Description:

New Jersey Engineer Provides Details of River Road in Passaic, New Jersey

In this document, engineer and future mayor Benjamin Aycrigg provides details about past surveys of the River Road along the Passaic River in Passaic, New Jersey, and an 1870 petition to obtain a sidewalk down the west side of the road. Aycrigg's mansion (built by his father in the 1840s) lay approximately 1,200 feet from the bank of the river, and the road is currently approximately 400 feet from the bank of the river, though it may have been where Main Avenue now is during the nineteenth century. Aycrigg and several neighbors petitioned the town council for a sidewalk to be established, but they declined putting a sidewalk in place until the precise path of the road had been established.

[SURVEYING.] Benjamin Aycrigg, Autograph Document Signed, "History of the River Road," ca. September 1870. 8 pp., 8" x 12". Expected folds; tied at top with string; some cracks on folds; two small holes in pp. 7-8 with minor effect on text; very legible. With contemporary envelope.

Excerpts:
"According to C. G. Van Riper Esqr, the road from below 'The Stone Bridge' (on my ground) to the county bridge formerly continued near the river up to the county bridge. The upper portion being frequently inundated, it was changed to higher ground by an official survey…dated Feb 12, 1812...."

"About 1847 J. B. Aycrigg bought the ground upon which B. B. Aycrigg now lives. Subsequently he bought down to the RR. bridge. In 1852 I bought my place from Jacob Berdan. I moved to Passaic in May 1848. I have no recollection of any change from Mr Morrisons house to the RR. bridge."

"Doubting the accuracy of this return I went over part of the line on Feb 5, 1856 while the marks set by the Surveyors of the highway remained standing, and found the line as enclosed in brackets for the center line of a rod of 3 rods wide in place of those reported as follows...."

"Last Spring, B. Aycrigg and Geo. N. Palmer and Susan J. Palmer petitioned the Village Council to have a side walk laid on the West side of the River Road from the RR. Bridge to the Stone Bridge. This was rejected on the ground that the road had no definite boundary nor established grade.
"The petition was amended to request that the road be laid out and the grade established and the side wall laid on the West side. This was referred to the Come on Streets, and upon their invitation some of the interested parties met the Come at the Council room on Aug 19. In answer to the enquiry B. Aycrigg said that he desired the road to be 100 feet wide through his land and wherever else there was land on both sides and along the narrows to lay the West side at a reasonable position and let the nominal 100 feet extend into the river. Subsequently it was suggested that this would prevent the building of docks and boathouses &c, and Aycrigg thereupon wrote to the Chn of the Come quoting these valid objections and desired to alter his request so that both sides of the road should be defined."

"On Monday Sept 12, the Council resolved to lay out a sixty feet road from the RR. bridge to Brook Avenue, and to grade it and to lay the Western side walk, following the line as far as recorded and thence the present road as near as may be, and to require $100 for preliminary expenses. This $100 was paid by B. Aycrigg to the Treasurer on Sept 15, 1870.
"The above contains all the details that I think of any importance down to the present time. B. Aycrigg"

Benjamin B. Aycrigg (1804-1895) was born in New York and graduated from Columbia College in 1824. His father was John B. Aycrigg (1798-1856), a physician and a Whig member of Congress from New Jersey (1837-1839; 1841-1843). The younger Aycrigg became a civil engineer and constructed public works in Pennsylvania in the 1820s and 1830s. From 1848 to 1861, Aycrigg helped to manage the American Institute of New York. In 1869, he received a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania College. From 1878 to 1880, he participated in the geological survey of New Jersey. He retired to the city of Passaic, where he lived in a mansion his father had built in 1848 on River Drive. He served as mayor of Passaic from 1873 to 1879. He died in Lakewood, New Jersey.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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