West Orange, New Jersey history

On Tuesday, April 7, 1807, the first government was elected at a town meeting.

The Morris & Essex Railroad arrived in Orange in November 1836, its first cars drawn by horses.

On October 2, 1837, the first steam locomotive appeared, and the horses were, with minor exception, relegated to pasture.

On March 13, 1860, Doctor William Pierson was elected as the first Mayor of the Town of Orange.

The Orange Crosstown Line, eventually extending from Morris Street, Orange, to Bloomfield, was started in June 1888.

By 1892, 21 firms were engaged in that trade, employing over 3,700 people in plants valued at nearly $1.1 million.

1894 -- The trolley line to the foot of Eagle Rock Avenue had been placed in operation.

Essex is the home of the nation’s first county park system, which began in 1895.

Newark, N.J., L. J. Hardham, printer, 1896.

Frederick Law Olmsted created a preliminary design for the Reservation which was further developed by the Olmsted Firm in the early 1900's.

The Orange Brewery was constructed in 1901 at a reported cost of $350,000.

Circa 1905 - Just below Eagle Rock Reservation.

1909 -- An historic old casino that sat on the crest was built.

Circa 1920 - The 'Casino', an open masonry structure on the summit of Eagle Rock.

Orange became notable for the "Radium Girls" lawsuit brought against the company in 1927.

Trommers brewed beer under that label until 1950, when the concern was again sold to Liebmann Breweries, Incorporated, which bottled Rheingold.

In 1982, citizens voted overwhelmingly to change the designation of Orange from a city to a township, thereby making it eligible for National Revenue Sharing funds.

In 1985, the State of New Jersey named Orange as a State Urban Enterprise Zone, creating tax breaks and investment incentives.

Orange has made great strides with these resources and in the year 2000, for the first time in fifty years, Orange gained almost 3000 in population; reaching almost 33,000.

In June 2003, the City was once again honored by a Presidential visit, when George W. Bush came to Orange as part of an initiative to highlight the importance of small businesses to community development.

In March 2006, the first female and the first Latino police officers in the City of Orange were promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.