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History of
Dumont
The borough of Dumont was
founded on July 20, 1894. Present-day Dumont was originally part of
larger Shraalenburgh, a Dutch province that included the present-day
boroughs of Bergenfield, Dumont, Haworth, and parts of Closter.
The original Dutch settlers had traveled into present-day
Bergen County from Fort Amsterdam, which was located in lower
Manhattan Island. The Dutch parent colony of New Netherland
lasted from the early 17th century to 1664, with the surrender of
the colony to Britain. With Governor Pieter Stuyvesant's surrender
of New Netherland in 1664, Britain gained control of the Dutch
claims in New York and New Jersey. The colony was briefly recaptured
by the Netherlands in 1673 in one of the Anglo-Dutch wars, but was
restored to British control soon after in 1674. When Dumont became a
separate borough in 1894, it initially kept the name of
Schraalenburgh (the other towns changed their names). The borough
originally contained 3 square miles; however, strips of land were
ceded to the neighboring townships of Palisades Twp. (Pd New
Milford) and Harrington Twp. (Pd Haworth). In 1898, Schraalenburgh
changed its name to
Dumont, named after Dumont Clarke, the
first mayor of the borough. Dumont's main historical landmarks
include Camp Merritt and
The Old North Reformed Church (see below) at the intersection of
Washington and Madison Avenues. Celebrating over one hundred years
as a borough, Dumont has grown and developed into a thriving
community, currently home to 17,500 residents* and approximately
5,000 housholds**.
The Old North
Church
The Old North Church, located on the southwest corner of
Washington and Madison Avenues, is perhaps Dumont's finest link to
its past. Founded in 1724 as a result of a schism from the "too
liberal" South Church of Bergenfield, the church actually owned and
governed most of Schraalenburgh, an area of nearly three square
miles, from Cresskill to Palisade Twp (New Milford) and from
Harrington Twp (Haworth) to Bergenfield. The word Schraalenburgh
actually means "ridges" in Dutch. The Old North Church and
surrounding area was governed by the Consistory, a board made up of
the eldest deacons, elected by the congregation. Hundreds of years
later, the Consistory still functions in making decisions for the
congregation. The Old
North Church remains the second oldest church in the area (second
only to the Church on the Green), with its first bricks laid in 1723
on land donated by Colonel Isaac Kipp. Later, after fruitlessly
attempting to reunite with the South Church, Rev. Solomon Froeligh's
congregation decided a new church must be built. This church's
architecture was to be similar to the South Church's, except
Froeligh deliberately ordered that the steeple be made twenty feet
taller. The construction of the present church at Washington and
Madison Ave's was begun in 1801 by Peter J. Durie, a reputable
builder from New York City. The structure remains one of the finest
examples of early American church architecture.
The Old North Church
Cemetery first began burying parishioners over two
centuries ago. This cemetery remains the resting place for dozens of
Revolutionary War and Civil War veterans. Well-known
parishioners buried at this cemetery include members of the
Blauvelt, Demarest, and Quakenbush
families. When the
church's sanctuary expanded in the 19th century, it was necessary to
push the west wall of the church 18 feet out into the cemetery,
requiring the movement of remains and headstones. This expansion
explains the 10-12 headstones currently resting against the west
wall of the church. The first burial is approximated to have
occurred in the 1730s, shortly after the North Church broke away
from the South Church. The last known burial occurred in 1925.
Despite the ages of the headstones, most have astonishingly remained
intact and
readable.
Today, the Old North Reformed Church remains Dumont's best source of
history, retaining not only detailed written documents dating back
to the eighteenth century, but also a wealth of physical artifacts
displayed prominently throughout the church. The church also has an
historical committee dedicated to preserving these records and
artifacts. Artifacts include Dumont Clarke's mantelpiece, which he
donated to the church over a hundred years ago, an old Bible written
in Dutch dating back to 1738, and a pew warming box also from that
time period.
