History

Incorporated June 25, 1894

The Dutch immigrants, along with the Huguenots settled here and named it Schraalenburgh, meaning barren knoll or hill. Most of the residents were Dutch farmers and during this century only one house was inside the limits of what is now Bergenfield, a brownstone parsonage used by the south Church pastor. There were only three other stone buildings, a tavern, a flour and fee mill and a woodworking mill. However by the time of the Civil War, there was a tannery, a saw mill and chair factory, a harness making shop, a shoemaking shop and a blacksmith and wheelwright shop.

In 1873, the New Jersey and New York Railroad decided to build a station in the southern half of Schraalenburgh. They asked the residents to name the station, but no name could be agreed upon so the railroad officials imprinted “Bergen Fields” on the tickets. When the borough was incorporated, its leaders modified it to the more urban “Bergenfield”.

The growth and development of Bergenfield from those early days is dramatic. In 1894, the Borough had no central water supply, no gas service or street lighting and no post office. In 1904, the Alert Fire Company No. 1 was organized with a hand-drawn hose as its first piece of equipment. In 1917, Bergenfield Fire Company No. 2 and Prospect Fire Company No. 1 were formed and mechanical equipment was purchased. In 1921, the Bergenfield Police Department was formed. Between 1900 and 1930, the dramatic growth was apparent through the construction and expansion of four public schools and one private school. The growth also fostered the construction of churches and synagogues such as St. John’s the Evangelist R.C. Church in 1905, St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in 1908, Trinity Evangelist Lutheran Church in 1910, Clinton Avenue Reformed Church in 1923, the Baptist Church in 1926 and the Bergenfield-Dumont Jewish Community Center in 1927. With this growth came a strong commercial business district and the Chamber of Commerce.

In 1923, the Bergenfield Chamber of Commerce was a sponsor of a meeting which led to the construction of the George Washington Bridge and opened the Borough and northern New Jersey to a period of unparalleled growth. Between 1930 and 1950 the Borough’s population more than doubled, growing from 8,816 to 17,647. This dramatic increase in population produced an even greater need for public service and facilities. The Borough responded with the construction of two new public schools with additions made to the existing buildings. In 1934, the Post Office was erected and Copper Pond Park was built by the W.P.A in 1938. In 1936, the Borough Hall was moved from the Knollwood Hotel to its present location in the former Elks Lodge on North Washington Avenue. The Bergenfield Volunteer Ambulance Cops was founded in 1941 along with organization of the Borough’s Civil Defense (now called Emergency Management).

The post-war period brought with it the latest in the Borough’s history of boom periods. From the 1950 population of 17,647 the Borough reached a peak of 29,700 in 1970. The most recent census of 1990 placed the current population at 24,458. This period saw the development of the Little League Fields in 1955 and P.A.L. Fields in 1961. The construction of the High School was in 1959 and additions to the Middle School in 1967. In 1969, the Bergenfield Free Public Library moved from Borough Hall to its building on West Clinton Avenue. The 1970s saw improvements to the Borough Hall and the construction of the Department of Public Works garage. In 1975, the Bergenfield Swim Club was formed to operate on land leased from the Borough.

In the 1980s the Volunteer Ambulance Cops building was constructed on South Front Street and the Senior Citizens Housing Development was completed on Murray Hill Terrace. The Borough of Bergenfield has certainly traveled a long way from the village of Schraalenburgh and the first days of Bergen Fields. The Borough now boasts seventeen parks and playgrounds and over 52 miles of improved roads. In 1850 the Borough was comprised of approximately 47 homes and shops and in 1980 had grown to over nine thousand households.

The Mayor and Council would urge that all residents visit the Bergenfield Public  Library to learn more about the Borough’s history from sources such as Adrian Leiby’s, “The Huguenot Settlement of Schraalenburgh” and Michael Birkner’s, “A Country Place No More”.