Historical Society
Historical Society
Location: 3 Franklin Street Riverside, NJ 08075
Hours: Open Thursdays from 9 am to 4 pm, as well as the second and last Saturdays of the month from 1 pm to 4 pm. Contact Tom Rust at 609-832-4317, tomrustlbi@gmail or Vince Malecki at 609-929-3075, [email protected]
Riverside, New Jersey has a rich and interesting history. Samuel Bechtold founded Riverside, first called “Progress,” in 1851 as a resort town. People came here to enjoy our forests, meadows, streams and ponds. In the summertime, Philadelphia became quite oppressive and so it was a breath of fresh air to vacation in Riverside’s country atmosphere.
Riverside once housed the world’s largest watch case manufacturer, doing business around the globe from the Philadelphia Watch Case Company Building. It was in an era when everyone carried a pocket watch. The building’s clock tower has since become a Riverside landmark and the watchcase factory as well as hosiery mills in town helped war efforts during WWI.
Riverside also is known for The BOOST! Company. In 1913, pharmacist Benjamin Faunce invented “Tak-A-Boost,” and served it to customers at his Bridgeboro Street pharmacy to help the medicine go down easier. BOOST!, a syrup/concentrate combining a blend of citrus flavors, remains a popular thirst quencher today. For donations, email Alice Smith and for inquiries, please call the above phone numbers or send emails for Tom Rust and Vince Malecki.
Officers
- Tom Rust, President
- Vince Malecki, Vice President
- Jim Snow, Secretary
- Vacant, Treasurer
- Alice Smith, Archivist, Program Secretary - [email protected]
- Joanne Mongon, Trustee
- Bud Maurer, Trustee
- Herman Maurer, Trustee
- Jeff Snow, Trustee
- Bill Stanley, Trustee
- Dave Speegle, Trustee
- Maureen Malecki, Trustee
Meetings
Our Historical Society meets the 3rd Wednesday of every month, at 7:00 p.m. at the American Legion Post #146, 212 American Legion Drive, Riverside, NJ. All are welcome!