Caldwell, New Jersey

Caldwell is a borough located in Essex County, New Jersey. It is a beautiful suburban town located just outside New York City. As of the 2000 census, the borough had a total population of 7,584.

In 1702, settlers purchased the 14,000 acre (57 km²) Horse Neck Tract from the Lenni Lenape Indians for goods equal to $325. This purchase encompassed much of West Essex County, from the First Mountain to the Passaic River. Caldwell is located in the center of the Horse Neck Tract. Settlement began about 1740 by Thomas Gould and Saunders Sanders.

The Horse Neck Tract consisted of modern day Caldwell, West Caldwell, North Caldwell, Fairfield, Verona, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Roseland, and portions of Livingston and West Orange. This land was part of the larger purchase and referred to as the Horse Neck Tract until February 17, 1787, when the town congregation voted to change the name to Caldwell, in honor of the Reverend who pushed for their organization’s creation.

In 1892, the Township of Caldwell carved out two areas, Franklin (present day West Caldwell) and Westville (Caldwell), from the Tract. This prepared the large town for its imminent division into two separate entities from the original Township. In 1904, this division became permanent. True boundaries were drawn up and accepted by the towns. Lewis G. Lockward was elected the first mayor of Caldwell. In 1929, a failed attempt to consolidate the three Caldwells was rejected by voters.

Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th president of the United States of America, and the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms, was born in Caldwell, New Jersey on March 18, 1837. His father, Rev. Richard Cleveland, was pastor of the Caldwell Presbyterian Church. (Note: The current Presbyterian church, located on Bloomfield Avenue, and which dominates the commercial center of Caldwell, post-dates the Clevelands' residence.) The Grover Cleveland birth-place -- the church's former rectory -- is now a museum and is open to the public.

Many famous historical people have visited Caldwell. George Washington and his staff made their way through the town during the Revolution. They stopped at the old stone house of Saunders Sanders, one of the two people to settle the original area, for lunch. Also, Marquis de Lafayette visited in 1824. The town held a celebration party at the Crane Tavern. During the 1928 Presidential campaign, Herbert Hoover visited the Grover Cleveland Birthplace with his wife. Moreover, Tom Washington, a golf pro played at the nine hole course on Prospect Street by the Monomonock Inn. And of course, Grover Cleveland lived the first four years of his life in Caldwell.

There were many interesting events. In October 1897, a severe fire ripped through a large portion of Bloomfield Avenue, destroying buildings in its wake. These buildings were replaced, in part, by the Hasler Building, opposite the Presbyterian Church. This became the town’s first brick building. In 1914, during a Fourth of July fireworks celebration, a bomb fell, injuring twenty people. The town Church’s raised funds to supplement the medical bills of the injured. In 1968, the town’s historic cannon was stolen off the town green. The cannon was given to the town by Colonial Peter Decatur in 1824. In 1971, NBC-TV spotlighted the town as part of its footage on suburban traditions for Memorial Day. On July 14, 1974, the landmark Park Theatre was destroyed in a fire. In 1976, the town celebrated its bicentennial anniversary.