West Hoboken was a municipality that existed in

Hudson County Hudson County is a List of counties in New Jersey, county in the U.S. state of New Jersey, its smallest and most densely populated. Lying in the northeast of the state and on the west bank of the North River (Hudson River), Hudson River, the No ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, from 1861 to 1925. It merged with Union Hill to form Union City on June 1, 1925. The town is notable for being the first city in which

Mallomars Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats, also known as chocolate teacakes, are confections consisting of a biscuit base topped with marshmallow-like filling and then coated in a hard shell of chocolate. They were invented in Denmark in the 19th cen ...

were sold.Barron, James (December 8, 2005)
"The Cookie That Comes Out in the Cold"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''.

History

Early history and civic boundaries

The area that became West Hoboken was originally inhabited by the Munsee-speaking branch of

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

Native Americans, who wandered into the vast woodland area encountered by

Henry Hudson Henry Hudson ( 1565 – disappeared 23 June 1611) was an English sea explorer and navigator during the early 17th century, best known for his explorations of present-day Canada and parts of the Northeastern United States. In 1607 and 16 ...

during the voyages he conducted from 1609 to 1610 for the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

, who later claimed the area (which included the future

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

) and named it

New Netherland New Netherland () was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. Settlements were established in what became the states ...

. The portion of that land that included the future Hudson County was purchased from members of the

Hackensack tribe Hackensack was the exonym given by the Dutch colonists to a band of the Lenape, or ''Lenni-Lenape'' ("original men"), a Native American tribe. The name is a Dutch derivation of the Lenape word for what is now the region of northeastern New Jer ...

of the Lenni-Lenape in 1658 by New Netherland colony Director-General

Peter Stuyvesant Peter Stuyvesant ( – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial administrator who served as the Directors of New Netherland, director-general of New Netherland from 1647 to 1664, when the colony was pro ...

, and became part of

Pavonia, New Netherland Pavonia was the first European settlement on the west bank of the North River (Hudson River) that was part of the seventeenth-century province of New Netherland in what would become the present Hudson County, New Jersey. Hudson and the Hacken ...

. The boundaries of the purchase are described in the deed preserved in the New York State Archives, as well as the medium of exchange: "80 fathoms of

wampum Wampum is a traditional shell bead of the Eastern Woodlands tribes of Native Americans. It includes white shell beads hand-fashioned from the North Atlantic channeled whelk shell and white and purple beads made from the quahog or Western ...

, 20 fathoms of cloth, 12 brass kettles, 6 guns, one double brass kettle, 2 blankets, and one half barrel of strong beer." The relationship between the early Dutch settlers and Native Americans was marked by frequent armed conflict over land claims. In 1660, Peter Stuyvesant ordered the building of a fortified village called Bergen to protect the area. It was the first permanent European settlement in New Jersey, located in what is now the

Journal Square Journal Square is a business district, residential area, and transportation hub in Jersey City, New Jersey. It is named for the newspaper ''Jersey Journal'', whose headquarters were located there from 1911 to 2013. The "square" itself is at the ...

area of

Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

near Academy Street.Kaulessar, Ricardo (October 3, 2010)
"350 years of history; Fair commemorates founding of Jersey City, will honor the oldest families in Hudson County"
''Hudson Reporter''. "Before there was a Jersey City or a Hudson County, the village of Bergen – the first European settlement in New Jersey, founded in 1660 by Dutch settler Peter Stuyvesant – had its origins in what is now the Journal Square area of Jersey City near Academy Street." In 1664, the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

