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Remember Wayne? A Virtual Community Scrapbook

As we look back on 175 years, we invite you to share your memories of Wayne in our community scrapbook. Here, we plan to showcase your recollections of life in Wayne, celebrating the experiences of today’s community. No matter how big or small, we would love to hear from you!

To submit a memory to the virtual scrapbook, please click the link below. Once approved, memories will be displayed on our website and social media pages. These memories will then be stored within our permanent collections at The Wayne Museum and can be used in future exhibits. Thank you so much for sharing your memories with us and celebrating Wayne’s 175th.

We are also interested in growing our collection of items related to Wayne’s more recent past (1900 to present). If you are interested in donating artifacts, photographs, letters, etc., please indicate it in the form and include a short description.

We look forward to hearing your stories!

SUBMIT YOUR MEMORIES HERE

The Community Scrapbook

Wayne Museum Nj Community Scrapbook

Remembering Wayne’s 100th

Doris Knibbs Stienstra was seven years old when Wayne Township celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1947. She remembers running in the footraces held for local children- and coming in first place in her age group!

Wayne’s Scouts

Bill Cotter sent us a fantastic video of Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts parading in Wayne in 1965!

Memories of Wayne, 1953-1969

Thank you so much to Bill Bowne for sharing his memories of growing up in Wayne, living on Toms Lake Road from 1953-1964 and Wayne Village Apartments from 1964-1969. He says,

“I remember watching the first water tower being welded behind the fire station on Jackson’s Ave; I remember finding fossils behind the baseball field near Al Henns’ [a local roadhouse/tavern]….I went to Preakness for kindergarten and 1st grade, then Ryerson for 2nd grade (Mrs. Jugstetter?), back to Preakness for 3rd grade (Mrs. Doty), then to the just-opened Albert P. Terhune school for 4th (Mrs. Semararo?) and 5th (Mr. Vinci). After that was 6th at Preakness (Mr. Veal- great teacher!), then 7th and 8th at Schuyler Colfax Jr. High. My last year in Wayne, I went to Wayne Hills (9th grade).”

“Lots of memories from the years I lived in Wayne. I delivered the Paterson Evening News around Tom’s Lake Road, then the Suburban Trends through the apartments along the Valley Road Extension (as we called it then before it was extended towards Barber’s Pond) and on up to Kings Arm apts. and the area along Church Lane.”

Wayne High School Class of 1960

Ed Doherty graduated from Wayne High School in 1960. As part of a planned 60th Anniversary Reunion of the WHS Class of 1960 in 2020 (which was canceled due to Covid), he put together a “Memories of Wayne” book, which he was kind enough to share with us! You can access a digital copy, and learn more about Wayne Township and the WHS Class of 1960, here!

Wayne Interfaith Network

Betty Singer of the Wayne Interfaith Network shared this fantastic history of interfaith activities in Wayne Township! Click here to access a digital copy. Read up on the Wayne Interfaith Network’s modern work here, and learn more about how you can support the WIN Food Pantry!

Historical Connections

Richard Griffin shared his family history in Wayne with us this summer! He writes:

“Tracing my family’s routes back, I found a connection to Wayne’s First Mayor, William Sickles Hogencamp. He is the material great-great-grandfather to my paternal grandmother, Edna May Berdan. Mr. Hogencamp lived in the Dey Mansion and was a Sheriff of Passaic County. He is buried in the Dey-Hogencamp Cemetery in Wayne.

The Berdans settled in Bergen and Passaic Counties as well as Old Tappan, NJ and Rockland County, NY.”

Theatrics in Wayne

Leslie Mozulay reached out with memories “from the 70s of a theater group in Wayne staging a play entitled something like Mad Anthony Wayne. It included period costuming and dancing.”

Does anyone from the area remember this performance, too? Let us know!