A B&Co. Realty film · Tenafly, New Jersey
The History of Tenafly
Ten moments in Tenafly’s history, from colonial land grants to the railroad, civic action and woodland conservation. A narrated film of 1 minute 18 seconds, with English captions, a full transcript and sources.
A town beyond its charter
Tenafly stands on Lenape homeland. Its local history reaches far beyond its borough charter. The film follows a selection of events that shaped the town and the places it preserves.
Ten moments in Tenafly’s history
Each moment includes the spoken line and a note from the historical record. Select a timestamp to start the film at that chapter.
1677 · A farming community
1677. Colonial land grants begin shaping the future farming community.
The borough's preservation plan traces the colonial settlement to land grants beginning in 1677. Farming remained central to local life into the nineteenth century. This date marks a colonial land grant, not the beginning of the land's history. Borough of Tenafly, Historic Preservation Element, 2019
1859 · The railroad arrives
1859. The Northern Railroad arrives, opening a new era of growth.
The Northern Railroad reached Tenafly in 1859, helping shift development toward the tracks. The stone station featured later in the film belongs to a subsequent chapter; it was completed in 1874. Borough of Tenafly, Historic Preservation Element
1868 · Stanton makes Tenafly home
1868. Women's rights leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton makes Tenafly her home.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton lived in Tenafly from about 1868 to 1887. At her Highwood Avenue home, she worked with Susan B. Anthony and Matilda Joslyn Gage on the first volumes of History of Woman Suffrage. Borough of Tenafly, Local Historic Sites & Districts
1874 · A landmark station
1874. Daniel Topping Atwood's stone railroad station is completed.
Daniel Topping Atwood designed Tenafly's stone railroad station, completed in 1874. The building records the town's transition from a farming community to a place connected to the region by rail. Borough of Tenafly, Local Historic Sites & Districts
1880 · A vote refused
1880. Stanton challenges exclusion at the polls. Her vote is refused.
Stanton attempted to vote at the Tenafly polls in 1880. The borough's historic-site account records the unsuccessful effort made with Anthony. Borough of Tenafly, Local Historic Sites & Districts
1891 · Neighbors organize
1891. Residents organize Tenafly's volunteer fire company.
An organizing meeting for Tenafly's volunteer fire company took place on July 7, 1891. The County Clerk's record draws on the department's original minute books. Bergen County Clerk, Tenafly historic documents
1894 · Tenafly becomes a borough
1894. Tenafly becomes an independent borough, on January twenty-fourth.
Tenafly incorporated on January 24, 1894, following a referendum the previous day. The County Clerk's collection includes incorporation records and an outline map of the proposed borough. Bergen County Clerk, Tenafly historic documents
1917 · Camp Merritt
1917. Camp Merritt opens, linking this community to America's World War One mobilization.
Camp Merritt operated from 1917 to 1919 as a World War I embarkation camp. Its grounds included parts of present-day Tenafly and neighboring municipalities. The film illustrates this chapter with a credited U.S. Army historical map, not archival footage. Bergen County, Historic Sites
1961 · A mission for nature
1961. The Nature Center Association forms, uniting education and conservation.
The Tenafly Nature Center Association formed in 1961, bringing together education, nature and conservation. Its own timeline distinguishes that founding from its establishment as a nonprofit the following year. Tenafly Nature Center, History
1976 · Woodland protected
1976. A major land purchase protects woodland now called Lost Brook Preserve.
A 1976 land purchase protected the tract next to the Nature Center now known as Lost Brook Preserve. The center's timeline dates the later naming of the preserve to 1982. Tenafly Nature Center, History
1:11 · Closing card. From farmland to civic action, Tenafly's story lives in the places it preserves.
Transcript
Tenafly stands on Lenape homeland. Its local history reaches far beyond its borough charter.
1677. Colonial land grants begin shaping the future farming community.
1859. The Northern Railroad arrives, opening a new era of growth.
1868. Women's rights leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton makes Tenafly her home.
1874. Daniel Topping Atwood's stone railroad station is completed.
1880. Stanton challenges exclusion at the polls. Her vote is refused.
1891. Residents organize Tenafly's volunteer fire company.
1894. Tenafly becomes an independent borough, on January twenty-fourth.
1917. Camp Merritt opens, linking this community to America's World War One mobilization.
1961. The Nature Center Association forms, uniting education and conservation.
1976. A major land purchase protects woodland now called Lost Brook Preserve.
From farmland to civic action, Tenafly's story lives in the places it preserves.
English WebVTT captions · English SRT captions
Sources
- Borough of Tenafly, Historic Preservation Element, 2019
- Borough of Tenafly, Historic Preservation Element
- Borough of Tenafly, Local Historic Sites & Districts
- Bergen County Clerk, Tenafly historic documents
- Bergen County, Historic Sites
- Tenafly Nature Center, History
Historical sources read October 30, 2026. The records are the authority where a dramatized scene differs. This film describes local history, not a current property offering.
Archival credits and production
Elizabeth Cady Stanton portrait: Veeder, undated; Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-28195. The catalog states no known restrictions on publication. This is a later portrait, not a photograph of her arrival in Tenafly. Library of Congress catalog.
Camp Merritt map: Sherry L. Dowdy, cartographer, in Mary C. Gillett, The Army Medical Department, 1917–1941, U.S. Army Center of Military History, 2009, page 176. The public-domain map depicts the 1917–1918 Hoboken embarkation area; it was drawn in 2009. Source and rights record.
AI-generated historical dramatizations and narration, with credited archival material. Generated scenes are interpretations, not archival evidence. Original instrumental music accompanies the narration. Narration uses the Arthur AI voice. The closing card is the B&Co. Realty series outro.
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