Housing and Neighborhood Development Services, Inc.

Located in central Essex County, New Jersey, the Valley neighborhood is comprised of approximately forty blocks in two municipalities, the southwestern portion of Orange and southeastern portion of West Orange. The area is bounded on the east by Scotland Road, on the north by Central Avenue, on the south by the South Orange border, and on the west by South Valley Road. The area’s population is just under 5,000.   In 1870, the western portion of Newark was named Orange for the British prince, William of Orange. Twenty-six years later, in 1806, Orange split from Newark and became a separate municipality. Later, in the early 1860s, Orange divided into East Orange, West Orange, South Orange, and Orange.

Originally, the Valley area of Orange was called Freemantown.  It comprised the industrial heart of Orange, with the majority of the industry located in the 12-block area bounded by Central Avenue, Valley Road, Nassau Street, and Scotland Road.

A rail connection in 1836 led to a boom in industries in the area. The Valley area became a widely traveled route between Pennsylvania and New York.  The abundance of Hemlock trees and tannic acid helped the tanning industry flourish. Shoe and boot manufacturing was very successful in the area until after the Civil War, when machines replaced hand labor. The high quality of water in Orange also produced a number of breweries in Orange.

The Valley was the hat-making capital of the world between 1870 and World War I.  The area had 21 hat-making companies by 1892, and 35 by 1900.  The Stetson Hat Company began in the Valley on the corner of Mitchell and South Jefferson streets, but later moved to Philadelphia with many other hat-making companies. The largest hat-making firm was F. Berg & Company, located at the corner of South Jefferson and Nassau streets.  This building is being redeveloped by HANDS, Inc as is discussed in greater detail elsewhere on this web site.  Hat-making companies relocated over the years, and by the Great Depression there were none left in the Valley.

The Valley suffered further deterioration and disinvestment since the Depression.   In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, much of the remaining industrial base left the area. The biggest employer, the Monroe Calculating Company, was sold and closed in the 1950s.  In 1977, the Reingold brewery closed and over 700 unionized workers lost their jobs.  Orange’s neighbors, East Orange and Newark, shared similar problems on a larger scale.  Orange’s workable size of 32,000 people provides an opportunity for the community to work together to meet these challenges.

Copyright © 2007 Housing and Neighborhood Development Services, Inc.