Photo Gallery: Washington Slept Here

At the end of Franklin Avenue sits a little slice of American history: The Van Allen House on Route 202, which was  opened to the public last weekend as one of eight historic homes included in the First Annual Northwest Bergen History Day Tour. 

Built in the 1740s, in what was then known as The Ponds area of the Yawpaw Valley, the house occupies a prized strategic location on an important trade route during the Revolutionary War. In July 1977, General George Washington was at the Van Allen House when news arrived that the American Army had escaped from Ticonderoga.

The home, maintained and preserved by the Oakland Historical Society, was transported back to the Colonial Era last weekend, as volunteers dressed in period garb demonstrated cooking over an open hearth and gave tours of the homestead. 

Adjacent to the home is the Vygeberg Farm Office Building, also known as the Stream House. Built in 1902 as the office for the dairy farm owned by millionaire Edward Day Page, a former Oakland mayor. The house was built above a stream which served to keep the basement rooms cool enough to store dairy. 

Currently in a state of disrepair, the stream house is the latest restoration project of the Oakland Historical Society. To get involved in the restoration or to learn more about the Oakland Historical Society, contact  ohs1776@aol.com or ohs.inc1966@verizon.net. 

Want more local history? Read about the in Wyckoff.