JIT Stock

The agricultural communities of what now comprise Parsippany-Troy Hills were settled in the mid-18th century, but time has destroyed many of the artifacts of early years.

Evidence of rock shelters once used by the Lenni-Lenape Indians is still present, but the farms that once existed have been replaced by modern developments. Lake Passaic, formed by a receding ancient glacier, once covered Parsippany-Troy Hills; this geological phenomenon left behind fascinating rock formations and a rich, fertile soil. Follow the history of this New Jersey township from early farmland into a bustling, modern city.

New Jersey has produced wine since the 1700s and throughout the history of the state. Grab a glass and enjoy the history of the grape in the Garden State.

The finely aged story of New Jersey wine is older than the United States itself. As early as 1767, the colony's wines were garnering awards from London's Royal Society of the Arts. The vineyards continued to grow through some of the country's most turbulent times. In 1864, at the height of the Civil War, Renault Winery was founded, and it continues to operate today. While Prohibition nearly destroyed the industry, in 1933, the founding of Tomasello's Winery in Hammonton helped revive it. In 1980, only seven wineries were in operation, but by 2011, the state boasted over thirty-four--many of which are winning awards in some of the world's most respected wine competitions. So grab a glass and join winemaking expert Sal Westrich as he tracks the history of New Jersey wine, accompanied by photos by John Muth.

When the first train station was built in Maplewood in 1860, city dwellers began to leave New York for this picturesque, suburban town.

The area became home to Asher Brown Durand, the father of American landscape painting; Seth Boyden, who was called “one of America’s greatest inventors” by Thomas Edison; even Theodore Roosevelt spent summers at his uncle’s Maplewood estate and enjoyed the clear summer air. The community offered great schools, reliable transportation, beautiful surroundings, and still does to this day. The images in this impressive collection date back to 1860, and enhanced by the informative text of local historians John Bausmith and Howard Wiseman, Maplewoodprovides a fascinating journey through the history of this New Jersey community.

Rare and vintage images act as postcards, telling the fascinating stories of Monmouth County, New Jersey.

From the 1890s through the 1930s, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication, and many of the postcards produced were works of art. Postcard photographers traveled the length and breadth of the nation snapping photos of busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of local children only too happy to pose for a picture. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores across the country, survive as telling reminders of an important era in America's history. This fascinating new history of Monmouth County showcases more than two hundred of the best postcards available of this region of New Jersey.

In 1865, industrialist/inventor Hezekiah Bradley Smith purchased Shreveville, later renamed Smithville, an abandoned textile mill and town located along the Rancocas Creek in Burlington County, for $20,000.

He moved many workers from his Lowell, Massachusetts, plant to the new location, rebuilt the factory, and prepared it for the manufacture of his patented iron woodworking machinery. Smith began to improve the aging housing in the surrounding village. He opened a school and, later, constructed a new school building. Smith erected a boardinghouse for factory workers that contained shops and a concert hall. Through farming on land adjacent to his mansion, he made fresh produce and milk available to his workers. Smith’s company also expanded into new industries by working with outside inventors, like George Washington Pressey, who needed a manufacturer for his American Star Bicycle. Later, Arthur Hotchkiss contacted the company to build the world’s first bicycle railroad to transport workers from Mount Holly to the Smithville factory. This book captures life in the village and factory, memorializing the intertwining lives of the Smithville workers and H.B. Smith through photographs.

Only 18 miles south of behemoth New York City, Cranford is an adorable small city, nicknamed the Venice of New Jersey.

Residents of Cranford greeted the publication of a photographic history of their community with tremendous enthusiasm in 1995—for the first time, significant people and events in the township’s past were celebrated in a vivid record available to all. The authors of that volume—Robert Fridlington and Lawrence Fuhro—have worked together again to produce an all-new second volume on Cranford that includes many recently discovered images. Cranford Volume II covers the history of the town from 1871 to 1960, and highlights its role as a riverside resort and suburb. Images of well-known Cranford residents, such as pure-food crusader Alice Lakey and beloved high school coach J. Seth Weekly are also featured, documenting the unique contributions of these citizens to their hometown.

South Amboy is a fascinating history of this community's past and beginnings, with vintage images that document what life was really like.

South Amboy, a celebration of the people and places of this key Central New Jersey community, is a fascinating look back in time at the city's early days. Through a variety of vintage images combined with insightful text, travel to the waterfront, railroad, and bustling business district of South Amboy's past. As 1998 marks the 200th anniversary of the city's organization, weeping revitalization and development are under way, and it is an ideal time to reflect upon South Amboy's beginnings. Included in South Amboy are photographs of the old city hall, prominent local businesses, long forgotten schools, and an earlier and very different Broadway. South Amboy has always been a transportation hub, from a stop in revolutionary days on the route from New York to Philadelphia, to its current role of shuttling commuters throughout the area. Life in South Amboy is shown in all aspects, from social to civic activities, from the taverns to the firehouses, and from houses of worship to the city's hospital. The historic images featured, most of which have never been published, are largely from the private collections of South Amboy residents.

