In 1702; a tract of land known as ldquo;Horseneckrdquo; was purchased by descendants of the Puritans from the Hackensack Indians for 130 pounds. The area; which consisted of over 13;500 acres of land; was located on the second Watchung Mountain from New York City. With conflicts between the Native American deeds and the grants from the East Jersey Proprietors whorepresented the Crown; land disputes ensued and resulted in the ldquo;Horseneck Riotsrdquo; in 1744. These riots occurred when a prominent Horseneck farmer; Samuel Baldwin; was arrested and thrown into the Newark Jail. Within a few hours; 300 angry Horseneck farmers marched into the jail and freed him. This represented the first successful resistance against British tyranny; more than 30 years before Lexington and Concord. From this territory and from these early settlers were born the four communities of West Essexmdash;Essex Fells; Fairfield; North Caldwell; and Roseland. From the Dutch origins of Fairfield to the planned suburban development of Essex Fells to the farms and estates of North Caldwell and Roseland; West Essex provides a photographic glimpse of the area; featuring over 200 images; many of whichhave never before been published. The impact of several important individuals is also noted; including Peter Van Ness; Willis H. Carrier; Madame Ernestine Schumann-Heink; and Henry Becker.
#2586742 in eBooks 2001-05-09 2001-05-09File Name: B00945INTW
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Another fun read by Michael PernaBy Chana_SAs a born-and-bred-but-long-gone native. I really enjoyed Michael Perna Jr.s photo compilations and history in this book and in Shrewsbury Through Time: America Through Time.
