Mahwah March 10, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 7 Author to present history of Mahwah at Hermitage On March 31, The Hermitage History Roundtable will present Carol Wehran Greene, president of the Friends of the Hermitage. Greene will discuss her new book, “The Ramapough Chronicles: A 300-Year Histoy of Mahwah, New Jersey and Its Surrounds,” at 7:30 p.m. The discussion will be held at the Hermitage, 335 North Franklin Turnpike, Ho-Ho-Kus. The Ramapough Chronicles begins with the story of a small 1713 settlement (present-day Mahwah) near the New York/New Jersey boundary in the ancient Ramapough region. With the boundary in dispute until 1769, Mahwah and Suffern, New York were part of the same civil area. This close association of two communities and two states lasted long after the dispute was settled. By the 19th century, the early settlement had grown into a thriving rural hamlet with farms, grist and saw mills, a distillery, a nearby tavern, essential trades, and a centrally located church: the Ramapough Meeting House, which was built in 1798. The church, known today as the Ramapo Reformed Church, diligently saved all its records of important religious and public events and minutiae of everyday life. The interpretation of these records forms an important part of The Ramapough Chronicles. Historic roads through Mahwah and its surrounds have made the township a crossroads since the 1700s. Those roads include Ramapo Valley Road (or Route 202, one of America’s oldest roads), Island Road (the Kings Highway, 1703), Franklin Turnpike (chartered 1806), the Erie Railroad (1848), and the North Jersey Rapid Transit Company interurban trolley (1908-1929). Today, those roads include Routes 17 and 287, and the I-87/New York State Thruway. The story of these roads is a dynamic unfolding of the development of Bergen and Rockland counties and the nation. Technology continually changed roads, transportation, and the landscape. Mahwah’s transformation from a rural, 20th century farming community into a modern suburb reflected the same changes taking place elsewhere in northern New Jersey. “The Ramapough Chronicles,” an 850-page book with 1,600 illustrations, is a 26-year labor of love, bringing the author’s personal knowledge of Mahwah to an ambitious work of scholarship that puts many wonderful, rare, and even obscure items into the public domain, with a smooth-flowing interpretation. Greene’s book will be available for sale and signing. For more information, visit hermitageroundtable@gmail.com or phone (201) 445-8311. The snowy days A group of intrepid Mahwah residents opened up the road for the snowplow during the recent two-day storm. Does Your Child Want to Be a Designer? We can teach her the fundamentals of sewing to unleash her creativity. She can model the garments she’s made at our Annual Fashion Show in June. June Needlecraft School Classes for Children 4-18 Enrollment is ongoing 216 Godwin Ave, Midland Park • 201-444-2976 Teaching Children and Adults Sewing and Designing Skills for Over 30 Years... Check our Website: www.needlecraftschool.org 10-7-09----NeedlecraftDesigner(color)3x2(10-7-09) 3col x 2” Ester for PROOF... from Janine