The Wayne Museum

The Wayne Museum The Wayne Museum consists of three unique local landmarks preserving the history of Wayne, NJ.

There were many dairy farms in Wayne at one time. One dairy which stands out is the Sheffield Farm in Wayne. There were ...
05/28/2026

There were many dairy farms in Wayne at one time. One dairy which stands out is the Sheffield Farm in Wayne. There were many Sheffield Farms in the New York and New Jersey area. Cathy Tobin in “Images of America, Wayne Township” reports that the Sheffield Dairy Farms was founded in 1902. The company was dedicated to improving milk, cow herds, and upholding sanitary conditions. Tobin points out that the Sheffield Daries were known for the following:

– In 1913, Select milk was introduced to meet higher standards than Board of Health requirements.
– Introduced homogenized and Vitamin D added milk.
– Certified milk was sold. Cows were TB tested. Barns were sanitized. Stables were whitewashed. Milk pails were covered. Utensils were washed and sterilized.
– Machine sealed bottles became common.

--The first picture shows the Pompton Falls Fire Department on the grounds of the farm.
– In the second picture, pastures and milking barns were to the right of Black Oak Ridge Road. To the left of Black Oak Ridge Road, milk was processed and bottled on an overhead conveyor.
– The third picture is of Edward Fullard in 1931, driving a Sheffield Farms delivery truck. The delivery service to the surrounding area was part of the dairy’s success.

Years later, Red Barn Furniture was located on Pompton Avenue and Black Oak Ridge Road, on the grounds of where Sheffield Farms was. The store was owned by Dennis Arakelian and Karen Intrabartolo.

Obituary for Dennis Arakelian, Wayne Today, November 12, 2009
Tobin, Cathy, “Images of America, Wayne”. Arcadia Publishing, 2001, pgs. 74-75.

The Wayne Museum is often "going down the rabbit hole" and putting pieces together on what was once on the land where Wi...
05/26/2026

The Wayne Museum is often "going down the rabbit hole" and putting pieces together on what was once on the land where Willowbrook Mall is today.

Well, as late as 1917, bills in this area give Singac for payment of taxes. Various parts of farmland changed hands and living in the area as late as 1970 was Mrs. William Martin Farrell. The Martin Family had own 26 acres in the early 1900’s but by 1970, owned 3. In an interview with Mrs. Farrell, she recalls attending school in Singac, Little Falls until 1920 when she had to switch to Mountainview School being her tax paying residence then fell into Wayne Township boundaries. The Passaic River then became the dividing line between Singac and Wayne.

Walter Wilkie, a veterinarian who also lived in the area, built a racetrack which also become a site for field day events for children. When describing the Van Ammers Dairy Farm in “Images of America, Wayne Township” (p. 75), Cathy Tobin discusses how the Wilkie Family kept racing trotters on the land.

Other neighbors included Farmer Cornelius Williams; Joseph Stager; Music Teachers Mr. and Mrs. Schaefer; and the Selles Family. The Selles Family still owned some of the land as late as 1970.

By the 1940’s, much of this Wayne farmland became known as Willow Brook Farms, a breeding and training center for racehorses and for horse shows. The owners of Willow Brook Farms were Frank and Mary Weny. Willow Brook Farms had stables for 30 to 50 horses, either trotters or show horses. Weny and his wife owned most of the horses while other horsemen rented space on the farm. Most of the Weny Horses were known as “Hobo, something or another” . The Weny Family often took in people who were down on their luck, which is the reason for the term "Hobo". (See second and third pictures.)

The Willow Brook Skating Rink opened December 16, 1955, near where the Willow Brook Farms area. In addition to the ice-skating rink, the Triple O Ranch, Inc. was a regular destination for families to give children horse and pony rides. There was also a “Trampoline Center” during the time of the year when the skating rink was closed.

The Wayne Museum will be closed this week while our staff participates in training designed to better serve our visitors...
05/26/2026

The Wayne Museum will be closed this week while our staff participates in training designed to better serve our visitors and help preserve Passaic County’s rich history.