captured New Netherland from the Dutch, at which point the boundaries of Bergen Township encompassed what is now known as Hudson County. North of this was the unpopulated Bergen Woods, which would later be claimed by settlers, after whom a number of Union City streets today are named, including Sip Street,''Bergen: Town and Township Nov 1660-Sept 22, 1668'', 1957 Genealogical Society of New JerseyHarvey, Cornelius Burnham (1900). ''Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey'' The New Jersey Genealogical Publishing Company. p. 20Winfield, Charles H (1874). ''History of the County of Hudson, New Jersey'', Kennard & Hay Stationery. p. 525 Tournade Lane and Kerrigan Avenue,''Business Directory Of North Hudson'', North Hudson Hospital Association, Town of Union, N.J. 1905. p. 331 which is named after J. Kerrigan, the owner of Kerrigan Farm, who donated the land for Saint Michael's Monastery.Union City 2000 Calendar, 2000, culled from ''History of West Hoboken and Union Hill'' by Ella-Mary Ryman, 1965 and ''The Historical Background of Union City'' by Daniel A. Primont, William G. Fiedler and Fred Zuccaro, 1964 The area that became West Hoboken, however, was sparsely populated until the early 19th century. The British granted Bergen a new town charter in 1668. In 1682 they created

Bergen County Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Passaic Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was the state's 16th-most-populous municipality,North Bergen Township, which was gradually separated into Hudson County's municipalities of

Hoboken Hoboken ( ; ) is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's popula ...

(1849),

Weehawken Weehawken is a Township (New Jersey), township in the North Hudson, New Jersey, northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located on the Hudson Waterfront and Hudson Palisades overlooking ...

and Guttenberg (1859), and Union City Township in 1861, though it was colloquially known as Union Hill. West Hoboken was incorporated as a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

by an Act of the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...

on February 28, 1861, from portions of North Bergen Township. The township was reincorporated on April 6, 1871, and again on March 27, 1874. Portions of the township were ceded to Weehawken in 1879.Snyder, John P (1969)
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography. Trenton, New Jersey. p. 148. Accessed June 18, 2013. On June 28, 1884, West Hoboken was reincorporated as a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

, based on an ordinance passed nine days earlier. The town was reincorporated on April 24, 1888, based on the results of a referendum passed 12 days earlier. Union City was incorporated on June 1, 1925, by merging the two towns of West Hoboken and Union Hill.

Business

were first sold in a grocery in West Hoboken. The town had two commercial districts. Transfer Station at

Paterson Plank Road Paterson Plank Road is a road that runs through Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic, Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen and Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson Counties in northeastern New Jersey. The route, originally laid in the colonial era, conn ...

and Summit Avenue, in the southern part of town, and

Bergen Turnpike Bergen (, ) is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 2025 the population is 294 029 according to Statistics Norway. The municipali ...

, at the border with Union Hill.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with West Hoboken include: (B) denotes that the person was born there. * Charles Avedisian (1917–1983), football player who played in the NFL for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

(B) * Pietro Botto (1864–1945), owner of the Pietro and Maria Botto House in

Haledon, New Jersey Haledon ( ) is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 9,052, an increase of 734 (+8.8%) from the 2010 census count of 8,318, which in turn reflected an i ...

, which was a central location of the

1913 Paterson Silk Strike The 1913 Paterson silk strike was a work stoppage involving silk mill workers in Paterson, New Jersey. The strike involved demands for establishment of an eight-hour day and improved working conditions. The strike began on February 1 1913 but ...

, and the first Italian American site to be designated a national landmark. Botto emigrated from

Biella, Italy Biella (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the northern Italian region of Piedmont, the capital of the province of the same name, with a population of 44,324 as of 31 December 2017. It is located about northeast of Turin and at about the sam ...

in 1892, first settling in West Hoboken. * James E. Buttersworth (1817–1894), British maritime artistHalasz, Piri (January 21, 1973). "Art: Maritime Theme at Exhibitions; Appeal of Nostalgia History and Humor Portraits of Vessels". ''The New York Times''. "James Butterworth (1817–1894), whose work is on view in Trenton, was an Englishman born on the Isle of Wight. By the time he emigrated and settled in West Hoboken (now Union City), America was in the heyday of its gallant clipper ships." * Rene Paul Chambellan (1893–1955),

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

who specialized in

architectural sculpture Architectural sculpture is the use of sculptural techniques by an architect and/or sculptor in the design of a building, bridge, mausoleum or other such project. The sculpture is usually integrated with the structure, but freestanding works that ...

