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Bordered by the Watchung ridges, Mountainside's picturesque four square miles afford a parklike setting in the midst of exurban activity. Author Connie McNamara provides a comprehensive look at this tight-knit community that prides itself on its bucolic surroundings and its caring and cohesiveness. She recounts anecdotes, passed on by town elders, of Mountainside's prestigious historic architecture, the establishment of the nationally renowned Children's Specialized Hospital and the Badgley House, where Revolutionary residents concealed their valuables from the British. Longtime Mountainsiders candidly recall the 1987 tornado, the 1995 centennial celebration and the galvanizing day in 1985 when the historic Hetfield House was moved down Route 22. Produced in collaboration with the Mountainside Historic Preservation Committee, A History of Mountainside unveils the extraordinary character of this beloved New Jersey town.
About the author
A lifelong resident of Union County, Connie McNamara has lived in Mountainside since 1974. She graduated from Douglass College and earned an MA from Seton Hall University. She taught high school English for more than thirty years, during which time she served as advisor of the school paper, which won numerous awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association of Columbia University. A stint at Newsweek magazine as a researcher and reporter interrupted her career in the educational arena for a time. Later, as assistant editor at New Jersey Savvy Living, she renewed her calling to the communications field. Since then, she has been a freelance writer.
