Mahwah was settled by an intrepid widow named Blandina Bayard, who in 1700 wisely set up a trading post on the banks of the Ramapo River. Soon, Mahwah grew into a hamlet with farms, mills, a general store, a distillery, a schoolhouse, and a church. Ramapo Valley Road and Island Road, early colonial highways, and Franklin Turnpike, an 1806 toll road, connected the frontier to nearby cities. Mahwah, then as now, was a busy, energetic crossroads. The railroad of 1848, a turning point to local prosperity, opened markets to farmers, promoted commuting, and attracted entrepreneurs who built...