14 Facts About Franklin Lakes

Six months ago today, we launched Franklin Lakes Patch in the middle of a blizzard. How time flies. In honor of our six month Patch-aversary, we offer 14 Facts about Franklin Lakes that we didn't know before moving into town.

1. Franklin Lakes has at least six old Dutch colonial sandstone homes that are still lived in today.  Rumor has it, Franklin Lakes has more old sandstones than any other town in Northwest Bergen County, but we were not yet able to verify this as fact.

2. The Minsi Indian tribe camped in the Clove near Buttermilk Falls. The area was later used as horse stables during the Revolutionary War. Many of the Indian artifacts were reportedly plundered from the site in the latter part of the last century.

3.  There is a windmill — an actual once-working windmill — that was part of the old Fletcher Estate. It stands proudly on private property in the Mill Gate section of Urban Farms.

4. At one point, there were more than a dozen working mills in Franklin Lakes. Remnants of the last mill standing, the cider mill, are near Franklin Lake. The mill was well known throughout the area and burned down in 1972.

5. Franklin Lakes residents are still very industrious. The number of successful entrepreneurs in this town is staggering. From a grandmother opening a girly boutique, to disenchanted businessmen launching a men’s clothing line, to a carpenter creating his own brand of energy drink, Franklin Lakes residents seem to know how to take a good idea and make it rain, even in a down economy.

6. Franklin Lakes residents are philanthropic and generously support local charities. For instance, The Matthew Larson Foundation for Pediatric Brain Tumors, has raised more than $3.5 million, and that doesn’t count the money “Iron Matt” raised this spring. There are dozens of worthy charities started and supported by Franklin Lakes residents.

7. Franklin Lakes succeeded from Franklin Township in 1922. The decision to do so came after debates over where to build a new school house, which is a little ironic considering Franklin Lakes and Wyckoff now share a regional high school district. Other towns that were once a part of Franklin Township include Oakland, Ridgewood, Midland Park and Ho-Ho-Kus.

8. The first mayor was William Pulis, for whom Pulis Avenue was named.  One of the towns two train stops was at Pulis Avenue. The other was at Crystal Lake.

9. Franklin Lakes used to be a vacation resort town in the summer, with horseback riding and swimming. During the Depression, the Shadow Lakes Club opened as a lakeside resort.

10. In the 1930s, Franklin Lakes had its own airport. On weekends, the fire department would sponsor air shows. It closed in the 1940s, after most of its pilots and mechanics went off to war.

 11. Franklin Lakes was home to a Missile Test sites and housed a missile defense system during the Cold War. 

12. Many celebrities call Franklin Lakes home, and not just the Real Housewives of New Jersey. Professional athletes, musicians, actors and artists enjoy the private and bucolic nature of the borough.

13.  Former Mayor Richard W. DeKorte — one of three DeKortes for whom DeKorte Drive was named — was a state Assembly majority leader and headed the New Jersey State Energy Office under Gov. Brendan Byrne. The DeKorte family is still active in borough politics. His widow, Paulette Ramsey is the council president and has served on borough council for more than two decades.

14. This December article from the Franklin Lakes Journal sums up everything else about Franklin Lakes that should have made our list.

Editor's Note: Special thanks to Councilwoman Paulette Ramsey, Borough Historian Jack Goudsward and Borough History Librarian Samantha McCoy for the generous lending of Joel Leffert and Robert Vande Weghe's video the "75th Anniversary of the Incorporation of Franklin Lakes" and Maria S. Braun's book "Franklin Lakes: Its History and Heritage.