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==History== ===Early history=== The origin and meaning of the name "Teaneck" is not known, but speculation is that it could come from various Dutch or English words, or it could be Native American in origin, meaning "the woods".<ref>[http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/teaneck1895-1970/pieceofland.html A Piece Of Land Becomes A Town] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012124649/http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/teaneck1895-1970/pieceofland.html |date=October 12, 2008 }}, text of article from ''The Teaneck Shopper'', October 21, 1970. "According to a Lenape-English dictionary compiled by Moravian missionaries to further their work among the Indians, "'Tekene'" meant woods, or uninhabited place. 'Nek"' was the plural of 'Ne', thus the word could have been 'Tekenek' or simply 'The Woods'. The Dutch, who Hollandized so many Indian place names, would quite naturally have spelled it "'Tiene Neck' or tiny neck."</ref> An alternative is from the [[Dutch language|Dutch]] "Tiene Neck" meaning "neck where there are willows" (from the Dutch "tene" meaning willow).<ref name=DutchDoor/> The earliest uses of the word "Teaneck" were in reference to a series of [[Lenape|Lenni Lenape]] [[Native Americans of the United States|Native American]] camps near the ridge formed by what became Queen Anne Road. Chief [[Oratam]] was the leader of a settlement called "Achikinhesacky" that existed along [[Overpeck Creek]] in the area near what became Fycke Lane.<ref name=History>[http://www.teanecknj.gov/Teaneck-History/ A History of Teaneck] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219040619/http://www.teanecknj.gov/Teaneck-History/ |date=2013-12-19 }}, Township of Teaneck. Accessed December 17, 2013.</ref> A neighborhood variously called East Hackensack or New Hackensack was established along a ridge on the east bank of the [[Hackensack River]], site of a Native American trail that followed the river's path along what is now River Road, with the earliest known buildings constructed dating back as far as 1704. Other early European settlements were established along what became Teaneck Road, which is the site of a number of [[Dutch people|Dutch]] stone houses that remain standing since their construction in the 1700s, several of which have been added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name=Looking>Griffin, Robert. [http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/Centennial/teaneckhistory.htm "Looking Back on the History of Teaneck"], Teaneck Public Library. Accessed October 1, 2009.</ref> ===Revolutionary War period=== During November 1776, General George Washington passed through Teaneck in the aftermath of the [[Fort Lee Historic Park#Battle of Fort Lee|Battle of Fort Lee]], as part of the hasty retreat of Colonial forces from [[Fort Lee, New Jersey|Fort Lee]] on the [[Hudson River]].<ref name=Looking/> ===Phelps Estate=== [[Image:William Walter Phelps - Brady-Handy.jpg|thumb|right|[[William Walter Phelps]]]] Subsequent development and house construction were focused along the perimeters of the township, with the central part of the community remaining a large property crisscrossed by {{Convert|30|miles}} of paved roads and trails that were constructed and improved by Phelps.<ref>Taylor, Mildred. [https://www.nytimes.com/1972/10/01/archives/commuter-had-dream-in-1865-teaneck.html "Commuter Had Dream In 1865: Teaneck"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 1, 1972. Accessed November 21, 2023. "When Mr. Phelps came to Teaneck, New Jersey roads were noted for their red mud and deep sand. So the new resident set out to build up public sentiment for road improvement in general, building 30 miles of roads on his own property, much of it macadamized."</ref> ===Township formed=== [[File:William Weaver Bennett circa 1900 crop.jpg|left|thumb|[[William Weaver Bennett]], chairman of the committee which formed Teaneck, and its founding mayor]] The [[Township (New Jersey)|Township]] of Teaneck was established on February 19, 1895, and included portions of Englewood Township, Ridgefield Township and Bogota.<ref name=Story/> Teaneck's choice to incorporate as a township was unusual in an era of "[[Boroughitis]]", in which a flood of new municipalities were being formed using the decentralized and locally controlled [[Borough (New Jersey)|borough]] form of government.<ref name=BCHistory/> The other two municipalities formed in Bergen County in 1895 were both boroughs, in addition to the 26 boroughs that were formed in the county in 1894 alone.