents of the Borough. The state statutes from which the Borough derives the authority for its local government give the municipality limited discretionary powers. Many state laws are mandatory and others are discretionary requiring the passing of local ordinances to enforce […]
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Since the creation of Glen Ridge in 1895, 24 of its citizens have taken their turn serving in the post of Mayor. At the outset it was decided that elected officials in Glen Ridge would not be paid any salary or stipend. Instead, trust was placed in a motivation of public service to attract citizens already successful in their chosen careers who would be willing to contribute the time necessary to holding office. Serving as Mayor is particularly demanding and […]
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The Glen Ridge Fire Department was founded on May 14, 1895 and was made up of 13 volunteer firemen. While the Department was preparing itself to serve the Borough, the town of Bloomfield continued to render fire protection to Glen Ridge. The first equipment purchase was made in 1895 when the Borough authorized the acquisition of a hand-drawn two wheel Hose Cart. Two years later, a hand-drawn Hook and Ladder truck was acquired. Glen Ridge Hose Company No. 1., and […]
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Shortly after the founding of the Borough in 1895, the police department was formed with a total staff of three policemen. The three marshalls were soon reduced by one as Marshall Thomas Cullen was dismissed from the department a little over one month after his appointment. According to the records, Officer Cullen patrolled the Borough one day in a state of “exuberance” which led him to make indiscriminate arrests of citizens. The influx of startled “prisoners” led to his immediate […]
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Each year this day of remembrance brings the citizens of Glen Ridge together for an early morning parade and service to honor their war dead as well as the living who have served. As the years pass, the emphasis of the celebration has been determined by the history of the times. It has varied from the commemoration of the World War I monument in 1922, with its background of the flag-bedecked High School building, to the full blown Bi-centennial parade, […]
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Over the years, Borough residents, both young and old seem to have been strongly oriented to sports. Historical records show a women’s golf team in 1905 and the famous Men’s Club sported its own bowling alley. Skiing and skating at the Country Club were popular pastimes. Tennis, a favored sport of the early days has become increasingly popular in recent years. Paddle tennis courts erected at the corner of Belleville and Sherman Avenues in the early 1970’s are constantly in […]
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THE COUNTRY CLUB – Fourteen charter members began the formation of the Glen Ridge Country Club, which has grown and flourished in the Borough for over 60 years. Though in its first days it was centered solely around golf, it has become a family club of varied sports and activities today. Its membership, from the original few, has grown to over 800. It was on October 10, 1894, that the first meeting was held at the home of John W. […]
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“To insure good schools” was one of the goals of the leaders of the movement to separate Glen Ridge from Bloomfield, and in the ensuring 81 years, the citizens of the Borough have worked fervently toward the success of that goal. In 1895, many of those living “along the Ridge” felt that the schools should be built nearer to their homes, but residents in other parts of Bloomfield were reluctant to vote the necessary tax monies. According to former Borough […]
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Throughout the early 1940’s, Glen Ridge residents responded to the tensions of World War II with a full scale civil defense effort. Police and Fire Auxiliaries were organized. Under the direction of the Civil Defense Unit, air raid wardens and public works crews were recruited, and a control center was set up in the basement of the Municipal Building. Homeowners were urged to set aside basement areas stocked with food and water in the event of a bombing. At least […]
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