Editing Leonia, New Jersey (section)

==History==
Leonia's original inhabitants were the [[Hackensack tribe]] (Ashkineshacky) of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]]. The population was about 1,000 before the Europeans settled in the area. At the time of the [[American Revolutionary War]], Leonia was known as part of the [[English Neighborhood]], a name that survives in neighboring [[Englewood, New Jersey|Englewood]]. It was settled in 1668 mainly by [[Dutch people|Dutch]] and [[England|English]] farmers, making it one of the oldest communities in the state.<ref>Friendly, Jonathan. [https://www.nytimes.com/1975/09/21/archives/leonia-offers-films-of-old.html "Leonia Offers Films of Old"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 21, 1975. Accessed July 10, 2012. "The borough dates its original settlement to 1668, and seven years ago it celebrated its Tricentennial."</ref> A third of the population was African slaves. It was on the western slope of the Palisades, and started as a quiet farming community. Leonia's proximity to [[New York City]] and its major universities, theaters, and performing venues contributed to its place in the world of art and academics, with many artists and leading thinkers living there in the 20th century.

The local economy that had focused on agriculture underwent economic and cultural growth during the late 19th century, marked by the introduction of train service. Leonia was originally called West Fort Lee. In 1865, [[J. Vreeland Moore]] and other town leaders chose the name "Leonia" in honor of [[American Revolutionary War]] General [[Charles Lee (general)|Charles Lee]], for whom [[Fort Lee, New Jersey|Fort Lee]] is named.<ref name=LeoniaBook/><ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. [http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/356/nj_place_names_origin.pdf#page=18 ''The Origin of New Jersey Place Names''], New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 2, 2015.</ref>

In 1899, after traveling through Leonia upon arriving in New Jersey by ferry at [[Edgewater, New Jersey|Edgewater]], advertising executive Artemus Ward purchased a large piece of land and established the Leonia Heights Land Company to develop and market housing in the community. His advertising attracted many academics and artists who were drawn to Leonia's small size, culture, and location, leading to the town's nickname, the "Athens of New Jersey".<ref>Llorente, Elizabeth. [https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/10/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-of-living-in-leonia.html If You're Thinking of Living in: Leonia"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 10, 1985. Accessed July 13, 2011. "In 1899, his Leonia Heights Land Company set out to create a community that was to be unique - an idea sparked by a trip to Leonia on the Edgewater Ferry that year. Ward, the head of a New York advertising concern, envisioned a white-collar community whose residents would enjoy open space and an upper- class residential environment with an emphasis on education and culture."</ref>

In 1915, [[Harvey Dunn]] established the Leonia School of Illustration, fostering the artists' colony that emerged over the next decade.<ref name=Dunn>Falkenstein, Michelle. [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/31/nyregion/jersey-footlights.html "Jersey Footlights"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', July 31, 2005. Accessed November 7, 2018. "Dunn settled in Leonia in 1914 to be near the New York market for illustration and enjoyed a successful career."</ref> By the 1930s, it had the highest number of residents per capita in ''[[Marquis Who's Who|Who's Who in America]]'', and 80% of its residents were college graduates. Transportation through the borough was enhanced by access to ferries and trolley systems, and Leonia became a refuge for many of America's most creative thinkers, including five Nobel Prize winners.<ref name=NYT1997>Cheslow, Jerry. [https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/15/realestate/well-read-well-shaded-and-well-placed.html "Well-Read, Well-Shaded and Well-Placed"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', June 15, 1997. Accessed July 13, 2011. "Among the other widely used facilities is the Civil War Drill Hall, a cavernous building constructed by the New Jersey Blues Infantry regiment as a training center in 1859. The hall is now home to the Players Guild of Leonia, established in 1919 and the oldest community theater group in New Jersey."</ref>

For 200 years, one of Leonia's two major north-south avenues, Grand Avenue (the other is Broad Avenue), was called the English Neighborhood Road. In colonial times, it served as the main inland route between [[Paulus Hook, Jersey City|Paulus Hook]], Bergen, and the English Neighborhood. Leonia was a crossroads of the American Revolution and a training ground for [[American Civil War]] soldiers.

Historic places in Leonia include the Civil War Drill Hall and Armory and the Cole-Allaire House, constructed around 1765, making it the borough's oldest dwelling, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.<ref>[http://www.revolutionarywarnewjersey.com/new_jersey_revolutionary_war_sites/towns/leonia_nj_revolutionary_war_sites.htm Revolutionary War Sites in Leonia, New Jersey], Revolutionary War New Jersey. Accessed December 11, 2014. "Cole-Allaire-Boyd House; oldest dwelling in Leonia - circa 1765. Home of noted loyalist, Sam Cole prior to and during part of the Revolution."</ref> The [[Vreeland House]], constructed in 1786 by Dirck Vreeland and expanded in 1815, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.<ref>Rutt, Walter E. [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/nj/nj0200/nj0244/data/nj0244data.pdf Vreeland House], [[Historic American Buildings Survey]], July 1938. Accessed December 11, 2014.</ref>

Leonia celebrates "Leonia Day" annually on the third Sunday in May.<ref>[http://www.leonianj.gov/index.php?option=content&task=section&id=20&Itemid=70 Annual Events] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060930205737/http://www.leonianj.gov/index.php?option=content&task=section&id=20&Itemid=70 |date=2006-09-30 }}, Borough of Leonia. Accessed May 19, 2008.</ref>