<ref>Harvey, Cornelius Burnham. [https://books.google.com/books?id=EdoMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA11 ''Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey''], p. 11, New Jersey Genealogical Publishing Company, 1900. Accessed September 15, 2013. "For a period of sixteen years following the passage of this act few boroughs were organized in the State, only three of them being in Bergen County.... As it was twenty-six boroughs were created in the county from January 23, 1894, to December 18, of the same year."</ref> In a referendum held on January 14, 1895, 46 of 53 voters approved incorporation as a [[borough (New Jersey)|borough]]. Citizens of Englewood Township challenged the creation of a borough, but accepted the new municipality as a township, given its more rural character. A bill supporting the creation of the Township of Teaneck was put through the [[New Jersey General Assembly]] on February 18, 1895, and the [[New Jersey Senate]] on the next day. [[Governor of New Jersey|New Jersey Governor]] [[George Werts]] signed the bill into law, and Teaneck was an independent municipality.<ref name=BCHistory/> At its incorporation, Teaneck's population was 811. [[William Weaver Bennett|William W. Bennett]], overseer of the Phelps Estate, was selected as chairman of the first three-man Township Committee, which focused in its early years on "construction of streets and street lamps (originally gaslights), trolley lines (along DeGraw Avenue), telephones and speeding traffic."<ref>[http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/history/history.html "A History of Teaneck β 1895 β 1995"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080703201708/http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/history/history.html |date=July 3, 2008 }}, copy of article from ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', October 20, 1995. Accessed May 15, 2008.</ref> ===Early 20th century=== The opening of the Phelps Estate in 1927 led to substantial population growth.<ref>[http://www.teaneckchamber.org/history.html History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080606225034/http://www.teaneckchamber.org/history.html |date=June 6, 2008 }}, Teaneck Chamber of Commerce. Accessed May 15, 2008.</ref> The [[George Washington Bridge]] was completed in 1931, and its connection to Teaneck via [[New Jersey Route 4|Route 4]] brought thousands of new home buyers. From 1920 and 1930, Teaneck's population nearly quadrupled, from 4,192 to 16,513.<ref name=BergenCensus/> Rapid growth led to financial turmoil, and inefficiencies in the town government resulted in the adoption of a new [[Non-partisan democracy|nonpartisan]] [[Council-manager government|Council-Manager form of government]] under the [[1923 Municipal Manager Law]] in a referendum on September 16, 1930. A full-time Town Manager, Paul A. Volcker Sr. (the father of future [[Chairman of the Federal Reserve]] [[Paul Volcker|Paul A. Volcker Jr.]]), was appointed to handle Teaneck's day-to-day business affairs. During his 20-year term, from 1930 to 1950, Volcker implemented financial management practices and a development plan that included comprehensive zoning regulations, along with a [[civil service]] system for municipal employees and a professional fire department.<ref name=Looking/> The [[New Jersey Supreme Court]] issued a ruling in 1942 upholding a Teaneck ordinance that had banned [[pinball]] machines on the grounds that they were gambling devices rather than a form of amusement.<ref>Staff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1942/02/25/archives/pinball-in-jersey-banned-by-court-ruling-upholding-teaneck-law.html "Pinball in Jersey Banned by Court; Ruling, Upholding Teaneck Law, Terms Machines Ingenious Gambling Devices Raids Start at Once Essex Prosecutor Tells Police in 22 Municipalities to Seize the Games"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 25, 1942. Accessed January 22, 2012. "The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled today possession of pinball or bagatelle machines to be illegal and upheld the Township of Teaneck in banning their use under a local ordinance."</ref> ===PostβWorld War II=== Teaneck was selected in 1949 from more than 10,000 communities as America's model community, with the [[United States Army]] saying that the township was chosen because of its "fine municipal spirit and the high quality of its governmental service." Photographs were taken and a film produced about life in Teaneck, which were shown in [[Occupation of Japan|Occupied Japan]] and [[Austria]] as a part of the Army's education program to show democracy in action.