We will reopen next week for normal hours and look forward to welcoming everyone back to the Museum soon!

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

The Staff at the Wayne Museum is always “going down the rabbit hole” to find out more about historic houses. We have on ...
05/22/2026

The Staff at the Wayne Museum is always “going down the rabbit hole” to find out more about historic houses. We have on file a picture of the Forsburg House which was located at 3 Edgemont Crescent. From what we can find, the Forsburg House was built in the 1830’s on land formerly belonging to James Jacobus. At the time, the house was used as a general store and post office for the opportunities of trade given by the Morris Canal. For two years (1915-16), the Mumford Family used the house as the Willow Tea Restaurant. The restaurant offered “dancing, luncheons, dinners, and suppers”. The house was demolished in 1981 in order to widen Route 23 and the Alps Road exit. We were wondering if there was a connection with the Forsburg Family of Mountain View which was reported on earlier this year. In the 1920’s, Elise and Doris Forsburg (Ford) were well known local students, actresses, and athletes. As of now, we can find no connection with the family. How many remember the Forsburg House? What are your memories?

Hammond Store: This 1912 picture of a horse drawn delivery wagon is very different from the “Door Dash” which you may be...
05/20/2026

Hammond Store:
This 1912 picture of a horse drawn delivery wagon is very different from the “Door Dash” which you may be more familiar with. The wagon was driven by Dan Johnson and comes from the Hammond General Store in the Mountain View section of Wayne. The store made local deliveries by horse and buggy. Tobin reports that Harry Hammond worked as a store clerk, and then opened a general store in Mountain View on Newark-Pompton Turnpike (across from the Mead House). See the second picture, circa 1911 and the third picture, 1918. Charles Hammond, Lena Vander Wende, and Harry Hammond are pictured left to right in the second picture. The store also contained a post office and the first telephone in the area. The Hammond Family lived upstairs. The store was a popular spot to “hang out” for all ages.
For additional reading on the Mountain View section of Wayne, see “Images of America, Wayne Township”, by Cathy Tobin, Arcadia Publishing, 2001, pgs. 25-48.

DID YOU KNOW THAT THIS PAST FRIDAY WAS “TAKE YOUR BICYCLE TO WORK (OR SCHOOL) DAY?”. Here are some pictures and informat...
05/17/2026

DID YOU KNOW THAT THIS PAST FRIDAY WAS “TAKE YOUR BICYCLE TO WORK (OR SCHOOL) DAY?”. Here are some pictures and information we posted before about Wayne Residents riding bicycles in the early 20th Century. The first picture shows Lloyd Demott who celebrated his 90th Birthday in 1960. DeMott and David Ryerson went into the grocery business on Newark-Pompton Turnpike in 1900, in a building which later housed the post office. Some sources report that the original DeMott Ryerson Post Office pigeonhole shelves on display in the parlor of the Van Riper Hopper House are these same post officer shelves. (This is also disputed by some.) The second picture shows Jennie Colfax and Amelia Berry in shirtwaists and long skirts riding their bikes over the wooden trestle Colfax Bridge, while two young, mustached men ride behind them. A boy stands at the opposite end of the bridge in the distance, (circa 1910). This bridge goes over the Pompton River. (A local bank has this picture on display.) The third picture shows a large group of children and adults posing in front of the Pequannock School on Black Oak Ridge Road and Newark Turnpike. Note the many bicycles on display! For the fourth picture, we also learned that in the early 1900’s, the first Wayne Police Chief, Charles McGee used to ride his bicycle down Valley Road to work each day. We don’t have a picture of the Chief riding, but we do have this picture. If you’re able to ride your bike to work or school, think about Lloyd Demott, Jennie Colfax, Amelia Berry, the students at the Pequannock School, and Chief McGee. We hope you have as much fun as they did!

