Glendale

Glendale, New York, lies just six miles from the center of the bustling metropolis of New York City but has always managed to retain its rural charm since its beginning. Taking its name from Glendale, Ohio, the town began with the unlikely occurrence of a piece of land changing hands in payment of a debt in the mid-1800s. Development of the land was slow in comparison to the surrounding communities, and many of the unoccupied parcels were bought up by people interested in building picnic parks and other types of recreational areas. Around that same time, a New York state law banned the construction of any more cemeteries in Manhattan, so Glendale s available land became equally attractive for this type of development. Glendale takes a journey back in time to the picnic parks, German biergartens, and early industries that took this community far from its origins as a farming town."

Ralph F. Brady, who has previously written about Long Island history, was born in Glendale and returned to work with the Greater Ridgewood Historical Society to create this nostalgic look at his old hometown.