Wyckoff, New Jersey

Wyckoff is a township located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the township had a total population of 16,508. The most commonly given origin for the name Wyckoff, which was the origin accepted by the town committee when the town was established, is that Wyckoff is Indian for "high ground". A less widely held theory is that the town was named for Brooklyn judge Pieter Claesen Wyckoff (1625-1694). The surname comes from the Dutch words "Wyk," meaning parish and "Hof," meaning court. Neither of these origins are supported with solid historical evidence. The town has 13 churches, 1 synagogue, 5 public schools, 3 volunteer fire stations, and 1 volunteer ambulance corps.

History

The first inhabitants of the area were Lenni Lenape Indians who lived north of the Raritan River and spoke a Munsee dialect of Algonquian. Sicomac, said to mean "resting place for the departed", is an area of Wyckoff that according to tradition was the burial place of many Indians including Chief Oratam of the Ackingshacys. Most Indians had left by the 19th century, although a small group lived near Clinton Ave until 1939.

Related Topics:
Lenni Lenape - Raritan River - Munsee - Algonquian

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What is today Wyckoff was part of Saddle River Township, which included all of Bergen County west of the Saddle River. Saddle River Township was split up in 1771 with the area containing Wyckoff becoming Franklin Township (named after Governor William Franklin, son of Dr. Benjamin Franklin). By 1755 about 100 families lived in Franklin Township area, of which, no more than 20 were in what is now Wyckoff. Franklin Township (1771) consisted of what is today Ho-Ho-Kus (seceded 1849), Ridgewood (seceded 1876), Midland Park (seceded 1894), Oakland (seceded 1902), Franklin Lakes (seceded 1922), and Wyckoff. The size of Franklin Township decreased as areas seceded and were incorporated into their own towns. After Franklins Lakes was established in 1922, Franklin Township consisted of only the area known locally as Wyckoff. On November 2, 1926 residents voted (243 positive votes out of 337) to change the name from Franklin Township to the Township of Wyckoff.

Related Topics:
Saddle River Township - Saddle River - Franklin Township - William Franklin - Benjamin Franklin - Ho-Ho-Kus - Ridgewood - Midland Park - Oakland - Franklin Lakes

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The first recorded permanent settlers were John and William Van Voor Haze (Voorhees), who purchased 550 acres (2.2 km²) of land in the area in 1720. Other early settlers (mostly Dutch) included the Van Horns, Terhunes, Ackermans, Quackenbushes, Pulises, and Vanderhoffs. In 1940 the population was just under 4,000 consisting of roughly 100 families with 30% of the land was devoted to farming. By 1969 the number of farms had dropped to 13 covering 3 acres (12,000 m²), 6% of the town. Today only three farms remain: Abma's Farm, Russel Orchard, and Goffle Road Poultry Farm. Train service by the New Jersey Midland Railroad began in 1870. Train service ended abruptly in 1966, and the Economy Shop (owned by the PTO) moved into the unused railroad station located at 399 Main St.

Related Topics:
Train - New Jersey Midland Railroad - Railroad station

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Timeline

• 1905 - telephone service is installed in 10 houses
• 1909 - electricity is made available by Rockland Electric
• 1922 - a volunteer police department is created
• 1929 - a Ku Klux Klan meeting at a field at Forest Rd. and Wyckoff Ave. attracts one thousand people
• 1936 - Township Committee purchases street signs
• 1940 - a 4-legged chicken is hatched at Spring Lake Farm
• 1940 - a project to number houses is initiated
• 1944 - the Wyckoff YMCA is established
• 1950 - a UFO sighting reported by several residents
• 1952 - pig farms are outlawed following complaints from residents about the stench
• 1953 - the first traffic light is installed at the intersection of Wyckoff and Franklin Ave.
• 1954 - Franklin Lakes, Oakland, and Wyckoff (FLOW district) approve a regional high school (1060 to 51)
• 1957 - Ramapo High School (in Franklin Lakes) opens
• 1960 - a second regional high school to be built in Oakland is approved (Indian Hills High School)
• 1965 - a giant mushroom (10.5" diameter, 8" high) found in local garden
• 1992 - two boys find a 1912 U.S. Navy 30-caliber machine gun in Zabriskie Pond
• 1994 - the Vander Platt funeral home prepares the body of Richard Nixon for burial