The 1960s

As I think about the many events that define Allendale, I wondered what era contributed the most to today’s Allendale. For simplicity, I’ll call this period “the 1960s.” It was actually 1959 to 1971. During the 1960s, residential and commercial developments were replacing remaining farmland and estates. Rising land values encouraged large property owners to develop for commercial use. Residents worked together to preserve the remaining open space and to save historic homes. To make my case, let me detail two significant events that I feel ‘bookend’ this period.

First, on January 1, 1959, the Allendale Police Department was reorganized with two police officers – Robert D. Wilson as the new police chief and Frank Parenti as sergeant. Originally, the Police Department was established in 1928 with William Reimer as the first chief. In 1939, after numerous complaints about his conduct, the mayor and council ‘defunded’ the police, dissolving APD and replacing public safety responsibility with the marshal system, with most marshalls serving part-time. Coincidentally, immediately after Reimer’s passing, the APD was reestablished.

Last, in 1971. Crestwood Lake was purchased for $1million from Van Houten Realty. Originally established in 1928 as a private lake club, the owners entertained an offer to sell the property to Duro-Test to develop the property into a corporate headquarters. After several years of public debate, the borough stepped in and purchased 70 acres of the property, preserving the lake for Allendale residents.

Hillside Elementary School, Northern Highlands Regional High School, United States Post Office, and a new firehouse were all built in the 1960s. Here are a few other events that occurred between these two events.