the staff of the Ridgewood blog
HO-HO-KUS, NJ — Every artifact has a story, but some stories take on a legacy of their own. Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of Girl Scout Caitlynn Albarella, a piece of American history has been beautifully restored and returned to its rightful place on the front lawn of The Hermitage.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
HO-HO-KUS, NJ (January 15, 2026) – Friends of the Hermitage announced today that it has been awarded a combined $128,000 in historic preservation planning grants from the Bergen County Historical Commission Open Space Trust Fund and the New Jersey Historic Trust to complete a comprehensive Historic Site Management (HSM) Plan for The Hermitage, one of Bergen County’s most significant historic landmarks.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, a major milestone is arriving in Bergen County! The Old Paramus Reformed Church in Ridgewood, a familiar and historic landmark standing along Route 17, is celebrating its 300th Anniversary with a special benefit concert on November 15th at 7 p.m.
US Department of Veterans Affairs
Washington DC, World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Once upon a time, Columbus was a hero…Sadly, that’s not the case today: Some people don’t even know who he was, or what he did; while others claim he was a villain, and are advocating for the abolition of Columbus Day and everything he represented. Accusations vary from Columbus being a racist, a rapist, a genocidal maniac, and even that he ran a child sex slave ring. The question is, are these allegations true? And, where are the scholars correcting Columbus’ record? Unfortunately, some of the misinformation out there comes from “scholars;” and even those who defend Columbus, won’t address the actual story either. In this book, the reader will learn who modern history revisionists claim Columbus was, and what he did, vs. the actual historical accounts, coming from the mouths of those who knew him well, and wrote about them for us. The conclusion will be inevitable, that is, Columbus was a Hero, and his story and legacy need to be rediscovered again today. Note: This version is the Revised and Updated 2020 Edition from the 2017 Original.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Christopher Columbus the famed Italian explorer who “discovered” the “New World” of the Americas on an expedition sponsored by King Ferdinand of Spain in 1492. Columbus was an explorer and adventurer , who leaves us with a mixed legacy. His life is that of a consummate promoter and a figure at the center of the unforeseen and wholly “unintended consequence” of discovery.
Columbus is of course credited for opening up the Americas to European colonization as well as often blamed for the destruction of the native peoples of the islands he explored. Ultimately, he failed to find that what he set out for which was a new route to Asia and the riches it promised. He was as controversial then , as he is today.
Continue reading Christopher Columbus as Controversial then , as he is Today
Presidents Day Our Favorite Presidents : Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor, a general and national hero in the United States Army from the time of the Mexican-American War and the the War of 1812, was later elected the 12th President of the United States, serving from March 1849 until his death in July 1850.
Northerners and Southerners disputed sharply whether the territories wrested from Mexico should be opened to slavery, and some Southerners even threatened secession. Standing firm, Zachary Taylor was prepared to hold the Union together by armed force rather than by compromise.
Continue reading Presidents Day Our Favorite Presidents : Zachary Taylor
Presidents Day Our Favorite Presidents Calvin Coolidge
As America’s 30th President (1923-1929), Coolidge demonstrated his determination to preserve the old moral and economic precepts of frugality amid the material prosperity which many Americans were enjoying during the 1920s era.
At 2:30 on the morning of August 3, 1923, while visiting in Vermont, Calvin Coolidge received word that he was President. By the light of a kerosene lamp, his father, who was a notary public, administered the oath of office as Coolidge placed his hand on the family Bible.
Continue reading Presidents Day Our Favorite Presidents Calvin Coolidge
Presidents Day Our Favorite Presidents : Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan, originally an American actor and politician, became the 40th President of the United States serving from 1981-1989. His term saw a restoration of prosperity at home, with the goal of achieving ‘peace through strength’ abroad.
At the end of his two terms in office, Ronald Reagan viewed with satisfaction the achievements of his innovative program known as the Reagan Revolution, which aimed to reinvigorate the American people and reduce their reliance upon Government. He felt he had fulfilled his campaign pledge of 1980 to restore “the great, confident roar of American progress and growth and optimism.”
Continue reading Presidents Day Our Favorite Presidents : Ronald Reagan![16_abraham_lincoln[1]](https://theridgewoodblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/16_abraham_lincoln11.jpg "Presidents Day Our Favorite Presidents :Abraham Lincoln")
Presidents Day Our Favorite Presidents :Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln became the United States’ 16th President in 1861, issuing the Emancipation Proclamation that declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy in 1863.
Lincoln warned the South in his Inaugural Address: “In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you…. You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to preserve, protect and defend it.”
Continue reading Presidents Day Our Favorite Presidents :Abraham Lincoln![01_george_washington[1]](https://theridgewoodblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/01_george_washington1.jpg "Presidents Day Our Favorite Presidents : George Washington")
Presidents Day Our Favorite Presidents : George Washington
On April 30, 1789, George Washington, standing on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York, took his oath of office as the first President of the United States.
On April 30, 1789, George Washington, standing on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York, took his oath of office as the first President of the United States. “As the first of every thing, in our situation will serve to establish a Precedent,” he wrote James Madison, “it is devoutly wished on my part, that these precedents may be fixed on true principles.”
Continue reading Presidents Day Our Favorite Presidents : George Washington
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
December 7,2017
By Christopher Kelly
On Sunday December 7, 1941, seventy-six years ago, planes of the Imperial Japanese Navy streaked over Pearl Harbor bombing and torpedoing the American fleet at anchor. More than 2,400 Americans were killed that day. President Roosevelt quickly called it a “Day of Infamy.”
Continue reading Day of Infamy: The Lessons and Legacy of Pearl Harbor Day
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Once upon a time, Columbus was a hero…Sadly, that’s not the case today: Some people don’t even know who he was, or what he did; while others claim he was a villain, and are advocating for the abolition of Columbus Day and everything he represented. Accusations vary from Columbus being a racist, a rapist, a genocidal maniac, and even that he ran a child sex slave ring. The question is, are these allegations true? And, where are the scholars correcting Columbus’ record? Unfortunately, some of the misinformation out there comes from “scholars;” and even those who defend Columbus, won’t address the actual story either. In this book, the reader will learn who modern history revisionists claim Columbus was, and what he did, vs. the actual historical accounts, coming from the mouths of those who knew him well, and wrote about them for us. The conclusion will be inevitable, that is, Columbus was a Hero, and his story and legacy need to be rediscovered again today. Note: This version is the Revised and Updated 2020 Edition from the 2017 Original.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Christopher Columbus the famed Italian explorer who “discovered” the “New World” of the Americas on an expedition sponsored by King Ferdinand of Spain in 1492. Columbus was an explorer and adventurer , who leaves us with a mixed legacy. His life is that of a consummate promoter and a figure at the center of the unforeseen and wholly “unintended consequence” of discovery.
Columbus is of course credited for opening up the Americas to European colonization as well as often blamed for the destruction of the native peoples of the islands he explored. Ultimately, he failed to find that what he set out for which was a new route to Asia and the riches it promised. He was as controversial then , as he is today.
Continue reading Christopher Columbus as Controversial then , as he is Today