With a recent posting about the Upper Preakness School, there was discussion about the Wayne Grange. A grange is a natio...
05/14/2026

With a recent posting about the Upper Preakness School, there was discussion about the Wayne Grange. A grange is a national fraternal association originally made up of farmers, somewhat like a “trade guild”. In 1867, the initial goal of the national grange organization was to put agricultural and industrial industries back into order after the Civil War. From this national effort, state granges began to form. The New Jersey State Grange was formed in 1873. In the next several decades, local granges were organized and by 1906, the original Wayne Grange Building was built on the Hamburg-Paterson Turnpike next to the Upper Preakness School.
In Wayne, the grange provided social life, saved money with cooperative buying, and helped educate about agricultural improvements. For the 50th Anniversary of the Grange in 1954, the Herald News reflected that the Wayne organization was known for “strong, conservative ideas on progress”. The members were not thrilled with the U.S. Congress’s interference with parcel post regulation, daylight savings time, and road improvement. However, the organization was all for women getting the right to vote and had many women hold offices in the organization.
The Wayne organization also sponsored individuals and organizations at fairs and sporting events. In the file at the Wayne Museum, ribbon awards can be found for “Crochet Contests”. In 1940, the “Preakness Farmers” won the championship in the North Jersey Semipro Baseball Team. There were also drives to give money and food during the Great Depression. The Wayne Red Cross, war bond drives, scouts, and 4-H clubs were always supported by the organization.
When the original structure was destroyed by a fire in 1928, the building was rebuilt within a year. As farms gave way to residential communities, the membership of the Wayne Township Grange diminished. For the 75th Anniversary in 1979, only 16 members with 50 years in the organization remained. By 1980, the building was torn down to make way for the Church Lane intersection.
Pictured: The Grange Building in 1940 and a 1977 Wayne Parade Float.

Upper Preakness School, (No. 14) was constructed in 1879. At first, the one instructional room was used on the first fl...
05/09/2026

Upper Preakness School, (No. 14) was constructed in 1879. At first, the one instructional room was used on the first floor. The second floor was initially used for school activities, plays, and programs but was later used as a classroom. After being used as a school, it was used as a branch of the Wayne Library (see picture) and later on, Headquarters of the Wayne Historic Commission. In 1983, Ken Baker, a Professional Model and Actor received permission from the township to restore the building “in keeping with its historical character”. The township paid $150,000 in labor and materials. Baker received a 15 year lease plus a 10 year option to open up the “Classic School” which taught acting, modeling, dance, and theatrical arts. Today, the Preakness School now serves as “Wayne Counseling and Family Services”.
“A School’s New Life”, the Record, January 6, 1985.
Tobin, Cathy. “Images of America: Wayne”, Arcadia Publishing, pgs. 98-101.
Website for Wayne Counseling and Family Services, https://www.waynecounselingcenter.org/.

Wayne Little LeagueTo finish up on our series of Wayne and Baseball, here is a reprint of a posting from a few years bac...
05/08/2026

Wayne Little League
To finish up on our series of Wayne and Baseball, here is a reprint of a posting from a few years back.
in 1970, Wayne’s Little League team became international stars when they won the Little League World Series Championship in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Led by coach Tom Deangelis and manager Gene Cancellieri, the team included Mark Epstein, Mike Fantau, Len Fruci, Brian Hertt, Ron Houghton, Jim Kinney, Craig Kornfield, Bill Lees, Steve O’Neill, Tom Olsen, Glen Otte, Dave Parrelli, Dave Shaver, and Ron Webb. Upon their victorious return to New Jersey, the team were treated to a parade down the Hamburg Turnpike, accompanied by bands and fire companies, as well as a special “Wayne Little League Day” at Yankee Stadium.

Research from Tessa Payer and Hannah Rodums.

This is the fifth of a series of postings spotlighting Wayne and the baseball season. These pictures show the Preakness ...
05/02/2026

This is the fifth of a series of postings spotlighting Wayne and the baseball season. These pictures show the Preakness School Baseball Team of the 1930’s. Under the coaching of Principal S.W. Ventres, the team finished first place in the Inter School League in 1933. The first picture shows the team in 1930. (This picture was found in our files. Principal Ventres is on the right.) The second picture and article celebrate a 1933 first place. (This picture and article come from the Paterson News, June 24, 1933.)

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533 Berdan Avenue
Wayne, NJ

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Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

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