Harrington Park Historical Society
P.O. Box 105, Harrington Park, N.J. 07640
201 768-2615
www.harringtonparkhistoricalsociety.com
501(c)3 Corporation
Recipient of the Bergen County 2011 Historic Preservation Commendation Award for the Old Burying Ground
Photo of Old Burying Ground
by Dr. Davis Ross
Upcoming Lectures & Events
All Lectures Are Held at the Harrington Park Boro Hall, 85 Harriot Ave., Harrington Park, NJ 07640
7:30 P.M. - Handicap Accessible
All are welcome to these free lectrures!
Proud Sponsor
of the
Harrington Park
Arts Council
"The Art of Today - The History of Tomorrow!"
A Legacy Project of the HPHS for the 350th Anniversary of the
State of New Jersey
To increase the interest of our community in the arts, to assist all who wish to make an artistic contribution, and to bring the artist and the community-at-large together in a mutually beneficial relationship. To develop, promote, and coordinate the arts at the community level as an expression of Harrington Park’s talents, needs, resources, and aspirations under the auspices of the Harrington Park Historical Society.
To learn more, please click on the Arts Council Button
or visit the Arts Council on
www.artscouncilofharringtonpark.com
and on Facebook - Arts Council of Harrington Park
GREETINGS !
Welcome to the Harrington Park Historical Society - we are glad you are visiting with us on our website! Please browse around our website to learn more about us and what we do.
We hope you will join us for our ten lecture series on various history subjects that range from local to the far away on interesting historical topics. We meet the third Thursday of the month, except July and August, in the Harrington Park Boro Hall, 85 Harriot Avenue at 7:30 P.M. The Boro Hall is handicap accessible.
In addition to our lectures the Society maintains and preserves two historic cemeteries in Harrington Park, namely; the Perry Cemetery, and the Old Burying Ground. The Perry Cemetery is a small family burial ground located on what was the farm of David Perry (1809-1871). The Old Burying Ground cemetery is part of the land apportioned to Garret Huybertsen Blauvelt, son of one of the original sixteen grantees of the Tappan Patent approved by the Governor of New York in 1686. Although there are believed to be earlier ones, the first known burial was in 1722 and the last in 1905.
Old Burying Ground
Photo by Dr. Davis Ross
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PLEASE READ AND RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP OR JOIN US AS A NEW MEMBER
As part of our mission, we are continuing to maintain and preserve the two historic cemeteries in our care, the Old Burying Ground and the Perry Cemetery. Now, we are reaching out to you, our members and friends to help us continue to keep these cemeteries in pristine condition, and to conserve these historical assets. Whatever you can donate at this time to accomplish this work, we cannot adequately express our sincere gratitude.
We hope you will continue to be as generous as you have been in the past when considering supplementing your annual dues this year. Those dues, which are fully tax deductible, are as follows:
Family $35Individual $30Youth (Under 18) $5
In addition to enjoying dual membership in the Arts Council of Harrington Park, HPHS members receive a discount on all Society events and activities (including fund raisers).
On behalf of the Harrington Park Historical Society, I look forward to welcoming you as returning (or brand new) members! Please call me (201-666-0566) or our President, Gerri Gibney (201-768-2615) if you have questions.
Sincerely,
Karen Goddard
Membership Secretary
Mail your check to P.O. Box 105, Harrington Park, New Jersey. Please include your name(s), address, phone, and email. Or, use the membership form noted above. Thanks!
HARRINGTON PARK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
SAVE OUR HISTORY!
Recently several historic headstones were desecrated at the Old Burying Ground on Tappan Road in Harrington Park.
Here is a short history of two of the broken headstones; Abraham Quackenbush (1768-1854) and his wife, Elizabeth Myers (1770-1807)) are part of the Abraham Myers family burial plot at the Old Burying Ground. In the middle of the 18th century, Abraham Myers received a royal charter from King George III to build a grist mill on the Hackensack River which his grandson John Bogert later operated and it thereby became known as “Bogert’s Mill.” The Myers family members interred in the plot are Abraham Myers, his wife Cathrena Nederman, daughter Cathrena, daughter Elizabeth and Abraham Quackenbush, son John Myers and wife Rebecca Durie. The markers are red sandstone.
As sole caretakers of this cemetery, the Harrington Park Historical Society will repair these monuments with your generous financial support.
If you would like to help the Society repair these stones, please send your donation to P.O. Box 105, Harrington Park, New Jersey 07640. Please make your check payable to the Harrington Park Historical Society. The Harrington Park Historical Society is a non-profit 501(c)(3) Corporation.
If you have any questions or would like to get involved in this effort, please contact Gerri Gibney at 201 768-2615, visit their website, or on Facebook.
