Union Hill, New Jersey

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Union Hill
43rdStreetUnionHillLibrary.png
The public library on Main Street (today 43rd Street) on the corner of New York Avenue in Union Hill, New Jersey, which is today Union City
Coordinates: 40°46′33″N74°01′29″W / 40.775878°N 74.024827°W / 40.775878; -74.024827
Country Flag of the United States.svg  United States
State Flag of New Jersey.svg  New Jersey
County Flag of Hudson County, New Jersey.gif Hudson
FoundedMarch 29, 1864
MergedJune 1, 1925
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1870 4,640—
1880 5,84926.1%
1890 10,64382.0%
1900 15,18742.7%
1910 21,02338.4%
1920 20,651−1.8%
source: 1870-1920 [1]

Union Hill was a town that existed in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, from 1864 to June 1, 1925, when it merged with West Hoboken to form Union City.

Contents

History

Civic boundaries

The area that became West Hoboken was originally inhabited by the Munsee-speaking branch of Lenape Native Americans, [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] who wandered in the vast woodland area encountered by Henry Hudson during the voyages he conducted from 1609 to 1610 for the Dutch. Hudson later claimed the area (which included the future New York City) and named it New Netherland. The portion of that land that included the future Hudson County was purchased from members of the Hackensack tribe of the Lenni-Lenape in 1658 by New Netherland colony Director-General Peter Stuyvesant, [8] [9] and became part of Pavonia, New Netherland. [10] The boundaries of the purchase are described in the deed preserved in the New York State Archives, as well as the medium of exchange: "80 fathoms of wampum, 20 fathoms of cloth, 12 brass kettles, 6 guns, one double brass kettle, 2 blankets, and one half barrel of strong beer." [11]

The relationship between the early Dutch settlers and Native Americans was marked by frequent armed conflict over land claims. In 1660, Peter Stuyvesant ordered the building of a fortified village called Bergen to protect the area. It was the first permanent European settlement in New Jersey, located in what is now the Journal Square area of Jersey City near Academy Street. [9] [12] In 1664, the British captured New Netherland from the Dutch, at which point the boundaries of Bergen Township encompassed what is now known as Hudson County. North of this was the unpopulated Bergen Woods, which would later be claimed by settlers, after whom a number of streets were named, [9] such as Brown Street [13] [14] and Golden Lane, [14] which still exist in Union City today. [9]

The area that became Union Hill, however, was sparsely populated until the early 19th century. The British granted Bergen a new town charter in 1668. In 1682 they created Bergen County, which was named to honor their Dutch predecessors. That county comprised all of present-day Hudson, Bergen and Passaic counties. Sparsely inhabited during the 17th and 18th centuries, the southeast section of Bergen County had grown by the early 19th century to the point where it was deemed necessary to designate it a separate county. The New Jersey legislature created Hudson County in 1840, and in 1843, it was divided into two townships: Old Bergen Township (which eventually became Jersey City) and North Bergen Township, which was gradually separated into Hudson County's municipalities of Hoboken (1849), Weehawken and Guttenberg (1859), and Union Township (or simply Union, [14] [15] [16] ) (1864), [9] [17] though it was colloquially known as Union Hill. Union Hill was formed through the merger of a number of villages, such as Dalleytown, Buck's Corners and Cox's Corners. The largest of these villages, Union Hill, became the colloquial name for the merged town of Union itself. [18] Union Hill was incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 29, 1864, from part of Union Township. In 1866, part of North Bergen was added to it. The town was reincorporated on March 27, 1874. [10] The northern section of Union Township was later incorporated as West New York in 1898. [9]

Union Hill merged with West Hoboken to form Union City, which was incorporated on June 1, 1925. [10] [19]

One of Union City's schools, Union Hill Middle School recalls the name of the former town. [20]

