Carlstadt Borough Hall is located at 500 Madison Street, Carlstadt NJ 07072.
Phone: 201‑939‑2850.
Beginnings [1]
"The village of Carlstadt, known to many readers of the New York Dailies as "the beautiful little German Village on the hill," is situated upon the ridge of land separating the Hackensack and Passaic valleys, ten miles northwest from the post office in New York City, within twenty minutes' ride by the New Jersey & New York, and New York, Lake Erie & Western Railroads. Looking from the ridge towards the south gives a splendid view of the New York Bay and Statue of Liberty and towards the north, of the beautiful Passaic valleys including the City of Passaic and the Orange mountains in the background.
A number of German residents of New York City most of whom emigrated to the United States to exercise political liberty, and who desired more healthy and comfortable homes in the country formed in 1851 an association known as the German Democratic Land Association. The organization was perfected April 27, 1853 with the following officers: President, Carl Klein; Vice-President, Alexander Lang; Treasurer, Ignatz Kappner. The latter was a Polish refugee and accompanied Kossuth from his home to Constantinople and thence to this country. Other prominent founders were Lewis Foth, John Ruettinger, Frederick Merkel, Charles Treppke, William Maass, Valentine Dietrich, Henry Dechert, John, Jacob and Joseph Fortenbach and Charles Trassbach.
The Association after searching in the vicinity of New York for suitable property for a village settlement resolved to purchase from John L. Earle, executor of the Abraham I. Berry estate, the present site of Carlstadt. They bought 140 acres for $16,000.
The land was divided into three sections, and each section subdivided into lots. Each of the 240 members received seven lots by allotment, two on the highest part of the ridge, two below the ridge and three in the lowlands, at a cost of $70.
Papers of incorporation were executed February 24, 1854. The projector of the village was Dr. Carl Klein, and in honor of him the village was named Carlstadt. After the settlement here numerous other organizations purchased adjoining tracts of land and laid them out in building lots constituting the villages of New Carlstadt, Woodridge, Hasbrouck Heights and Boiling Springs, and this has been without doubt the cause of the prosperity of the present thriving Borough of Rutherford.
Carlstadt is compactly built, all parts of it being within five minutes walk of the depot of the New Jersey and New York Railroad, and within fifteen minutes of the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad. Twenty-six trains stop at Carlstadt daily; on Sundays there are ten trains, and the accommodations on the N. Y. L. E. and W. R. R. are more extensive, there being twenty-eight trains each way daily, and sixteen trains each way on Sundays. Monthly commutation tickets are sold on both railroads at $5.35, and fifty trip family tickets at $7.50.
The growth of the town has been gradual and steady, its present population [in 1900] is between 2,500 and 3,000. The inhabitants are a progressive and industrious class, and the town presents a thriving New England-like appearance.
Its chief industries in the way of manufacturing are: S. Klaber & Co., Marble and Onyx Works. It might be mentioned here that they do quite some of Tiffany & Co.'s work, and build some of the finest onyx and marble church pulpits. Justus Nehler, manufacturer of ladies' shoes, Watch Case, Spring & Tool Co., are manufacturers of watch case springs. The Silk Controller Manufacturing Co., Charles H. Levy & Herman Schultze, proprietors. This company has been recently organized and has bright prospects for success. The Vulcan Hardware Co., manufacturers of wire gauges. August Gerecke is president. Gebhardt Fritsch's wax bleachery and manufactory of fine-decorated wax candles for church purposes. Theodore Muehling manufacturer of cigars.
Other industries are the manufacture of artificial flowers and making of ladies' white goods.
In 1854 only two stores existed, which have since increased to a considerable number and now supply the neighboring smaller towns.
Nearby Towns: Bergenfield Boro • Bogota Boro • Clifton City • East Rutherford Boro • Edgewater Borough • Englewood City • Fairview Borough • Hackensack City • Maywood Boro • Nutley Twp • Passaic City • Ridgefield Park Vlg • Rutherford Boro • Wallington Boro • Weehawken Twp • West New York Town •