Illustrated with nearly 200 historic images, the pivotal birth of diesel dominance and New Jersey's critical role is documented and investigated.

At the end of World War II, the nation's railroads were eager to replace their abundance of war-weary steam locomotives with sleek new diesel engines. From Cape May to Bayonne, New Jersey's tracks were soon humming with diesels while the old steamers were nudged onto the scrap tracks of the Central New Jersey, the Erie, and the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroads, among others. Powering a commuter train to Dover or a sand train to Millville's Wheaton glass plant, the diesels instantly proved their worth, praised by railroad employees for their ease of running and maintenance. In an era when most clothes were dried outside, the public accepted the new lack of trackside coal ash with gusto. Steam to Diesel in New Jersey presents the mixed era of late-steam and early-diesel power on the big and small railroads of New Jersey, from the mid-1940s to the end of the 1950s. From the Baldwins to the Alcos, the steam-spewing Behemoths to the smooth-running RS series, this engaging collection of vintage photographs remembers a time filled with wonder and change. With nearly two hundred images, Steam to Diesel in New Jersey showcases the departing steam engines and the emerging diesels that ushered in a new period of railroad history.

This evolution of Madison is chronicled in this exciting new pictorial history through the presentation of vintage images and informative caption text.

The Borough of Madison, New Jersey, known as BottleHill until 1834, was first settled in the middle of the eighteenth century. Its historical significance, now often forgotten by its cosmopolitan population, includes a railroad heritage dating to 1837, commuter traditions that began with the railroad's arrival, the founding of Drew University in 1866, the development of fabled millionaire estates that have largely disappeared, and the location of a nationally known rose-growing industry that is now gone. Even as it attracted a number of very wealthy estate owners, Madison also became home to a richly diverse ethnic population that came to work in the palatial homes and in the huge rose-growing greenhouses found nearly everywhere in the borough. This evolution of Madison is chronicled in this exciting new pictorial history through the presentation of vintage images and informative caption text.

During the American Revolution, New Jersey took center stage as a vital battleground with over 600 engagements and skirmishes.

Strategically located between New York City and Philadelphia, it endured constant conflict and divided loyalties, hosting crucial Continental army encampments, like Morristown, and witnessing pivotal victories such as Washington’s crossing of the Delaware and the surprise attacks at Trenton and Princeton. With over 150 historic sites within the state connected to the American cause for independence, New Jersey can make the claim it was the “Crossroads of the American Revolution.” The pages within this book illustrate a portion of these historic sites with a mixture of vintage images gathered from state, county, and local historical organizations and images from the photographic collection of photographer Alexander J. Pochek.

New Jersey is American music.

Between 1980 and 2010, Garden State music transformed from the soul-infused “Jersey Sound” into a worldwide powerhouse for stadium rock, indie rock, thrash metal, and hardcore. From the bars of the Shore to the basements of New Brunswick, thousands of bands emerged. And this book tries to list them all! Global icons like Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Blues Traveler, and My Chemical Romance and underground legends like Overkill, Adrenalin O.D., the Wrens, and everything in between—it’s all here. No act is too small, and no scene is left behind.

Supported by a curated collective of guest writers, Michael Gilligan navigates this chaotic journey with humor and insider perspective and offers the ultimate tribute to great state of New Jersey.

Sports fans will find the historic photos and stories included in Sports on the Jersey Shore both enlightening and as entertaining as their favorite games. The Jersey Shore region encompasses communities in Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, and Cape May Counties. It is a region rich in athletics, and since the late 19th century, several athletes from the region have had significant impacts on sports like baseball, swimming, and football, among many others. The Jersey Shore communities have been connected to notable sports figures, including Doc Cramer, Gertrude Ederle, and Vince Lombardi. Over the years, the region has also been a favorite destination for star professional athletes in search of training camps and facilities along New Jersey’s scenic seashore. Athletes, especially boxers and baseball players, have flocked to the Jersey Shore to hone their skills and prepare for some of the biggest events in sports history. 

Matthew H. Ward is a historian and journalist who specializes in sports, the Jersey Shore, and Philadelphia history. He is the coauthor of Boxing in Atlantic City with John DiSanto and The Raritan Bayshore with John Allan Savolaine.

