Have you recently settled down in the great city of Hoboken? Looking to learn more about your new stomping grounds? Maybe you’re considering a move to the Mile Square City – you’ve got your sights set on that Manhattan skyline.
Regardless of the reason for your quest to learn Hoboken trivia, you won’t be disappointed in your search. The city is brimming with interesting history.
Keep reading to find out five quirky facts about the history of Hoboken.
What’s In a Name?
Before Colonel John Stevens purchased Hoboken in 1783 for a measly modern day $90,000 dollars, tribes of Lenape Indians resided on the island.
Colonel Stevens might have tried to take credit for Hoboken’s namesake, but he actually adapted it from the Lenape‘s name for the island: “hupokan-haki-nk,” or “place of the tobacco pipe.”
Heaven, Hell, or Hoboken
During the first world war, Hoboken was the seaport through which American troops were sent overseas to start their service. It was also the port through which they came home.
That led to the invention of the phrase “Heaven, Hell, or Hoboken.” Hoboken shone as the promise of a return to their lives stateside.
America’s First Brewery
Many cities claim it, but Hoboken has the real deal – the first brewery to ever blend our now beloved hop sodas opened in Hoboken at Castle Point. The original patent for the business was granted from Peter Stuyvesant (namesake of the neighborhood in Manhattan) to Nicholas Varlett in 1663.
The Father of Baseball
Despite the numerous multimillion-dollar sports leagues that exist today, America’s pastime will always be baseball. The first official game ever recorded was played in Hoboken at Elysian Fields on June 19th, 1846.
The game was between the New York Baseball Club and the Knickerbockers. Despite losing 23-1, the Knickerbockers went on to become the first uniformed baseball team in our country, stepping out in style for the first time in 1851.
The game was umpired by Alexander Joy Cartwright, considered by many as the “father of baseball.” He came up with the original set of rules that were adapted over the years to form the rules used by the MLB today.
Literature and Entertainment
While living in Hoboken, Edgar Allen Poe wrote a short story based on the 1841 Hoboken murder mystery of Mary Cecilia Rogers. Her body was found in Sybil’s cave, now a popular tourist site off of Sinatra Drive. The story is called “The Mystery of Mary Roget.”
This literary history of Hoboken isn’t the only piece of entertainment-related historical trivia. Frank Sinatra was also born in Hoboken in 1915.
The History of Hoboken and You
Whether you’re a new or promising resident of Hoboken, you’ll never be short of historical facts to share with your friends and family.
If you’re serious about a move to Hoboken then you must learn some of the key facts about living in the area.
Need help with your move? Get in touch with us today to talk about your plans and let us do the heavy lifting. With locations in New Jersey and New York, we offer local, long distance, and commercial moving.
Let the experts deal with the boxes while you step out and start exploring!
