Our March open-house will be Sunday 3/16/25 from 1 -4pm at the Van Allen House, 3 Franklin Ave., Oakland, NJ. A brewmaster is being invited to introduce us to the art of Irish ale-brewing as we consider Irish immigration in the past. Van Allen House, Franklin Ave/Rt.202
Northwest Bergen County, including Oakland's Van Allen House at 3 Franklin Ave., was at the Crossroads of the Revolution. The 250th anniversary of the Revolution will start July 4th, 2026. You'll enjoy hearing how vital our area was to the process which gave birth to the Unites States of America. 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. |
The Oakland Historical Society will have a monthly open-house on Sunday, March 16th from 1-4PM before our NW Bergen Coalition History Day on Saturday April 26th, 10 - 4.
In honor of St. Patrick's Day, our March event will present some Celtic history. We will have Irish embroidery and wool garments on display accompanied by Irish jig songs. We are also hoping to hear ale facts from an Irish brew-master. BTW: 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 Yawpough), we make a point of celebrating his birthday here each year, conditions permitting. 2027 will be the 250th anniversary of Washington's visit. |
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Watch for open-house signs in front of the Van Allen House, usually the 3rd or 4th Sunday of the month. The roof restoration is done. Interior repairs will be starting up again soon. Photos are pending.
Do you remember the 1964 Hit book on the latest history of Oakland? The Years Between 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 [email protected] for details. "The Ramapo Mountain Lakes Civic Ass'n was organized for the Physical and Moral Welfare of every resident of RML and extend our cooperation to the Borough of Oakland to mutual advantage of all." says the plaque from the original Ramapo Mtn. Lakes Assoc. that you can view at the Van Allen House. |
A miniature display of George Washington and his troops visit to the Van Allen's in July of 1777 is available to view in the House. We will embrace Irish immigrants and demonstrate their contributions to American culture. Visit our Events page for all the details.
Please e-mail Jerri or Klaus at [email protected] or call 201-337-9652 Historic documents are available by appointments with Society members to take place at the Public Library. A virtual house tour of Oakland is included on the Oakland Borough YouTube link as part of This Week in Oakland series episode 7. 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. e-mail [email protected] for more info on any of these opportunities! 
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