by Bradford Boone Memories of Oakland may be slightly shaded these days. What remains, however, are a multitude of impressions treasured by a young man who lived through the depression era in a quaint, bucolic village cradled in the Ramapo Valley. Yet, the roads, grasslands, ponds, trees and buildings that lent their charm to the tranquility of yesterday have all but disappeared. That was yesterday, but yesterday’s gone, and changes over the years have all but obliterated the Oakland of my youth. Oakland of my Youth Fortunately, memory is a unique resource. It brings pleasure upon recall and reaffirms the joys of better times. It embraces the spirit and inspires…
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Marie Sarcka
The Oakland Military Academy The following is the obituary of the wife of John Sarcka who was the headmaster of the Oakland Riding Academy in Oakland, NJ. The Oakland Military Academy was the successor to the Calderwood Hotel in Oakland which in turn was the successor to the Bush residence, a 2 story 18th Century residence on Ramapo Valley Road. All the above is now a parking lot and a strip mall located on the east side of Ramapo Valley Road between the railroad tracks and Oak Street. MARIE SARCKANew Windsor, N.Y. Marie Sarcka of New Windsor, a retired school administrator for Oakland Academy in New Windsor and longtime resident…
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Oakland Beaches -The Glory Days
Oakland Beaches -The Glory Days In 1930 the full effects of the Depression were setting upon the nation. Employment was scarce and money was more than tight. Compounding the effects of the Depression in Oakland was that our farms no longer in existence. While Oaklanders had little money, we were nonetheless rich in many resources. Specifically, we had free-flowing, pristine river teaming with fish, mountains filled with game, fresh air and hotels and inns built to accommodate the many visitors and guests generated mostly by the businesses here. And, most importantly, we had access via the railroad. That superb combination created a huge opportunity for local residents to capitalize upon.…
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Pleasureland Past and Present
Pleasureland Past, Present,… As the Borough of Oakland considers the future of the Pleasureland property, The Journal offers a multimedia presentation covering Pleasureland’s past and present …including photos, music, and videos…for those interested in reading about the infamous event, you can click here. ….Otherwise, enjoy the better memories…. click to enlarge “Our annual family ‘picnic’ was held at Pleasureland, or Suntan Lake! Our parents would take us to all these cool places, like Wild West City, or Fairy Tale Forest, or The Land of Make Believe! (I’m tearing up, here!) We had no cable television, so Saturday morning TV consisted of Wonderama! (If you got up REAL early, you had…
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The Pulis House and Pond
The Pulis House and Pond Sometime In the early to mid 50s, my wife Elaine’s father John Oldenburg rented a house on Ramapo Valley Road and opened Bergen – Passaic Engineering and Surveying. Soon after, he accepted a position as Borough of Oakland Engineer and became close friends with Milt and Aggie Pulis. Before moving to Oakland in 1957, Elaine recalls frequent trips to the Pulis home with her brother John and mother Betty, who would later become the Valley School Nurse. Massive Concrete Piling One of Elaine’s special recollections is of the top of a massive concrete piling that came up from the basement and ended flush with Pulis’s…
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In Memory of an Oakland Star
Sidney Kingsley, a Broadway Luminary March 20, 2014 marks the 19th anniversary of the passing of Sidney Kingsley, a Broadway luminary who lived in Oakland from 1935 until his passing 60 years later in 1995. Mr. Kingsley was a writer, producer and director of nine Broadway plays including The Patriot and Men in White for which he received the Pulitzer Prize in 1934. He married Madge Evans, a star of stage and screen, in 1939. Together they eschewed the lights and glamour both Hollywood and New York preferring instead the quite, pastoral life they found in the fields and mountains of Oakland with their 250 acre estate. That estate ultimately…
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Kanouse Mountain Water Co
BEVERAGE COMPANIES IN NEW YORK CITY CIRCA WWI Kanouse Mountain Water Co.. (1916, February 29). [Bill of Sale]. Pompeii Papers Collection. Center for Migration Studies. New York, NY. The second image, is a receipt from the Kanouse Mountain Water Company located on 50 Church Street. Water is a necessity in everyone’s life, so it was not unusual for Reverend Anthony Demo to purchase cases of water weekly from the company. The receipt shows that the Kanouse Mountain Water Company provided The Shrine Church of Our Lady of Pompeii with weekly cases of water to help with basic needs of the church. It was a common practice for churches to dilute…
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True and Tragic Story of Downtown Oakland
How Did Downtown Oakland Go From This to This? Oakland was truly a Mayberry Ladies and gentlemen, lend me your ears and hearts as I will tell you a true and tragic story of downtown Oakland. It is a story that will bring tears to your eyes for what was and now lost and the decline of what is and what remains. I will tell you a very sad, tragic truth, a truth of the destruction and decline of our historic downtown. Up until the late 1950s, Oakland was truly a Mayberry, a backwoods section of Bergen County. Route 208 wouldn’t arrive to Oakland for several years although it was…
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History of the Van Slyke Castle
The Oakland Castle Oakland, NJ – Hike into History Take a hike. Depending on your tone of voice it can be good advice or a condescending suggestion. In this case it is very good advice because Oakland offers its residents a great opportunity to enjoy outdoor exercise, take in some beautiful scenery, and wander down wooded paths that lead you through local, regional and world history. The hike detailed here starts just off Skyline Drive and is approximately five miles, start to finish. It will take you up through the Ramapo Hills to great vistas where you can visit the ruins of what has been called “The Oakland Castle”, “The Van…
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Email Conversation About the Hansen House and Oakland in the 1930s and 1940s by Those Who Lived It
My name is Sonya Hansen I Just found your wonderful article about Oakland. I was especially excited to see the picture of the Neilsen house. Alf Neilsen was my uncle. My parents Dagny and Hans Hansen brought life into an old building that was about to be torn down. They were able to purchase it for 3,000 dollars for back taxes. We had wonderful neighbors, Pulis, Boone, and Bredimus. Frank Ahlers ran the gas station across the street from us, but I never cared for him. Grumpy, mean old man as far as I was concerned, but I digress. There are five of us, that used to live right there,…
