West Paterson, NJ

Lambert Castle sitting atop Garret Mountain in Paterson NJ and overlooking the former "Silk City" below is a site familiar to most who have lived in the area or who travel daily on Interstate Route 80. Members of the Passaic County NJ Historical Society hope that the recent decision by Congress to designate the Great Falls of Paterson a national historic park will help to bring renewed interest in Lambert Castle.

The castle which is made of brownstone, was built by area silk baron, Catholina Lambert in 1893. The Passaic County Historical Society offices and county archives are now housed at the location. The castle is open to the public Wednesday - Sunday afternoons from 1 -4 pm.

In 1791, Alexander Hamilton created the first planned industrial community of the US in Paterson. Hamilton believed that in order for America to survive, we needed to establish an industrial base, and he saw the waters of the Passaic River flowing through Paterson as the perfect power source. The first cotton mill was built in the city in 1794 and the silk mills followed soon thereafter.

Catholina Lambert, born March 28, 1834 in Yorkshire England, was the son of two mill hands. He jumped aboard a ship bound for Boston at the age of 17 and by his early 20's was a partner in a silk mill. At 23, he married into wealth and moved with his bride to NYC. With two partners he opened his own silk mill at Straight and Clay Streets in Paterson and the rest they say...is history. He amassed great wealth and built his castle dubbed "Belle Vista" in part to showcase his huge art collection. Lambert's fortunes crumbled later in life and he was forced to auction off most of his beloved art collection before his death in 1923.

Two years later, Passaic County bought the castle and grounds for a tidy sum of $125,000

Happy 175th Birthday Catholina Lambert!

This local history brought to you by your North Jersey Real Estate Team

Jim Albano and Jean-Marie Vantuno

www.yourhomenorthjersey.com

39 E. Main St.

Little Falls, NJ 07424

973-256-0303 ext 218

West Paterson renamed "Woodland Park "New Jersey

The citizens of West Paterson, located in Passaic County New Jersey voted on November 4, 2008 to change the town name to Woodland Park. The Borough's initials remain "W.P.", not to be mistaken for nearby William Paterson University, also known as "W.P.U.".

Changes Underway.

As reported by the Record Newspaper last week, workers began placing "Woodland Park" decals on municipal vehicles. Borough employees have been instructed, as of January 1, to answer the phone using the new name. The borough's Web site www.westpaterson.com will also be revamped to reflect the new name change, redirecting all visitors to a new Web address for Woodland Park.

Education

Students in the public school, from kindergarten through eighth grade, are educated by the West Paterson School District. The elementary schools are Beatrice Gilmore School, Charles Olbon School and Memorial School. Children in grades 9 - 12 attend Passaic Valley Regional High school, which serves students from Little Falls Township, Totowa and Woodland Park.

The U.S. Census estimates its population for 2007 to be 11,568.

Location

Woodland Park is located in the northeastern section of New Jersey, about 20 miles west of New York City and nestled between Totowa Borough, Little Falls, Paterson and the City of Clifton. Within minutes are: Interstate 80 in the northern edge and U.S. 46 along the southern border. Its postal zip code of 07424 is shared with Little Falls.

Woodland Park offers a mixture of residential, retail, office, industrial and commercial properties. As a local Realtor I would enjoy showing you properties in the area.

A visit to Garret Mountain Reserve with 568 acres and the historical Lambert Castle would offer enjoyment for everyone.

Property for sale

Well...it's official. The Borough of West Paterson is disappearing. As of December 17, 2008 the residents of this community will be residing in Woodland Park, NJ. The recent name change vote, controversial for sure, passed by a measure of 2136 for - 2111 against. That's a mere 25 votes. So residents continue to be pretty much equally divided either for the change or against it. While there is a new effort afoot to reverse the change, the measure will be moving forward and the new name will become official.

Borough officials have stated that they will implement the name change on signage, municipal buildings, vehicles, and stationary gradually on an as needed basis. This certainly will add to the confusion a bit. So if you're interested in moving to West Paterson....I mean Woodland Park...give us a call! No matter what the name of the Borough is..we still promise our same great service to you!

Your North Jersey Real Estate Team

Jim Albano and Jean-Marie Vantuno

Visit our website: North Jersey Homes

39 E. Main St.

Little Falls, NJ 07424

973-256-0303 ext 218

There are some great Condo values in West Paterson...I mean Woodland Park.

Check out North Jersey Condos

www.northjerseycondos.com