<ref>[http://teaneck.org/virtualvillage/ModelCommunity/index.htm Teaneck Virtual Village: Teaneck as a Model Town], accessed May 9, 2006.</ref><ref>Seigel, Kalman . [https://www.nytimes.com/1949/09/22/archives/teaneck-on-film-as-model-town-army-completes-3day-effort-to-picture.html "Teaneck On Film As Model Town; Army Completes 3-Day Effort to Picture U. S. Community for Propaganda Abroad"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 22, 1949. Accessed January 13, 2024.</ref> In 1953, [[Fairleigh Dickinson University|Fairleigh Dickinson College]], then with 2,800 students based in [[Rutherford, New Jersey]], merged with the 400-student [[Bergen Junior College]], acquiring its campus in Teaneck, with the Bergen Junior College president saying that "the Teaneck property lends itself to considerable expansion".<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-fairleigh-and-bergen-junior-col/138616018/ "Fairleigh and Bergen Junior Colleges to Merge"], ''The News'', November 23, 1953. Accessed January 13, 2024, via [[Newspapers.com]]. "Fairleigh Dickinson College of Rutherford and Bergen Junior College of Teaneck, will merge under the name of Fairleigh Dickinson College....Merger of the two institutions will provide educational facilities fur potentially 4,000 students. Fairleigh Dickinson, presently the third largest college in the state, has a total enrollment of 2,851, approximately 1,200 of whom are day students. Bergen Junior College presently has an enrollment of 197 day students and 207 in its Evening Division."</ref> After [[World War II]], there was a second major spurt of building and population growth. The African American population in the northeast corner of Teaneck grew substantially starting in the 1960s, accompanied by [[white flight]] triggered by [[blockbusting]] efforts of township real estate agencies.<ref>Garbarine, Rachel. [http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/PortraitOfTeaneck/liveinTeaneck1987.html "If You're Thinking of Living in: Teaneck"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080327215433/http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/PortraitOfTeaneck/liveinTeaneck1987.html |date=March 27, 2008 }}, copy of article from ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 11, 1987. Accessed April 29, 2008. "For Teaneck, it was a far-from-quiet period, underscored by blockbusting and white flight in the early 60's. The influx of black families set off [[panic selling]] among white homeowners encouraged by some unscrupulous real-estate agents to get rid of their properties."</ref> In 1965, after a struggle to address de facto segregation in housing and education, Teaneck became the first community in the nation where a white majority voluntarily voted for school integration, without a [[Court-ordered busing|court order]] requiring the district to implement the change. The sequence of events was the subject of a book titled ''Triumph in a White Suburb'' written by township resident Reginald G. Damerell (New York: William Morrow & Company, Inc., 1968).<ref>[[Whitney Young|Young Jr., Whitney M.]] [https://www.nytimes.com/1968/02/18/archives/guidebook-for-a-workable-revolution-triumph-in-a-white-suburb-the.html "Guidebook for a Workable Revolution; ''Triumph in a White Suburb. The Dramatic Story of Teaneck, N. J., The First Town in the Nation to Vote for Integrated Schools''. By Reginald G. Damerell. 351 pp. New York: William Morrow & Co. $5."], ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 18, 1968. Accessed January 16, 2012.</ref><ref>[[Norimitsu Onishi|Onishi, Norimitsu]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/11/nyregion/statewide-imbalance-persists-defying-courts.html "Statewide; Imbalance Persists, Defying Courts"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', June 11, 1995. Accessed October 8, 2019. "Perhaps the most famous case was Teaneck, the first community in the United States to endorse a voluntary integration program. In 1964, Teaneck was mostly white, except for one elementary school in a mainly black part of town. After demonstrations, fights and petitions -- later chronicled in a book, ''Triumph in a White Suburb,'' by Reginald G. Damerell -- the school board adopted a desegregation plan. Teaneck's schools remain integrated; so do Montclair's, desegregated after a Federal court order in 1968."</ref> As de facto [[racial segregation]] increased, so did tensions between residents of the northeast and members of the predominantly white male Teaneck Police Department. On the evening of April 10, 1990, the Teaneck Police Department responded to a call from a resident complaining about a teenager with a gun. After an initial confrontation near Bryant School and a subsequent chase, [[Phillip Pannell]], an African American teenager, was shot and killed by Gary Spath, a white Teaneck police officer. Spath said he thought Pannell had a gun and was turning to shoot him. Witnesses said Pannell was unarmed and had been shot in the back. Protest marches, some violent, ensued; most African Americans believed that Pannell had been killed in cold blood, while other residents insisted that Spath had been justified in his actions. Testimony at the trial claimed that Pannell was shot in the back, and that he was carrying a gun. A police officer testified to finding a modified starter's pistol with eight cartridges in Pannell's jacket pocket.<ref>Hanley, Robert. [https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/07/nyregion/witness-contradicts-major-detail-in-teaneck-officer-s-testimony.html "Witness Contradicts Major Detail in Teaneck Officer's Testimony"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 7, 1992. Accessed September 30, 2009. "Officer Blanco and Officer Spath have both said that Mr. Pannell's left hand was in his left pocket, where Officer Blanco said he found a modified starter's pistol containing eight cartridges after Mr. Pannell was killed."</ref> Spath was ultimately acquitted on charges of reckless [[manslaughter]] in the shooting. Some months after Spath had been cleared, he decided to retire from law enforcement. The incident was an international news event that brought Reverend [[Al Sharpton]] and [[Jesse Jackson]] to the community and inspired the 1995 book ''Color Lines: The Troubled Dreams of Racial Harmony in an American Town'', by [[Mike Kelly (journalist)|Mike Kelly]].<ref>Beckerman, Jim. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121021090907/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-22485838.html "Teaneck: Anatomy of a Tragedy β New Book by Record Columnist Examines the Events"], ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', August 27, 1995. Accessed February 13, 2008.</ref> Teaneck, and the neighboring communities of [[Bergenfield, New Jersey|Bergenfield]] and [[New Milford, New Jersey|New Milford]], has drawn a large number of [[Modern Orthodox Judaism|Modern Orthodox Jew]]s who have established at least fifteen [[synagogue]]s and four [[yeshiva]]s (three high schools and one for young men).<ref>[[Peter Applebome|Applebome, Peter]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/18/nyregion/18towns.html "Proudly Diverse Teaneck Is Forced to Re-examine Its Assumptions"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 18, 2007. Accessed November 3, 2007. "There are at least 18 Orthodox synagogues in a town of 39,000."</ref><ref>[http://www.teaneckshuls.org/files/shuls.htm Synagogues in Teaneck and Surrounding Areas], Teaneck Shuls. Accessed November 3, 2007.</ref> It is the functional center of the northern New Jersey Orthodox community, with nearly twenty kosher shops (restaurants, bakeries and supermarkets).<ref>[http://www.teaneckshuls.org/files/RCBC.htm The Kosher Directory], Rabbinical Council of Bergen County, dated September 2007. Accessed November 3, 2007.</ref> It is within ten minutes' driving time of [[Yeshiva University]] in New York City. ===Historic homes=== [[Image:Zabriskie-Kipp-Cadmus House.JPG|thumb|right|Zabriskie-Kipp-Cadmus House]] Several homes in Teaneck date back to the colonial era or the period subsequent to [[American Revolutionary War]] and have been preserved and survive to this day. Teaneck sites on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] and (other historic homes) include:<ref>[https://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/1identify/nrsr_lists/BERGEN.pdf New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places: Bergen County], [[New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection]] Historic Preservation Office, updated March 30, 2023. Accessed April 30, 2023.</ref><ref>[http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/HistLandmarks/ColonialFederal/layout.html Landmarks of the Colonial and Federal Eras] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730063817/http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/HistLandmarks/ColonialFederal/layout.html |date=July 30, 2013 }}, Teaneck Public Library. Accessed January 16, 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/1identify/nrsr_lists/bergen.pdf#page=21 New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places β Bergen County], [[New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection]] Historic Preservation Office, Last Update December 1, 2011, p. 21. Accessed January 16, 2012.</ref> * John Ackerman House β 1286 River Road (constructed 1734β1787)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010503194520/http://teaneck.org/virtualvillage/HistLandmarks/ColonialFederal/Ackerman.html John Ackerman House, 1734β87], Teaneck Public Library. Accessed January 16, 2012.</ref> * [[Banta-Coe House]] β 884 Lone Pine Lane ({{circa|18th century}}, added 1983)<ref>[http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/HistLandmarks/ColonialFederal/Banta.html Banta-Coe House, 18th C.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730071803/http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/HistLandmarks/ColonialFederal/Banta.html |date=July 30, 2013 }}, Teaneck Public Library. Accessed January 16, 2012.</ref> * [[Brinkerhoff-Demarest House]] β 493 Teaneck Road ({{circa|1728|lk=no}}, added 1983)<ref>[http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/HistLandmarks/ColonialFederal/Brinkerhoff.html Brinkerhoff-Demarest House, c. 1728] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730064336/http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/HistLandmarks/ColonialFederal/Brinkerhoff.html |date=July 30, 2013 }}, Teaneck Public Library. Accessed January 16, 2012.</ref> * Christian Cole House β 1617 River Road (constructed {{circa|1860|lk=no}})<ref>[http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/HistLandmarks/Victorian/Christian.html Christian Cole House, c. 1860] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730124123/http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/HistLandmarks/Victorian/Christian.html |date=July 30, 2013 }}, Teaneck Public Library. Accessed January 16, 2012.</ref> * [[Draw Bridge at New Bridge]] β Main Street and Old New Bridge Road over Hackensack River (constructed 1888, added 1989)<ref>[http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/HistLandmarks/ColonialFederal/NewBridge.html Foot of Old New Bridge Road] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140815132636/http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/HistLandmarks/ColonialFederal/NewBridge.html |date=August 15, 2014 }}, Teaneck Public Library. Accessed January 16, 2012.</ref> * [[Adam Vandelinda House]] β 586 Teaneck Road (constructed 1830, added 1983)<ref>[http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/HistLandmarks/ColonialFederal/Adam.html Adam Vandelinda House, 1830] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730064120/http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/HistLandmarks/ColonialFederal/Adam.html |date=July 30, 2013 }}, Teaneck Public Library. Accessed January 16, 2012.</ref> * [[James Vandelinda House]] β 566 Teaneck Road (constructed 1805β1820, added 1983)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010503193012/http://teaneck.org/virtualvillage/HistLandmarks/ColonialFederal/James.html James Vandelinda House 1805β20], Teaneck Public Library. Accessed January 16, 2012.</ref> * [[Caspar Westervelt House]] β 20 Sherwood Road (constructed 1763, added 1983)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20020718183218/http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/HistLandmarks/ColonialFederal/Caspar.html Caspar Westervelt House, 1763], Teaneck Public Library. Accessed January 16, 2012.</ref> * [[Zabriskie-Kipp-Cadmus House]] β 664 River Road ({{circa|1751|lk=no}}, added 1978)<ref>[http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/HistLandmarks/ColonialFederal/Zabriskie.html Zabriskie-Kipp-Cadmus House, c. 1751] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730124119/http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/HistLandmarks/ColonialFederal/Zabriskie.html |date=July 30, 2013 }}, Teaneck Public Library. Accessed January 16, 2012.</ref> * The William Thurnauer house β Designed by [[Edward Durell Stone]], 628 North Forest Drive (constructed 1949)<ref>Kapell, June. [http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/OralHistory2/thurnauer.html The William Thurnauer house: An Interview with William & Maria Thurnauer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520040051/http://www.teaneck.org/virtualvillage/OralHistory2/thurnauer.html |date=May 20, 2014 }}, Teaneck Public Library, February 23, 1984. Accessed December 16, 2014.</ref><ref>[http://www.ncmodernist.org/stone.htm EDWARD DURELL STONE, FAIA (1902β1978)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520020718/http://www.ncmodernist.org/stone.htm |date=May 20, 2014 }}, North Carolina Modernist Houses. Accessed December 16, 2014.</ref>
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