Commerce

The town's commercial district was Bergen Turnpike, at the border with West Hoboken. [21] Intersecting Bergen Turnpike was Bergenline Avenue, a former cowpath that became another commercial venue after plans to lay street car tracks on Palisade Avenue, two blocks to the east, were changed due to the objections of an influential citizen named Henry Kohlmeier. Kohlmeier opposed the noise that such traffic would bring, and suggested moving the tracks to Bergenline Avenue. [22] Bergenline continues as Union City's main commercial thoroughfare, today, and is the longest commercial avenue in New Jersey. [23]

Mayors

Notable residents

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson County, New Jersey</span> County in New Jersey, United States

Hudson County is the smallest and most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in the New York metropolitan area, the county seat is Jersey City, which is the county's largest city in terms of both population and area, with a 2020 population of 292,449, and which covered 21.08 square miles (54.6 km2). Since 1990, Hudson County has been one of New Jersey's two fastest-growing counties, along with Ocean County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Bergen, New Jersey</span> Township in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States

North Bergen is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 63,361, an increase of 2,588 (+4.3%) from the 2010 census count of 60,773, which in turn reflected an increase of 2,681 (+4.6%) from the 58,092 counted in the 2000 census. The township was incorporated in 1843. It was much diminished in territory by a series of secessions. Situated on the Hudson Palisades, it is one of the hilliest municipalities in the United States. Like neighboring North Hudson communities, North Bergen is among those places in the nation with the highest population density and a majority Hispanic population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union City, New Jersey</span> City in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weehawken, New Jersey</span> Township in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States

Weehawken is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located largely on the Hudson Palisades overlooking the Hudson River. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 17,197, an increase of 4,643 (+37.0%) from the 2010 census count of 12,554, which in turn reflected a decline of 947 (−7.0%) from the 13,501 counted in the 2000 census.

Bergen Township was a township that existed in the U.S. state of New Jersey, from 1661 to 1862, first as Bergen, New Netherland, then as part Bergen County, and later as part of Hudson County. Several places still bear the name: the township of North Bergen; Bergen Square, Old Bergen Road, Bergen Avenue, Bergen Junction, Bergen Hill and Bergen Arches in Jersey City; Bergen Point in Bayonne; and Bergenline Avenue and Bergen Turnpike in North Hudson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bergenline Avenue station</span>

Bergenline Avenue is a station on the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail (HBLR). The intermodal facility is located on 49th Street between Bergenline Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard in Union City, New Jersey, near its border with West New York and North Bergen. The station is the first and only completely underground station on the network and opened for service on February 25, 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gateway Region</span> Urbanized area of northeastern New Jersey, US

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hackensack Plank Road</span>

The Hackensack Plank Road, also known as Bergen Turnpike, was a major artery which connected the cities of Hoboken and Hackensack, New Jersey. Like its cousin routes, the Newark Plank Road and Paterson Plank Road, it travelled over Bergen Hill and across the Hackensack Meadows from the Hudson River waterfront to the city for which it was named. It was originally built as a colonial turnpike road as Hackensack and Hoboken Turnpike. The route mostly still exists today, though some segments are now called the Bergen Turnpike. It was during the 19th century that plank roads were developed, often by private companies which charged a toll. As the name suggests, wooden boards were laid on a roadbed in order to prevent horse-drawn carriages and wagons from sinking into softer ground on the portions of the road that passed through wetlands. The company that built the road received its charter on November 30, 1802. The road followed the route road from Hackensack to Communipaw that was described in 1679 as a "fine broad wagon-road."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bergen Hill</span> Lower part of the Hudson Palisades, New Jersey, United States

Bergen Hill refers to the lower Hudson Palisades in New Jersey, where they emerge on Bergen Neck, which in turn is the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson Rivers, and their bays. In Hudson County, it reaches a height of 260 feet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Hudson, New Jersey</span>

North Hudson is the area in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, situated on the west bank of the Hudson River, mostly atop the Hudson Palisades. It comprises Weehawken, Union City, West New York, Guttenberg, and North Bergen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Hoboken, New Jersey</span> Place in New Jersey, United States

