Watsessing and Bloomfield
New Jersey Historical Photographs, History
Click to Return to Main Page
YE OLDE TIME
WATSESSING
Bloomfield,
New Jersey
Watsessing Centre, Bloomfield, NJ - circa 1900
Street scene showing at the far left the Mills & Zeim Plumbing and Tinning shop and
next to it is the Chas. Bradley News Dealer, Stationer and Athletic Goods store.
Railroad Station at Watsessing section of
Bloomfield, Empire Hotel at rear, circa 1907
In earlier days, the Railroad tracks
were at grade level thru Watsessing. At far left is the office
of Edgerly and Gilson, dealers in coal, and later fuel oil. Just beyond is the
Railway Station.
Watsessing Park Postcard, mailed 1908
Watsessing Park & School - photograph circa
1914?
The Bank in Watsessing Center, circa 1925.
Edgerly & Gilson Coal dealers at left.
-
Bandstand in Watsessing Park, circa
1940
Watsessing Park - photo circa 1935
Watsessing Park Field House - postcard circa 1945
| HISTORIC PROFILE OF WATSESSING PARK - Watsessing Park is located on 69 acres in the Townships of Bloomfield and East Orange, in Essex County. The meandering Second River, joined here by Toney's Brook, flows through this long open park bounded by the Garden State Parkway, Glenwood Avenue, Cleveland Terrace, Dodd Street, and Bloomfield Avenue. It is the fourth largest park in the county system. One source says the name was derived from the Lenni-Lenape Indians, whose words for hill, (Watschu) and stone (Assan), are combined. The Rev. Charles Knox in his 1884 history of Bloomfield offers this alternative origin: "If a native name (for the town) was to be selected, Wataeson or Watsesing should have been chosen. This Indian name is said to mean crooked or elbow-like, and to have been applied to Third River, the principal stream of the present town, which is very crooked throughout its course, and which makes a large elbow near the centre of the town" Land acquisition for Watsessing Park began in 1901 when ten acres were donated by the City of East Orange to the Park Commission. Designed in 1899 by the Olmsted Brothers firm, it has been enlarged considerably since that time but reduced slightly when construction of the Garden State Parkway required the taking of some of the acreage. |
Click to Return
to Main Page
This Watsessing History page is from www.FirstBaptistBloomfield.org
a community service of First Baptist Church (in downtown Bloomfield
Center)
1 Washington St, Bloomfield, NJ 07003