The Ridgewood Historical Society: A Brief History

The Ridgewood Historical Society came into existence as a result of a name change in 1996. Previously it was the Paramus Historical and Preservation Society which had been organized by the Old Paramus Reformed Church

Because the Paramus Historical and Preservation Society as well as the Church have always been located in Ridgewood and have never had any relatonship with the municipality known as Paramus, also in Bergen County , the name was changed for the sake of clarity.

The church’s congregation was formed in 1725, but after suffering severe damage during the Revolutionary War, was rebuilt in 1800 where the original structure stands today.

In 1907 the Reverend Henry Cook, fresh from the seminary took over as pastor where he served for 45 years. It was during his tenure that he advocated the establishement of the Paramus Historical Society which was formed on February 11, 1921. Many artifacts, which had been on display in the church, were then moved to the Schoolhouse which had served as a storage area.

The Paramus Historical and Preservation Society maintained and operated the Schoolhouse Museum until 1996 when the group’s name was changed to the Ridgewood Historical Society.