West Hoboken was a municipality that existed in Hudson County, New Jersey, from 1861 to 1925. It merged with Union Hill to form Union City on June 1, 1925.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pavonia, New Netherland</span>

Pavonia was the first European settlement on the west bank of the North River that was part of the seventeenth-century province of New Netherland in what would become the present Hudson County, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weehawken Terminal</span> Former intermodal terminal in Weehawken, New Jersey

Weehawken Terminal was the waterfront intermodal terminal on the North River in Weehawken, New Jersey for the New York Central Railroad's West Shore Railroad division, whose route traveled along the west shore of the Hudson River. It opened in 1884 and closed in 1959. The complex contained five ferry slips, sixteen passenger train tracks, car float facilities, and extensive yards. The facility was also used by the New York, Ontario and Western Railway. The terminal was one of five passenger railroad terminals that lined the Hudson Waterfront during the 19th and 20th centuries; the others were located at Hoboken, Pavonia, Exchange Place and Communipaw, with Hoboken being the only one still in use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bergen, New Netherland</span> Origin of the New Jersey settlement

Bergen was a part of the 17th century province of New Netherland, in the area in northeastern New Jersey along the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers that would become contemporary Hudson and Bergen Counties. Though it only officially existed as an independent municipality from 1661, with the founding of a village at Bergen Square, Bergen began as a factory at Communipaw circa 1615 and was first settled in 1630 as Pavonia. These early settlements were along the banks of the North River across from New Amsterdam, under whose jurisdiction they fell.

Hackensack was the exonym given by the Dutch colonists to a band of the Lenape, or Lenni-Lenape, a Native American tribe. The name is a Dutch derivation of the Lenape word for what is now the region of northeastern New Jersey along the Hudson and Hackensack rivers. While the Lenape people occupied much of the mid-Atlantic area, Europeans referred to small groups of native people by the names associated with the places where they lived.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson Waterfront</span> Place in Hudson and Bergen

The Hudson Waterfront is an urban area of northeastern New Jersey along the lower reaches of the Hudson River, the Upper New York Bay and the Kill van Kull. Though the term can specifically mean the shoreline, it is often used to mean the contiguous urban area between the Bayonne Bridge and the George Washington Bridge that is approximately 19 miles (31 km) long. Historically, the region has been known as Bergen Neck, the lower peninsula, and Bergen Hill, lower Hudson Palisades. It has sometimes been called the Gold Coast.

