LOCAL HISTORY
The library houses a small but growing collection of local history materials. Maps, books, pamphlets, newspapers, and scrapbooks are safely stored in the local history room. So that the most delicate materials may be preserved the library is converting many of the resources to digital format. Check this page for additions.
The library seeks to add original photographs, postcards, school yearbooks, and ephemera that document the history of Hillsdale. Please contact the director to arrange a donation.
The local history room is locked. Patrons seeking the use of the local history collection may do so by contacting the library director or librarian in advance. Users must sign the register. Photocopies may be limited at the discretion of library staff.
Local History Finding Aid (as of 2012)
Reproductions of original materials used in publication, in any media format, must include a credit line to the Hillsdale Free Public Library.
Special: Walking Tour of Hillsdale – created in partnership with the Historic Preservation Committee
Printable Walking Tour with QR Codes
NEWSPAPERS
The library owns limited runs of local weekly newspapers. These have been converted to searchable .pdf. Due to copyright protections the entirety of this collection cannot be posted online. The collection is accessible from any of the public computers in the library. Selected examples are linked below.
Hillsdale Herald (December 19, 1929)
- Hillsdale Herald 1929-1931
- Hillsdale Herald 1933-1942
- Hillsdale Local 1956
- Pascack Valley Community Life 1973 (75th anniversary articles)
- The Hillsdale News 1979-1983
MAPS
1876 A.H. Walker Atlas of Bergen County, Reading, PA. : Reading Publishing House,
Map of Hillsdale Manor, Bonelli-Adams Co., New York (circa 1890) – undated map showing lots for sale in the “Manor” section of Hillsdale. (22″x15″ encapsulated / .pdf )
DOCUMENTS
Tax Bills 1899 – 1915.
Hillsdale Telephone Directory (1964)
Hillsdale Newsletter May/June 1988
Hillsdale Newsletter October 1988
Hillsdale Newsletter March 1989
Hillsdale Newsletter Summer 1989
Hillsdale Newsletter Autumn 1989
Hillsdale Newsletter July 1990
Hillsdale Newsletter Summer 1990
Hillsdale Newsletter Autumn 1990
Hillsdale Newsletter Spring 1991
Hillsdale Newsletter July 1991
Hillsdale Newsletter Summer 1991
Hillsdale Newsletter Autumn 1991
Hillsdale Newsletter Spring 1992
Hillsdale Newsletter Summer 1992
BOOKS
The following books and publications were produced by Hillsdale, the Library, or are no longer under copyright protection as far as we can determine. Where possible the resulting Adobe PDF files were made searchable, however due to the limited ability of OCR software, not all text may be identified.
Picturesque Hillsdale: An illustrated brochure showing some of the principal residences, churches, school building, street scenes, and scenes along the Pascack River. C.H. Dunn, 1899. [unpaged].
Fifty Years of Progress. 50th Anniversary Celebration / Souvenir Book Committee, 1948. [60 pages / unpaged] (54MB)
Borough of Hillsdale: 75th Anniversary 1898-1973. / The Committee, 1973. 127 pages. (23MB)
Hillsdale Centennial Journal 1898-1998: Looking Back… Steping Forward / The Centennial Committee, 1998. 105p. [plus advertisements] (21MB)
HILLSDALE SCRAPBOOK: A selection of newspaper articles about Hillsdale History published during the 50th and 75th Anniversary Years. Compiled by the Hillsdale Public Library Reference Department, 1985. (29MB) Atranscribed version with better searching capabilities is also provided.
Hillsdale Fire Association Fair – (1902)
Miscellaneous & Ephemera
Souvenir Programme Hillsdale Hose Co. 2 (1913, courtesy Fred Winkler)
Thirty-Fifth Anniversary of the Hillsdale Methodist-Episcopal Church (1911, courtesy Fred Winkler)
Hillsdale Fire Department 1902-1952
Historic Houses of Hillsdale (1973)
Hillsdale Historic Sites (1982)
Borough of Hillsdale Master Plan (1978)
Tandy & Allen brochure (Saddle-Wood Hills)
Glen View Manor brochure (1950s)
YEARBOOKS AND SCHOOL MEMORABILIA
There are printed copies of the Pascack Valley High School yearbook for the following years:
| 1959 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | |
| 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 |
| 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1987 | 1988 | |
| 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1995 | 1997 | 1998 | |||
| 1999 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |||
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
There are printed copies of the George G. White Middle School yearbook for the following years:
| 2001 | 2007 | ||||||||
| 2014 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | ||||
| 2021 |
1939 Hillsdale School Graduation Program
The Owl (1944) – Literary magazine published by the Hillsdale Public School.
The Owl (1945) – Literary magazine published by the Hillsdale Public School.
Pascack Valley High School Football Program (1957)
George White Reminiscence 1985
VIDEOS
A selection of videos documenting the history of Hillsdale are available on a separate page. Videos are encoded for viewing in Flash Player 8 or higher.
“This is Hillsdale” – 1983 – 29 min 14 sec (115MB)
“Looking Back” – 1989 – 18 min 15 sec (70MB)
“An Evening with George Jepson” – 1998 – 29 min 35 sec (116MB). This video is also commonly referred to as “Hillsdale by George.”
NEWSPAPERS – HILLSDALE HERALD
The library possesses original copies of the Hillsdale Herald. The collection is fairly complete from 1929 to 1942 and from 1951 to 1956. Searchable PDF copies of these issues are available on the public computers at the library.
A portion of the funding for the scanning project was provided by the Bergen County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs.