Bloomfield Ave and Glenridge Ave as Old Road (1881)
Ever hear of the Newark-Pompton Turnpike?
We’re delighted to share part of an article written by Jean Jaeger, Secretary of the Cedar Grove Historical Society, for that group’s newsletter. Jean talks about the development of the Newark-Pompton Turnpike, a toll road that ran from Newark to Pompton Plains. Today, in Montclair we know this road as Bloomfield Avenue. This article also appeared in a modified form in Montclair Neighbors in 2017.
The article is of particular interest to the Montclair History Center (MHC) because of its connections to Israel Crane. Crane was not only one of the founders of the Newark-Pompton Turnpike, he was also the owner of a beautiful 1796 Federal style mansion at 159 Glenridge Avenue, which is now an historic house museum operated by the MHC. When Crane laid out the toll road in the early 1800s, he made sure a small street ran from the turnpike to his house – which was located next to his store – making it easy for patrons to access his establishment. [That street, formerly called Spring Street, is now Lackawanna Plaza; Crane’s house and store were in the approximate location of today’s Geyer Family Y on Glenridge Avenue.) Crane was a very successful businessman!
(In 1965 the Crane House was relocated to its current location at 110 Orange Road. It’s also now known as the Crane House and Historic YWCA and is interpreted from 1796-1965.)
The Newark Pompton Turnpike was a more direct and smoother road than the “Old Road” that meandered through Montclair – or Cranetown as it was known then. To follow the westerly path of the Old Road through modern-day Montclair, begin at Glenridge Avenue on the Glen Ridge border and head west into Montclair, cross over Bloomfield Avenue onto Church Street. You’ll cross back over Bloomfield Avenue, where you would have paid a toll at the crest of the hill, pick up Verona’s Claremont Avenue and stay on that road until it empties onto Bloomfield Avenue near Verona Park.
Says Jaeger, “The Newark-Pompton Turnpike was originally laid out in 1770 as the ‘Old Road’ to Horseneck (the Caldwells). On February 24, 1806, a charter was given by the State of New Jersey to Israel Crane, president of the Newark and Bloomfield Turnpike Company, to build a private road in the name of the company.
The road started from North Broad Street (now Belleville Avenue) in Newark and ran northwesterly through Bloomfield and Cranetown (now Montclair). It then went over First Mountain, then through Cedar Grove to Pompton Plains. A branch of the road ran from the top of First Mountain through Caldwell ending in Pine Brook. The two branches diverged at the intersection of what are now Pompton Avenue (Route 23) and Bloomfield Avenue in Verona. When constructed, large rocks were laid down covered by smaller stones and then a layer of dirt.
The term “turnpike” comes from the pike (or big log) that was over the road and turned when a toll was paid.
The four tollgates on the road were located at the Newark-Bloomfield line, the crest of First Mountain near today’s Verona/Montclair border, Pine Brook and Singac.”
In 1954, the Schoolmen’s Club and Newark Public Schools erected a plaque at the site of the Newark-Bloomfield toll. The plaque was attached to a boulder and listed the tolls, giving us a retrospective look at the traffic patterns of the 19th century along a road we take for granted. (Unfortunately, the plaque has since disappeared.)
Wagons drawn by one horse 6 cts
Each additional horse 6 cts
Sleigh or sled drawn by one horse 6 cts
Each additional horse 4 cts
Horse and rider 4 cts
Horse, cattle, mules in droves each 1 ct
Calves, sheep, swine ½ ct
Keep to the Right as the Law Directs
The tolls also help us realize the value of a road like the Newark Pompton Turnpike, which connected the city to the farmlands in the west.
Israel Crane, who had acquired sole ownership of the Turnpike, passed the operations over to his son.
According to Jaeger, the Morris Canal, railroads, and more public streets, led to the demise the Newark-Pompton Turnpike as a toll road. “In 1870, the portion of the road that is now Bloomfield Avenue was sold to Essex County thereby making it the first county road in the state. In the early 1890s, the county purchased the Pompton Branch, part of which runs through Cedar Grove, for $22,000 and officially changed its name to Pompton Avenue. After the purchase, the tollgates were removed and tolls were no longer collected.”
Today, as you drive along Route 23 towards Willowbrook Mall or along Bloomfield Avenue in the heart of Montclair, you are travelling along what once was the Newark-Pompton Turnpike. When you’re stuck at a traffic light, think about the people, horses, cattle, and mules who have come before us who might have been stopped along those same roads waiting to pay a toll.
Cedar Grove Historical Society operates a 14-acre historic site, Morgan Farm and Museum, at 903 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove. Their farm stand is open this summer; check their website for details.