, and one of the foremost practitioners of what was then called the "French Modern Style", or

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

(B) * Pietro di Donato (1911–1992), writer known for his novel, '' Christ in Concrete'' (B)Severo, Richard (January 21, 1992)
"Pietro di Donato Is Dead at 80; Wrote of Immigrants' Experience"
''The New York Times''. "Mr. di Donato was born on April 3, 1911, in West Hoboken, N.J. His family had immigrated to the United States from Vasto, in the Abruzzi region of Italy." *

Antonio Jacobsen Antonio Nicolo Gasparo Jacobsen (November 2, 1850 – February 2, 1921) was a Danish-born American maritime artist known as the "John James Audubon, Audubon of Steam Vessels". Biography Jacobsen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark where he attended ...

(1850–1921), maritime artist known as the "Audubon of Steam Vessels" *

Joe Jeanette Jeremiah "Joe" Jeannette (also JennetteHistorical marker on the corner of Summit Avenue and 27th Street in Union City, New Jersey. Dedicated April 17, 2009.) (August 26, 1879 – July 2, 1958) was an American boxer, considered one of the best hea ...

(1879–1958), considered one of the best

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

heavyweight

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

s of the early 20th Century (B) * Ada Lunardoni (1911–2003), artistic gymnast who competed at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...

and placed fifth with the team (B) *

Otto Messmer Otto James Messmer (; August 16, 1892 – October 28, 1983) was an American animator known for his work on the Felix the Cat cartoons and comic strip produced by the Pat Sullivan studio. The extent of Messmer's role in the creation and popula ...

(1892–1983), the creator of ''

Felix the Cat Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in 1919 by Otto Messmer and Pat Sullivan (film producer), Pat Sullivan during the silent film era. An anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic young black cat with white eyes, a black body, and a giant grin, ...

'' (B) * Ioan Missir (1890–1945), Romanian lawyer, politician and novelist * William Musto (1917–2006), Mayor of Union City from 1962 to 1970 and from 1974 to 1982 * Arthur Pinajian (1914–1999), Armenian American artist and comic book creator, known as the creator of the characters Madame Fatal and

Invisible Hood The Invisible Hood is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe. He was originally owned by Quality Comics, but was later acquired by DC Comics, along with other Quality characters. He first appeared in '' Smash Comics'' #1 (August 1939), ...

"'Lost & Found: Pinajian Discovery' debuts in NYC Feb. 13"
Auction Central News. January 8, 2013 *

William Ranney William Tylee Ranney (May 9, 1813 – November 18, 1857) was an American painter, known for his depictions of Western life, sporting scenery, historical subjects and portraiture. In his 20-year career, he made 150 paintings and 80 drawings, and is ...

(1813–1857), painter best known for his depictions of Western life, sporting scenery, historical subjects and portraiture *

Alvin Sella Alvin Sella (c. 1920 - April 8, 2013) was an American painter and educator. He was a professor of art at the University of Alabama for more than four decades, and he received the Governor's Arts Award from the Alabama State Council on the Arts in ...

(c. 1920–2013), painter and educator (B) * Walter Walsh (1907–2014), FBI agent, USMC shooting instructor and Olympic shooter * Gene Wettstone (1913–2013), gymnastics coach, known for leading

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

to a record nine N.C.A.A. championships in the sport, and for coaching the U.S. men's teams in the

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

and

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...

References

External links

{{Commons category, West Hoboken, New Jersey
Union City's official website
1861 establishments in New Jersey 1925 disestablishments in New Jersey Former towns in New Jersey Former municipalities in Hudson County, New Jersey Union City, New Jersey North Hudson, New Jersey