New Providence’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 3 old photos of New Providence. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The written history of New Providence begins in 1664 when James, Duke of York and brother to King Charles II, purchased the land that became known as the Elizabethtown Tract from the Lenape Native Americans. Its first European settlers were members of a Puritan colony established in 1720, which was the first permanent settlement of its type. The settlement was originally called "Turkey" or "Turkey Town", due to the presence of wild turkeys in the area.
The Presbyterian Church established in 1737 was a focal point for the community, and the lack of serious injuries when the church's balcony collapsed in 1759 was deemed to be an example of divine intervention, leading residents to change the area's name to New Providence.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart New Providence’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how New Providence’s history is told.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewLackawanna EMUs in New Providence…, 1964: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from New Providence
See all 9 →
New Providence, decade by decade
1950s
1990s
CommonsNew Providence NJ athletic fields with fence to keep deer o…2012
CommonsNew Providence NJ Morris Union Jointure Commission buildings2012
CommonsNew Providence NJ Morris Union Jointure Commission 22012
CommonsNew Providence NJ Memorial to honor fallen soldiers2012
CommonsNew Providence NJ Historical military vehicle US Navy2012
CommonsChildrens learning area at Summit Speech School2012
CommonsBell Laboratories at2012
CommonsBell Laboratories at New Providence, New Jersey (7235324892…2012
CommonsNew providence nj 0392005Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as 1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - New Jersey (NJ) - Union County - New Providence Township - ED 20-86 to 90 (1880) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (12). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.