Product Description

Brimming with a rich history and local flavor that has gone largely undocumented for more than three hundred years, Belleville began as a small Dutch settlement in the 1670s and has grown into a busy suburb of 32,000 people, located only fifteen miles west of New York City. Situated on the west bank of the Passaic River, early Belleville was a center for early industry and water transportation and is noted as the birthplace of Americaís industrial revolution. ÝÝFrom the legendary secret tunnels running beneath the Dutch Reformed Church to the beauty of Belleville Park, which sits beside one of the largest annual cherry blossom tree displays in the nation, Belleville tells the story of an often forgotten but noteworthy era in the turbulent development of early America. Belleville shows the appeal the bustling town held for many of the nationís most influential figures, including inventor Thomas Edison and famed architect Charles Granville Jones. The town was also a notable stop on Gen. George Washingtonís retreat from New York City to Philadelphia during the early days of the Revolutionary War. With nearly two hundred vintage photographs, Belleville offers rare insight into the townís explosive growth, drawing largely from the archives of the Belleville Public Library and the collections of local individuals and organizations. ÝÝ

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1319460 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

About the Author
Journalist and historian Nicole T. Canfora is a former reporter for the Belleville Times and is an editor on the staff of the Daily Record newspaper in Parsippany. A former Belleville resident, Canfora became interested in Belleville history while researching her own familyís roots, beginning with its immigration to Belleville in the late nineteenth century.