Historical Society of
Bloomfield
Township of Bloomfield, New Jersey, founded in 1812
 

UPCOMING EVENTS


Lessons from the Dark: A Thoughtful Study of Abandoned Places

Tuesday, May 27, 7:30 PM at the Civic Center, 84 Broad Street

Cover of the book Lessons from the Dark, by Rusty Tagliareni and Christina Mathews

A presentation by Rusty Tagliareni and Christina Mathews

Every town has its share of derelict and abandoned buildings, places that many drive by daily without a second thought. Hidden in plain sight, these properties are often seen as eyesores, if they are even seen at all. Though they may be husks of their former selves their roots survive still, running deep through communities and through time - conduits that connect us to the past, holding a lesson or two for a patient observer.

Abandoned asylums are not the haunted houses Hollywood portrays them to be, rather they are somber places of remembrance brimming with lessons about our mental healthcare industry, and the stigmas that plague us to this very day.

Disused schools and churches stand as monuments to the rise and fall of neighborhoods, as entire regional industries went from boom to bust. Sprawling resorts overgrown in the mountains remind us of simpler times, an era before cell phones, social media, and ever-shortening attention spans. Even private homes have their tales. Though far more intimate in scope their stories are no less significant, for it is in these places that we may see ourselves reflected in the murk, and come to accept that we all share the same fleeting existence.

Rusty Tagliareni and Christina Mathews, professional photographer and videographer, and authors of the best-selling award-winning Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital, a book in the Images of America series by Arcadia publishing. They have also written Antiquity Echoes: A Photographed Tour of Abandoned America, Abandoned Asylums of the Northeast, and Abandoned Resorts of the Northeast."

This presentation is free and open to the public.

 


NEW ADDITIONS to Our Web Site


1865 Map of Bloomfield and Belleville

This map shows Bloomfield before Montclair and Glen Ridge split off and Belleville before Nutley split off. The map includes pictures of prominent buildings at the time. Each of the house pictures have been digitally repaired and enhanced and are featured in our photo gallery: Bloomfield and Belleville, 1865

We are grateful to Adriana O'Toole for donating this map to the Historical Society's collections.

Warren Baldwin's home and store on Broad Street. This is where Gencarelli's Bakery is today. This was James Bartholomew's estate on Blomfield Avenue. Berkley Heights Park is in this location today. Residenced of Augustus T. Morris, Morris Place and Bay Avenue.

 


Charles Warren Eaton's Photos of Bloomfield

Photos by Charles Warren Eaton taken between approximately 1905 to 1915 of scenes in Bloomfield including photos of Eaton, his home and garden, Mills and mill ponds in Bloomfield (Diamond Paper Mill, Davey's Pond and Davey's Mill, and Oakes Pond and Oakes Mill), scenes along Third River and newly improved photos of the Morris Canal in Bloomfield.

Charles Warren Eaton Garden in Eaton backyard Oakes Pond and Oakes Mill

 


Rev. Phraner's Photos of Palestine Mission Trip

In the early 1900s, Rev. Wilson Phraner took a Mission trip to Palestine. These are photos he took and made into Magic Lantern Slides that he used in his ministry at the Montgomery Mission Chapel in the Soho neighborhood in Belleville. These photos have been added to our Photo Gallery.

We also have collections of his photos from trips to Switzerland and Germany, Cuba and Alaska and, of course, his collection of photos of Bloomfield.

Damascus Gate Dragomen (Interpreters/Guides) Mary's Well

 



Camp Pinelock

An Anecdotal History, Candid Observations, and Memories of Camp Pinelock, Once a Unique Bloomfield Girl Scout Camp in Knowlton Township, Warren County, NJ (1946- 1961), by S. David Phraner

Camp Pinelock Entrance Postcard Lake at Camp Pinelock Postcard Remaining Camp Pinelock building, 2021

90 Broad Street
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
973-743-8844
info@hsob.org

Museum Hours
Wednesday and Saturday: 11:00am - 2:00pm
and by appointment


Soldier and Sailors Monument
on the Historic Green

Historical Society of Bloomfield Collection

Graphic Design by Traci Churchill
Web Design by Rich Rockwell

2025