Site Updated.

Welcome returning loyal visitors and those who have just stumbled upon this site.  Some of you may have noticed that the navigation structure at the top has changed.  Have no fear, nothing is lost.  In fact, it’s all here.  The old site is gone and all the content has been completely moved here.  There are nested pages within each link at the top of the page, and all pages can be accessed with the “Pages” navigation structure on the right-hand side of every page.

We welcome your comments, suggestions, and submissions.  Enjoy!

Welcome to Westwood NJ - The Hub of the Pascack Valley.

3 responses to “Site Updated.

  1. Washington Avenue Status Report, November, 1876:
    C. S. DeBaun’s hall, which he originally operated as the Westwood Hotel and later as the Park Hotel until last year before ceasing operation, is an eyesore.
    It is said that witches hold high revelry every Saturday night, and apparitions of inhuman forms can be seen in all their hideous deformity.

  2. Possible Cold Case File

    The Westervelt family plot at Valleau Cemetery in Ridgwood, the final resting place of several of Westwood’s most notable early citizens, is a center of intrigue.

    The village of Westwood may have actually been named in honor of John C. Westervelt when the railroad was extended north from Newbridge c. 1869. Captain John C. Westervelt, who led the local militia in the early 1860s, was a stockholder in the railroad.

    But the intrigue begins with his son, Jasper J. Westervelt. Jasper had served in the Union Army with his father during the War of the Rebellion. Jasper died on June 21, 1887, shortly after reaching his 43rd birthday, after a brief illness of an unknown nature. Jasper’s father had died less than two years earlier on September 17, 1885, at the age of 67; Jasper’s grandfather Jasper I. Westervelt had died in 1844, at the age of 57.

    Jasper J. Westervelt’s daughter Leonore subsequently married William Wilcox Voorhis on October 24, 1888. Mr. Voorhis appeared to be well-heeled, and owned a respectable amount of real estate in Bergen County. The couple, who were born in 1865 and 1866 respectively, appeared to live well, spending summers in the Catskills, and winters in South Carolina. In 1894, Mr. Voorhis was elected to Westwood’s first Borough Council, and served on the Borough’s first Board of Education. In 1895, he was a local agent for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He was probably connected with Westwood’s fire department as well, as the firemen attended his funeral in a body.

    William Wilcox Voorhis died on January 31, 1899, at the age of 33, after a brief illness of unknown nature. Mr. Voorhis had unsuccessfully sought treatment from a New York City physician for his health issue shortly before his death.

    Were the untimely deaths of Jasper J. Westervelt and his son-in-law William Wilcox Voorhis a coincidence, or the result of something sinister? Poisons were readily available to the general public at that time. Could these men have been poisoned? If so, by whom? Could it have been Jasper’s wife Mary L. Westervelt? Could it have been Jasper’s daughter Leonore, who subsequently married Mr. Voorhis?

    Leonore Voorhis died on June 29, 1916, at the age of 49. Mary L. Westervelt died on January 4, 1923, at the age of 78.

  3. July 5, 1889
    Since Mr. James Kedian purchased his summer rental farm on Cedar Avenue he has spared no expense in improving the house and grounds. The extension has all the conveniences of a city house, and the lawn has been laid out by a celebrated New York florist.

    In order to celebrate the national holiday the Kedian family sent out a large number of invitations to their numerous friends in New York and Westwood, who cheerfully responded and spent a pleasant time. Supper was furnished by a caterer from the city, and music by Prof. Erben, of Erben’s Military Band. Dancing was kept up until early dawn.

    A number of the guests returned by the early trains, while others remained and played lawn tennis and croquet, and witnessed the fireworks in the evening. The ladies were looked after by Mrs. Kedian and her daughters, Alice and Lizzie, assisted by Miss Hassel and Mrs. James Delany, of New York.

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