Bolger Heritage Center, Ridgewood Public Library

Bolger Heritage Center, Ridgewood Public Library Check out the Heritage Catalog: https://ridgewood.catalogaccess.com/home The Center is located on Level 2 and is open during all library hours.

The Ridgewood Public Library Bolger Heritage Center has a wide variety of resources for the study of genealogy and of Ridgewood and New Jersey history. Special assistance is available by emailing [email protected]. For more information about the Heritage Center see www.ridgewoodlibrary.org/localhistory.

To learn more about the resources the Bolger Heritage Center has on Black history, please review our guide:chrome-extens...
06/19/2026

To learn more about the resources the Bolger Heritage Center has on Black history, please review our guide:
chrome-extensio://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://localhistory.ridgewoodlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Black-History-and-Genealogy-Books_2023.12.11.pdf

Belated celebration of Flag Day, which was yesterday...In the 1940s Ridgewood actually had a store devoted to the sale o...
06/15/2026

Belated celebration of Flag Day, which was yesterday...In the 1940s Ridgewood actually had a store devoted to the sale of flags. And typewriters. It was originally called Koopman's, but later became Ridgewood Typewriter Service (Decoration Day, as shown in the ad, was an early name for Memorial Day). Local newspapers at the time bemoaned Ridgewood's "Flag Day" participation -- from 1947: "There were, by actual count, two flags displayed in Ridgewood on Flag Day."

Before spring turns into summer, we wanted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the "Kite" sculptures outside the Childr...
06/08/2026

Before spring turns into summer, we wanted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the "Kite" sculptures outside the Children's Room of the Ridgewood Library. Donated by the Friends of the Library and created by Utah artist Gary Price, these bronze figures "portray the exuberance of children flying kites with their dog," as the Ridgewood News put it in April of 2001. The library celebrated the statues' installation with a "Kite Kids Day" festival on Veterans Memorial Field, with real, non-metallic children flying kites and doing kite-related crafts.

to a "Description of Ridgewood" Friday June 5....1891
06/05/2026

to a "Description of Ridgewood" Friday June 5....1891

Was looking at a Ridgewood newspaper from June of 1926, curious about goings-on a century ago and saw several ads for aw...
06/01/2026

Was looking at a Ridgewood newspaper from June of 1926, curious about goings-on a century ago and saw several ads for awnings -- appropriate for the approaching summer. And, of course, it's not hard to find postcards of the time showing businesses and homes, with awnings. The invention of air conditioning put a dent in the awning businesses, as you might expect, but those 1926 folks were on to something. Studies today show awnings can reduce indoor temperatures by 10-20 percent. And you can use a remote control.

The Bolger Heritage Center would like to take a moment to thank and honor all those who have served in the United States...
05/25/2026

The Bolger Heritage Center would like to take a moment to thank and honor all those who have served in the United States Armed Forces. We hope everyone has a safe holiday.

*This photograph was taken at the Ridgewood Memorial Day parade in 2013. We continue to collect and preserve Ridgewood's history so if you'd like to submit any photographs please email [email protected]

We're celebrating International Museum Day! But you don't have to go far to find a museum worth celebrating....How about...
05/18/2026

We're celebrating International Museum Day! But you don't have to go far to find a museum worth celebrating....How about 650 E. Glen Road, home of the Ridgewood Historical Society and Museum.

The building dates to 1872, when it was, as you can guess, a one-room schoolhouse (with a belfry, now gone, but the bell is in the foyer). It became a museum in April of 1955, and today is run by the Ridgewood Historical Society. Like the Old Paramus Reformed Church next door, the Museum building is on the National Register of Historic Places (the building itself is owned by the Dutch Reformed Church).

Let us put in a plug for its current show, "250 Years of Progress, a Celebration of Independence and Endurance," with exhibits featuring America's historic moments and achievements -- everything from a Revolutionary War uniform to the legacy of Abraham Lincoln to an early cell phone and desktop computer. It's terrific ! We've seen it!

Looking at the history of an address....News came this week of the imminent closing of the Village Green Restaurant at 3...
05/14/2026

Looking at the history of an address....News came this week of the imminent closing of the Village Green Restaurant at 36 Prospect Street. That building dates to 1930, when it replaced a garage; and for the first 20plus years the address was home to Ye Towne Pet Shop, where you could buy canaries that were "guaranteed singers." Then followed a wide array of businesses, and so over the years 36 Prospect offered everything from flea powder to lipstick to gourmet take-out to martial arts equipment. The United Jersey Bank was there for a time, and a succession of realtors took over that corner property for quite a while.

But of all the businesses at 36 Prospect Street, the Village Green Restaurant by far holds the longevity record, at 37 years....meaning thousands upon thousands of dinners devoured, diners delighted.

Thinking about spring potholes, which led to thinking about road repair, which led to looking for appropriate photos in ...
05/11/2026

Thinking about spring potholes, which led to thinking about road repair, which led to looking for appropriate photos in the Heritage Catalog. The top photo shows Hempstead Road from April of 1938 -- as the Ridgewood News reported at the time, Hempstead was getting sidewalks, curbs, and new pavement. The works!

The bottom photo shows Hempstead Rd. from August of 2025 (excuse the use of Google Maps), and it appears sidewalk and pavement were doing just fine. Also, nice to see that the tudor house at the end of the block exists in both pictures.

Address

125 N Maple Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ
07450

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 9pm
Tuesday 9am - 9pm
Wednesday 9am - 9pm
Thursday 9am - 9pm
Friday 9am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 1pm - 5pm

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