Bergen County Historical Society

The museum and library collections comprise the greatest survival of significant Bergen Dutch artifacts and documents in the public domain. The library-collections encompass family genealogy, diaries, and manuscripts; church, cemetery, and bible records; books, clippings, and on local and county history, the Revolutionary War, and historic architecture; postcards, photos, videos, atlases, and maps. The photograph collection is founded upon late nineteenth century glass plate negatives, which record the earliest views and studies of Bergen Dutch architecture, and has grown to encompass an important visual record of the county's growth as a metropolitan suburb. Many early views of long vanished landmarks and artifacts were used to illustrate the interesting and rare Papers and Proceedings of the Bergen County Historical Society, beginning in 1902, which include such landmark articles as Eugene Bird's "Windjammers of the Hackensack" in 1915-16. Manuscripts and genealogical records are housed in the society's library located at Felician College.