References

  1. ↑ Compendium of censuses 1726-1905: together with the tabulated returns of 1905 Archived 2014-06-29 at the Wayback Machine , New Jersey Department of State, 1906. Accessed May 27, 2013.
  2. ↑ Karabin, Gerard. "About UCNJ", City of Union City. Accessed November 26, 2010.
  3. ↑ Sturtevant, William C.; Trigger, Bruce G (January 1, 1978). Delaware languages: Handbook of North American Indians Vol. 15: Northeast. p. 215. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. 1978. ISBN   0-16-004575-4.
  4. ↑ Day, Gordon M. "The Indian as an Ecological Factor in the Northeastern Forests". Ecology, Vol. 34, No. 2 (April): 329-346. New England and New York areas 1580-1800. Notes that the Lenni Lenape (Delaware) tribe in New Jersey and the Massachuset tribe in Massachusetts used fire in ecosystems.1953
  5. ↑ Russell, Emily W.B. (1979). "Vegetational Change in Northern New Jersey Since 1500 A.D.: A Palynological, Vegetational and Historical Synthesis." PhD dissertation. New Brunswick, PA: Rutgers University. Author notes on page 8 that Indians often augmented lightning fires.
  6. ↑ Russell, Emily W.B. (1983). "Indian Set Fires in the Forests of the Northeastern United States." Ecology, Vol. 64, No. 1 (Feb): 78 88. Author found no strong evidence that Indians purposely burned large areas, but they did burn small areas near their habitation sites. Noted that the Lenna Lenape Tribe used fire.
  7. ↑ A Brief Description of New York, Formerly Called New Netherlands with the Places Thereunto Adjoining, Likewise a Brief Relation of the Customs of the Indians There. New York, NY: William Gowans. 1670. Reprinted in 1937 by the Facsimile Text Society, Columbia University Press, New York. Notes that the Lenni Lenape (Delaware) tribe in New Jersey used fire in ecosystems.
  8. ↑ Robinson, Dr. Walter F. (1964). New Jersey Tercentenary: 1664-1964. Hudson County Tercentenary Committee for this information, p. 190
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lucio Fernandez and Gerard Karabin (2010). Union City in Pictures. Book Press NY. pp. 11–13.
  10. 1 2 3 Snyder, John P (1969). The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968. Bureau of Geology and Topography. Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 148. Accessed June 18, 2013.
  11. ↑ 50th Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Town of West Hoboken, N.J. (1911). Datz Co.
  12. ↑ Kaulessar, Ricardo (October 3, 2010). "350 years of history; Fair commemorates founding of Jersey City, will honor the oldest families in Hudson County". Hudson Reporter. "Before there was a Jersey City or a Hudson County, the village of Bergen – the first European settlement in New Jersey, founded in 1660 by Dutch settler Peter Stuyvesant – had its origins in what is now the Journal Square area of Jersey City near Academy Street."
  13. ↑ Harvey, Cornelius Burnham (1900). Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey The New Jersey Genealogical Publishing Company. p. 20
  14. 1 2 3 Northern Part of the Town of Union, 1873, Gleason's Old Maps, East Templeton, Massachusetts
  15. ↑ Business Directory Of North Hudson, North Hudson Hospital Association, Town of Union, N.J. 1905, Page 331
  16. ↑ Rules and Regulations of the Police Department of the Town of Union, N.J. Adopted July 13, 1881. West Hoboken, A.E. Gregory, Printer, Palisade Avenue. 1881
  17. ↑ Snyder, John P (1969). "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968" (PDF). state.nj.us. Trenton, New Jersey: Bureau of Geology and Topography. p. 148. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 5, 2012. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  18. ↑ Van Winkle, Daniel (1924). History of the Municipalities of Hudson County, NJ 1630-1923, Lewis Historical Publishing Company Inc. New York & Chicago. pp. 463-464
  19. ↑ Karabin, Gerard. "Brief History of Union City". Union City, New Jersey. Accessed June 18, 2013. "Eighty-five years ago on June 1, 1925, the Town of Union (colloquially known as Union Hill) and the Township of West Hoboken joined together and became one, the city of Union City."
  20. ↑ Union Hill Middle School. Union City Board of Education. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  21. ↑ Cattuna, Emily. "Remembering a shopping mecca". The Jersey Journal . August 25, 2009. Accessed June 18, 2013. "North Hudson was comprised of Union Hill and West Hoboken until 1925, when it was divided into Union City, Guttenberg, Weehawken and North Bergen. The southern "Hub," where North Hudson met Jersey City, was the Transfer Station at Paterson Plank Road."
  22. ↑ Twentieth Anniversary: 1919 - 1939 West Hoboken Post No. 14 Union City, New Jersey. The American Legion. Department of New Jersey. p. 31
  23. ↑ Perez-Stable, Marifeli (December 3, 2009). "That other Cuban community". The Miami Herald .
  24. ↑ "John Corky, 79, Builder, Is Dead. Former Mayor of Union Hill, N.J. Among First to Erect Weehawken Apartments. Served As Head Of Bank. Organized the First National. Formerly Manufactured Cement Products". The New York Times . September 25, 1936.
  25. ↑ "PAUL JAPPE". The Pro Football Archives. 2006. Archived from the original on 31 May 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  26. ↑ "Guide to the Eugène and Maria Jolas Papers". Yale University Library. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  27. ↑ D. R. Lewis, "The Late Anne C. Rees, M. D. (Ceridwen)" The Cambrian 25(12)(December 1905): 543-544.
  28. ↑ Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, September 26, 1905, p. 899
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