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Jan 1, 1500
First Inhabitants
The first inhabitants of the area were the Lenni Lenape or "Origional People." they arived around 3000 B.C. along the delaware river. there were about 20 campsites throughout the township. -
grasshopper war
the war was fought over the possestion of a grasshopper. supposedly a mother stole a grasshopper from a child from another tribe and gave it to her son. the battle was fought along the deleware river and there were 31 indian casualties. all of the indians were buried verticaly at a depth of 3 feat. -
The First Colonists
The first colonists on holland township were English. They were then followed by the Dutch, German, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh settlers. -
Milford, Little York, and Holland
The first colonists of holland settled in three main districts: Milford, Little York, and Holland. All of these places had rich soil for farming, a water sorce for mills and drinking, and trees for lumber and firewood. -
Crossing the River
Crossing streams and rivers in Early Hunterdon was mostly fording the stream at shallow places but the fords were not reliable. Soon the ferries were in buisness in 1741, but the early ferries were small and were propelled by poles, oars, or sails. -
The First Roads
The first roads were created from old Lenni Lenape footpaths which traveled through the forests but were only dirt paths and did not hold up well to the Revolutionary War. Roads were vital in the country's trade agriculture and commerce, so private companies were given monopolies to keep the roads in good shape. In the winter there would be blizzards that would halt traffic all together and in the spring the snow would bring deep ruts and mires that would anger men and harm the horses. -
Family of Johns
John's Grandfather, John Leidy Riegel, was born in 1819 and died in 1893. His Father, John Stover Riegel, was born in 1847 and died in 1916. John himself was also named John Leidy Riegel just like his grandfather, and he died at 89 years old from pneumonia. John's son, John Lawrence Riegel was born in 1897 and died in 1987 -
The Delaware River Crafts
The Delaware River was mainly used for transportaion of lumber and produce. There were three crafts that were for the Delaware; the raft, the Durham boat and the coal arks. The rafts were made from logs joined together but were only best in the spring when the water was higher. The Durham boats were named after where the metal in the boats came from. These boats could carry heavy loads but was not successful when the canals came. Coal arks were rectangular boxes made to carry coal down the river -
The New Ways to Move
The ferry service was around for years until a bridge was built in 1842 which closed the ferry at Milford. The ferries were vital to the fisheries, iron furnaces, lumer mills, and the stores along the Delaware River. Three bridges were built; Regelsville in 1832, Milford in 1842 and Frenchtown in 1844. -
The Railroads
The main railroad went from Somerville to White House. Soon the railroad expanded to Clinton which meant that traveling was easier and faster. In July 1852 the last rails were laid down and the railraod was finally complete. -
Arrival in Finesville
John Stover Riegel arrives in Finesville and purchases the mill and puts it in operation. Started in 1862 and was moved in 1866. -
Finesville Operation Moved
The Finesville mill was moved to Riegelsville. The corporation was passed from John S. Riegel to his son John L. Riegel. Started in 1866 and ended in 1982. -
Warren Glen Mill
John L. Riegel's second mill. -
Hughesville Mill
John L. Riegel's third mill. Built in 1891 and closed in 2000. -
Milford Mill
The largest of all the mills by John L. Riegel. Built in 1908 and closed in 2003. -
The Highway is Born
New Jersey was one the first states to adopt a system of numbered highways. The Egan Bill orginally had Routes 1 to 13 but as the years went by there were different names and more highways were made. -
The Last of the Canals
The last paying canal boat finished its journey through the Delaware canal. On that same day, 40 miles of the canal were deeded to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The canals became harder to profit by because of the railroad system which was a better way to trasport goods. -
Chairman of Riegel Textile
In 1941 John was chairman of Riegel Textile but ended in 1963. -
Chairman of Corporation
John Leidy Riegel began as chairman of the corporation in 1936 and retired in 1968. -
Sad Goodbyes
John L. Riegel moved with his wife and three kids. This was hard for everyone because they all knew him so well. He did so much and helped people get jobs. So many people were sad to see him and his family leave. This event was tough on many people added with the fact all the workers were very close. -
What People Thought
John L. Riegel was highly thought of. People respected him and loved him for helping so many. -
What he Did
John donated land to this school, to the library, and he made the Riegelsville Academy. (a reform school) He helped people live their lives. With the money people got from working at the mills they had food on their tables every night. John L. Riegel also made the Riegel Ridge Community Center. Originally just for the workers and their families it was full of different activities. There was a wrestling team, a baseball team, basketball team, football team, a mens choir, and a womens choir. -
What he Did Continued...
The Riegel Ridge Community center also had bowling, a theater, dances, and a summer camp. The pool was added later. Today the Community Center is open to the public and still has most of the activities left. John also provided houses and lots for his workers and their families to live in. The mills created paper for Hershey, M&M, Scott, Champion, Polaroid, and Kodak. -
Holland today
Curently, Holland has fewer trees as it used to have. The township has four historical districts, including Reigal Ridge Community Center, Pursley's Farry, Amsterdam, and Little York. There are developments and modern roads and the population is around 5,000. -
Ups and Downs
John being in NJ brought many good events but the opposite was true. One bad event was death. When you worked in a mill you had to accept that today might be your last day. One story of a deathly accident tells of a man being in his position and dissapearing from being sucked into a 6in. wide gap. Also you could eaisly tell who worked at a paper mill because everyone was missing digits. Workers became deaf from the noise of the machines and it was about 100 degrees normally in a paper mill.
