Ellen Dickson

The Mayor’s Show, March, 2012

RobertKopacz — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:25:29 +0000

HomeTowneTV Trustee and former Common Council President Frank Macioce hosts this month’s Mayor’s Show, with Ellen giving a tour of the Mayor’s Office and introducing many of the key employees that run the City’s operations. Video courtesy of HomeTowneTV. © 2012 HomeTowneTV. Used with permission.

Bryant’s Tavern

RobertKopacz — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:00:25 +0000

Bryant’s Tavern, located during Revolutionary times in the present-day vicinity of Broad St and Route 24, figured prominently as a continental army gathering point in two different Revolutionary war fights: An early skirmish between Continental and British Forces on December 17, 1776, during which Continental Troops forced the British Troops to retreat; and again during the Battle of Springfield on June 23, 1780, as a rallying point for Continental Army General Nathanael Greene’s troops. The Battle of Springfield was to be the last battle of the Revolution in the North. Because of the subsequent decisive battles in the South, the Battle of Springfield has become known as the “forgotten victory.”

The Minisink Path

RobertKopacz — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:34:45 +0000

The Miniskink Path was a Native American Path or Trail, part of a network of paths used by Native Americans of the Algonquian and Ir0quoian speaking peoples of Northeastern North America. It was used by those peoples as a route from the Delaware River to the Atlantic Ocean, and it passed through the Hobart Gap. Present-day Route 24 follows the old Miniskink Path.

Ciba

RobertKopacz — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:00:56 +0000

The large compound on the corner of Morris Avenue and River Road in Summit was built in 1936 by the pharmaceutical company Ciba. Since then, it has changed hands numerous times through mergers and acquisitions, and is now owned by the pharmaceutical company Merck. The facility has been a major landholder and employer in the area. Several pharmaceutical products, amongst them the drug to treat attention deficit disorder Ritalin, was developed here.

The Lenni Lenape

RobertKopacz — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:40:10 +0000

Present-day Summit was the site of a community of Lenni Lenape Native Americans. The Lenni Lenape, part of a larger group of Indian tribes which inhabited the Northeastern parts of North America, were often referred to as a group historically as the “Delaware Indians”. The community in Summit occupied the area of land on which the Summit Municipal Golf Course is now located. Work there in 1964 uncovered old Native American fire pits, broken arrowheads, and a pipe. The Lenni Lenape were eventually driven westward during colonial expansion and, after the Revolution, during the United States’ westward expansion. They now collectively number around 16,000, and are located on reservations in Oklahoma and Wisconsin.

The Mayor’s Show, February, 2012

RobertKopacz — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 15:48:39 +0000

In this segment of the Mayor’s Show, Mayor Ellen Dickson, in her first show since being sworn in as Mayor of Summit, addresses the question of how best to inform the public in times of emergency, given all the new ways of communicating. Her guests on the show are Summit Fire Chief Joseph Houck and Police Chief Robert Weck, and Director of Summit’s Community Affairs Department Beth Kinney. Video courtesy of HomeTowneTV, HomeTowneTV. © 2012 HomeTowneTV. Used with permission.

Summit’s First Church

RobertKopacz — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:16:18 +0000

Rev. Thomas Cook built Summit’s first church, the Calvary Episcopal Church (a simple wooden structure), with his own hands in 1872 to serve the growing congregation of Episcopalians from New York who used Summit as a summer retreat. Located at 472 Springfield Avenue (roughly, the present-day location of the entrance and exits to the downtown parking garage), it operated as the main church for the congregation until January, 1893, when it burned to the ground when remaining Christmas greenery caught fire while the gas lamps were being lit for Sunday service. The congregation rebuilt the church in 1896, which stands today at the corner of Deforest and Woodland

Lackawanna Railroad

RobertKopacz — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:25:35 +0000

The complete name was the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western RR, and it was the original line that commuters took to New York City. Frequent delays caused commuters to refer to the DL&W as the “Delay, Linger & Wait.” The longest wait occurred during the blizzard of 1888. Trains were stalled for days by drifts 20 to 30 feet high.

Pictured: DL&W steam engine standing in Summit, circa 1905. Courtesy of Summit Historical Society.

Summit Council Gets Proactive with the Freeholders

RobertKopacz — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:15:59 +0000

The Westfield Leader reported Summit City Council’s visit to the Meeting of the Union County Freeholders back on January 26th, to make the argument for lower county taxes. You can download a copy by clicking here, or get it by going to the Westfield Leader’s website. The Leader’s editorial board praised the move. You can download a copy of the editorial and read it by clicking here.

Oratory Prep & Danny DeVito

RobertKopacz — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:16:31 +0000

Founded in 1907, Oratory Prep was first known as Carlton Academy. Today it is a private Roman Catholic prep school for boys. Although he was born in Neptune, New Jersey and raised in Asbury Park, actor Danny DeVito graduated from Oratory Prep in 1961. He appeared in only one play, though, in the role of St. Francis of Assisi.

Photo courtesy of Glenn Francis, Source: Wikipedia