From daring escapes and naval skirmishes to the resilience of everyday people, The Revolution on Raritan Bay reveals how this region’s sacrifices and conflicts influenced the outcome of America’s independence.

Raritan Bay was more than a body of water during the American Revolution—it was a front line. Its villages, farms, and ports became places where Patriots, Loyalists, and those in between clashed in a struggle that reshaped the colonies. Smugglers, privateers, and spies used its waters and inlets to move men, messages, and supplies. Families were torn apart, neighbors eyed one another with suspicion, and violent raids brought the war directly to the doorsteps of New Jersey residents.

Historian and television host John R. Schneider uncovers these overlooked stories, weaving together local accounts with the broader fight for liberty. 

This volume reflects on a time when horse-drawn carriages traveled on dirt lanes and when children were educated in one-room schoolhouses. Rutherford today enjoys modern modes of travel and national blue-ribbon schools of excellence. These pages trace the emergence of a diversity of churches and schools, tour significant homes, and explore the transportation system that helped shape the entire region. Most importantly, this history reflects on the people of Rutherford, including the town's connection to poet William Carlos Williams. Then & Now: Rutherford is an enlightening journey back in time to discover the people, places, and events that shaped this Bergen County community.

Stirking historic images bring to life the story of a 150 year old village on the outskirts of Manhattan with a legacy that will continue to suprise.

From the mid-1800s through the late 1900s, life in South Orange was a mirror of events taking place on a national and global level. Evolutions in population, transportation, education, and culture played an important part in South Orange's growth from a small farming village to the bustling community it is today. For more than 150 years, the village's excellent road and rail infrastructure, salubrious climate, and close proximity to Manhattan has drawn residents from a wide range of backgrounds, interests, and talents. Today many South Orange residents enjoy the convenience of working in a bustling city and at the same time, living in late-19th- and 20th-century homes on streets illuminated by Victorian gaslights. These are just some of the factors that make South Orange a unique community.

As Hillside developed its own character, its people began a movement for independence in 1905. On April 29, 1913, they voted to form their own township. Hillside contains countless beautiful images gleaned from sources as diverse as private residents and professional news organizations. While children attend classes again at Salem School or Saybrook School, workers build Bristol-Myers and Kraft into highly successful, global companies. Hillside invites the reader to the Roaring Twenties ball of the Ladies' Auxiliary and to ride along the Italian-American Association's parade float. Even the Evergreen Cemetery, home to the grave of writer Stephen Crane and more recently the setting for the Shelly Winters movie King of the Gypsies, finds its place in this remarkable book.

Florence Revisited recounts the rich and unique history of Florence, New Jersey through the lens of vintage images; some never before seen.

Known as the Community with Character at the Bend in the River, Florence has a fascinating past and rich heritage. First inhabited by the Lenni-Lenape tribes, Florence is believed to be named after the daughter of Charles Macalester of Philadelphia, one of the area's first landowners who was instrumental in dividing Florence into lots for future homes in the early 1850s. Some early residents were decoy carvers, whose labors are in high demand today under the classification of Delaware River decoys, while others worked in foundries or as storekeepers, farmers, and fishermen. Picking up where Florence left off, Florence Revisited will provide information and enjoyment for those who are proud to call this town home, and it will spark an interest for old pictures, stories, and news articles about early families in Florence, New Jersey.

Monroe Township and Jamesburg includes photographs, store receipts, old postcards, and images of early potato sacks-all of which illustrate the early development in the hamlets. Forsgate Farms, Bernarr McFadden's Physical Culture City, the Camden & Amboy Railroad, and Manalapan Lake, known today as Thompson Park Lake, are rediscovered. This book shows in detail what Jamesburg looked like at about the time it officially separated from Monroe Township, and it highlights the forgotten hamlets of Applegarth, Half Acre, Prospect Plains, Union Valley, Pleasant Grove, Pleasant Hill, Rhode Hall, Outcalt, and Texas.

Chatham and the Passaic River have been inextricably linked for nearly 275 years, since the town's founding under the informal name of Day's Bridge.

The name of Day's Bridge honored John Day, builder of the first span across the river, which forms the eastern edge of the town but the true nature of the town's residents is reflected in the area's permanent name, selected by villagers in 1773. Chatham is named for Great Britain's William Pitt, the Earl of Chatham, who was a champion of American liberties during that revolutionary era. The Passaic, fondly referred to by locals as The Fishawack, inspired the gradual flourishing of early mills and factories. Small shops, hotels, and especially the railroad brought nineteenth-century prosperity to Chatham’s Main Street, and extended the influence of residents who commute to Newark and New York City. John T. Cunningham, New Jersey's preeminent historian, chronicles this growth and the relationship between populace and river through wonderful photographs and intriguing historic details.