Virginia T Mosley Local History Archive
Established by resolution passed by the Library Board of Trustees on April 4, 1978, the Virginia T. Mosley Local History Archive includes Mrs. Mosley's personal collection of historical documents and photos. The orginal archive has been added to by various items donated through the years. Items are available for use in library.
Check in with the Reference Librarian on duty to gain access to these items. For your convenience, many photos and documents can be found in The Tenafly Library Friends sponsored digital archive at tpl.omeka.net
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Our local history items include:
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Tenafly High School Yearbooks
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CD recordings of Tenafly high school and middle school concerts
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Some records of historic homes (mostly Tenafly some in other areas of Bergen County)
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Locally written and published accounts of the history of Tenafly (some from other areas of Bergen County)
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Historic community & church cookbooks
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Photos of the Mary Fisher Home
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Postcard collection
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Pamphlets, scrapbooks, documents from many local clubs
Tenafly resident Elizabeth Cady Stanton, along with Susan B. Anthony established the Suffragette (women's right to vote) movement in the US. According to local history, Mrs. Stanton tried to cast her vote in Tenafly but she was turned away since only men were allowed to vote at the time.
Scan the QR code for an electronic verion of A Tour with Elizabeth Cady Stant & Susan B. Anthony in Tenafly, New Jersey.
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Then take a walk through Tenafly to see where history was made.
Tour booklet written and produced by The Tenafly Historic Preservation Commission. Learn more about the commission here,
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Local Authors - Historical Collection
Books written and/or illustrated by local authors/illustrators include (find more works in library):
Garden Design by Marjorie S. Cautley
Marjorie Cautley graduated in 1917 from Cornell’s College of Agriculture, where she studied landscape architecture. She was the designer of Tenafly's own Roosevelt Common (1921). She was an early proponent of using native plants in landscaping and designed Roosevelt Common with that in mind.
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Learn more about Marjorie S. Cautley and Roosevelt Common from The Cultural Landscape Foundation.
Cow Range and Hunting Trail by Malcom S. Mackay
Longterm Tenafly reisdent, Malcolm S. Mackay, for whom Mackay Elementary School is named for, served on the Tenafly Borough Council, was appointed to the Board of Police Commissioners and served as the Chairman of the Tenafly War Memorial Committee. In 1924 Mr. Mackay and his sister, Miss Jennie L. Mackay, donated 28 acres of land to the Tenafly Board of Education.
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In 1901 Mackay homesteaded in Montana with a 160 acre ranch (which was eventually expanded to 17,000 acres). There he became friends with artist Charles Russell. Mackay wrote Cow Range and Hunting Trail (illustrated by Charles Russell) in 1925 to detail his cattle ranch adventures. Learn more about Malcom Mackay in Montanna from The Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame
The Mode in Costume by R. Turner Wilcox
Tenafly resident R. (Ruth) Turner Wilcox published her first book, The Mode in Costume , in 1942. Her experience as a fashion editor of Women's Wear Daily from 1910 to 1915, gave her great insights in to the world of fashion. She subsequently wrote and illustrated 6 more books on various aspects of fashion.
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The Silver Pony illustrated by Lynd Ward
Lynd Kendall Ward was an American artist and novelist, known for his series of wordless novels using wood engraving, and his illustrations for juvenile and adult books. His wordless novels have influenced the development of the graphic novel.
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The Ward family moved to Englewood, New Jersey, and Lynd entered Englewood High School, where he became art editor of the school newspaper and yearbook, and learned linoleum-block printing. In 1922, he graduated with honors in art, mathematics, and debate.
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Ward won many awards for his illustrations in children.s books. Ward received the Caldecott Medal in 1953 for The Biggest Bear (1952), a tale of a boy and his pet cub that he both wrote and illustrated. This book and Nic of the Woods (1965) were inspired by childhood summers Ward spent at Lonely Lake in Canada. His wordless fantasy book The Silver Pony (1973) received the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award and was a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Book in the illustration category.
Life in Tenafly 1969 - the 75th Anniversary, the Jubilee Year
"In late 1968 when plans were being made for Tenafly's 75th Anniversary, someone made a chance remark that is was too bad we didn't have a good selection of pictures of an earlier period.
With this suggestion in mind, I approached the Anniversary Committee, under the chairmanship of Carl Arenander, to determine its interest in a set of color slides for 1969, to be used in favor of such a project. A small film committee was organized to oversee the preparation of such a slide presentation."
Robert E. Shull
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Find all photos from the Life in Tenafly, 1969 collection at our Tenafly Library Friends Digital Archive.