CAROL SIMON LEVIN
STORYTELLER AND INDEPENDENT HISTORIAN
Carol Simon Levin is a professional storyteller and independent historian who specializes in telling the stories of “fascinating women history forgot” through first person portrayals.
Carol is the founder of Telling Her Stories and was a 2020 NJ Council for the Humanities Public Scholar presenting “Reclaiming Our Voice: NJ’s Role in the Fight for Woman Suffrage” which she also published as an article in March 2020 online issue of Garden State Legacy. She is the author of the book Remembering the Ladies: From Patriots in Petticoats to Presidential Candidates (which profiles 69 women – well-known and unknown – who worked tirelessly for women’s rights in America) and co-author (with Joy Tsuzuki) of Joy’s memoir A Child of Two Cultures: Growing Up in the U.S. & Japan amidst WWII. Carol holds a BA focusing on women’s history and history of technology from Cornell University and a Masters in Library Services from the University of Arizona. She is a New Jersey Council for the Humanities Public Scholar, a member of the New Jersey Storytelling Network, the National Women’s History Alliance, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
DUES TIME - PLEASE SEE BELOW!
Please note we have moved from the Harrington Park Library to the Harrington Park Boro Hall for our meetings, and we will meet generally on the fourth Thursday of the month. However, be sure and check the dates we are meeting since we must schedule our meetings around the Boro’s usage of the building.
January Break
February 19, 2026
Speaker: Carol Simon Levin
Topic: “Catharine “Caty” Greene, the Indomitable Wife of Nathanael Greene”
For the 250th anniversary of the birthday of our nation, see the American Revolution through a different perspective. Carol Simon Levin portrays Catharine “Caty” Greene, the indomitable wife of Nathanael Greene, one of Gen. George Washington’s most valued officers and good friend to many other revolutionary notables.
Caty spent much of the war joining her husband and the other officers as they moved from one battlefront to another (many in New Jersey. Known as a witty ranconteur, she enlivened the spirits of officers and troops alike as the war ranged from New Jersey to South Carolina, famously dancing for 3 hours straight with George Washington. Her wit, pluck and courage carried her through both victories and setbacks not only during the war but throughout a remarkable life full of resilience and reinvention.
March 26, 2026
Speaker: William (Pat) Schuber
Topic: “George Washington in Bergen County”
Mr. Schuber is currently Assistant Professor at the School of Administrative Science at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He lectures frequently on government, law, military history, historical leadership, ethics, communication and conflict resolution. He has written many scholarly articles and co-authored books on topics of history, leadership and Homeland Security. A Captain in the US Army Reserve (Ret.), his extensive travels have given him a bird’s eye view of historical sites and situations all over the world.
Mr. Schuber’s passion, knowledge, and keen interest of American history should make the lecture a standout for all history buffs.
George Washington was deeply involved in Bergen County, NJ, during the Revolutionary War, particularly during his pivotal 1776 retreat from Fort Lee, using the crucial New Bridge over the Hackensack River to escape the British and rally his troops, making sites like Historic New Bridge Landing and the Steuben House central to this "Retreat to Victory."
April 23, 2026
Speaker: Mario Medici
Topic: “From Rebellion to Independence”
On July 4, 2026, America will celebrate 250 years of independence. “With a single sheet of parchment and 56 signatures, America began the greatest political journey in human history.” This Powerpoint program is a historical and chronological account of the American Revolution and major events from the earliest days up to America’s independence from Great Britain. Program will include references to period artwork by artists of the time, video scenes and audio segments depicting key events and individuals. You will be inspired by the stories of the brave men and women who risked everything for a desperate bid for “freedom.”
Mario Medici, a retired Information Technology executive who has traveled the world, is New York City born and raised. He completed his undergraduate degree at Bernard Baruch College (CUNY) and his graduate degree at Long Island University. He is a licensed New York City tour guide, a passionate history enthusiast, and nurtures his curiosity about all things. In his presentations, he takes on New York City’s interesting history as well as other subject matter. Through a combination of diligent research, computer skills and love for amateur photography, Mario presents the story combining video and music, as well as elements of art, architecture and notable individuals, making each lecture interesting and fast-moving.
Mario currently lectures at Bergen Community College's Institute for Learning in Retirement (ILR) and has a growing list of over 80 venues that includes schools, community organizations, and libraries.
June 25, 2026
Keep the date open! We’re planning a 250th America Birthday celebration! More to come!
Happy 250th America!
The Society would like to thank and salute the efforts of Ben Johnson, a high school senior at NVOT, who recently cleaned up the Perry Cemetery on Old Hook Road in Harrington Park, a historic asset preserved and maintained by the Harrington Park Historical Society If you have not visited this site, please pull off Old Hook in the parking area and read the historic story board and see the cemetery. Look for the historic marker sign reading: "Historic Cemetery."
Thank you Ben!
Perry Cemetery
Photo by John Mager
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
