UNION, NJ — Local history is no mystery to patrons of BCB Bank’s Union Center branch, located at the intersection of Morris and Stuyvesant avenues. For the immediate future, visitors will be treated to a fascinating visual display of the township’s vital, and sometimes overlooked, historical luminaries, landmarks, structures and highlights.
“A hallmark of BCB Bank is its commitment to supporting the community, including local nonprofits and community-based organizations,” said Marie Maguire, vice president and regional manager at the bank. “Supporting the Union Historical Society and providing a convenient location for the society’s historical photos fit perfectly with that mission.”
“The history of a community is vital to its ability to understand its past, define its present and plan its future,” Maguire said. “So we were thrilled to have dozens of these large reproductions displayed in our Union branch, which is conveniently located in the center of town to allow for easy access by residents and visitors alike. We are also proud to be hosting the Union Historical Society once again on March 19 and to be involved in the township’s 250th anniversary celebration.”
Current Union Township Historical Society Vice President David Arminio is a retired educator, sports coach and human dynamo who is thrilled about this unique exhibit honoring the past and excited about the township’s future. “Our historical society is grateful to BCB Bank for its collaboration in highlighting Union’s past,” said Arminio. “The gallery display of images in the bank’s Union branch is certainly helpful in getting the word out about the upcoming 250th commemoration of our nation’s birth in 2026. This event that the bank is hosting will be the first of many that our town will be presenting for our residents to celebrate the semiquincentennial of the United States.”
Union was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on Nov. 23, 1808, from portions of Elizabeth Township, while the area was still part of Essex County. It became part of the newly formed Union County on March 19, 1857. Settled in 1667, Union was the third English-speaking settlement in New Jersey after Elizabeth and Newark, with the area that is now Union then called Connecticut Farms.
Anthony Russo, a former state senator and former mayor of Union, was a huge inspiration to and force behind this project’s realization that was made possible in part by a HEART – History, Education, Arts, Reaching Thousands – grant from the Union County Board of County Commissioners. For additional information about upcoming historical society events or to become a member, check out unionnjhistory.com.
Photos by David VanDeventer and Courtesy of Union Township Historical Society