Greetings to fellow lovers of Oakland!
My name is Kevin Heffernan and I have had the opportunity and pleasure of living in Oakland for the last 35 years. And, I am both delighted and extraordinarily honored to join the wonderful team at The Oakland Journal.
My wife and I came here from Fairlawn simply because we knew that Oakland was kinda out there and somewhat rural. And it was, still is and proud of it.
My contribution here is to write about aspects of the history of Oakland.
What!!!…By a NEWBIE? Yup, and I say that with all due humility. And I truly mean that. I grew up in Bergenfield, a town where, like the vast majority of towns in Bergen County, its historical architecture has been lost forever. But not in Oakland. Yes, so much has been lost over the last 50 or so years. With that said, more remains here than in any other town in Bergen County.
Clearly, there was something in the air and water in Oakland. And more clearly, this place is special, very special. People tended to move to Oakland never leave if at all possible. And even if circumstances compelled their departure, Oakland never left the center of their heart. I needed to know why. Maybe it is because of its history and its roots dating back to the pre-colonial days. Perhaps it’s because of our daily view of the majestic Ramapo Mountains that makes other communities jealous. Or could it be because of the remaining 19th Century buildings here on Ramapo Valley Road that act as daily historical reminders of the life and values of the founders of this community?
My early and continuing handicap was/is that I had to learn about the history of Oakland by research, observation, conversation and by osmosis. I joined the Oakland Historical Society and my jaw dropped with regard to what I saw that was Oakland’s history. I had to find out more. Then I had to connect the dots as best I could.
Since coming to Oakland, I have had the privilege of getting to know some of the real Oaklanders like Ron Romaine, Pete Emmons, Ed Siefert and Pete Lundel, Bob Spear, Connie Monks, the Sanders and so many others that have contributed to this community over the decades, who filled in the blanks and connected the dots for me. And they assisted in my compilation of 40+ Gigs of old Oakland pics, documents and maps.
Over the coming months I hope to share my old Oakland research with you. I’ll be writing about topics like the history of the Wigwam, the contribution of D. C. Bush, Sidney Kingsley who owned the Reserve property, the arrival of the RR in Oakland, the Page estate, Oakland development in the 20th Century and so much more.
But back to being a newbie…..While I THINK that I got it right, I invite being corrected. I also invite suggestions for future contributions.
Thank you.
Kevin Heffernan – kheffernan555@gmail.com
Editor’s note: If you are around on April 2nd at 1pm, don’t miss Kevin’s presentation at the Oakland Senior Center “1695-1902: The Founding of Oakland and the Surge to Independence”
Congratulations, you will do a great job. I left oakland but never went too far, my heart will always be there, I am in town 2/3 times a week. I would like to meet you some day. Good luck