Take a Tour Through Paramus’ Past at Behnke Museum

Step into the Behnke Historic Museum and you will literally step back in time - a time when Paramus was once home to some of the best celery farms and Route 17 was a one-lane highway speckled with small Mom and Pop shops.

The museum, which sits on Paramus Road just north of the borough's golf course, has been serving as a historic hub for the community for 10 years now. In fact it will celebrate the milestone anniversary this coming fall, says Bill Leaver, director of the museum.

It's supported by the borough and run by a Board of Directors of whose president is Fred Behnke, son of the late Fritz Behne who was the borough historian and founder of the museum. Behnke passed away last April at the age of 93. The work and dedication he put into the museum and the hundreds of items he collected over the years on display in the two-story building continue to tell the story of Paramus for years to come.

The museum is open every Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. and the museum is also open for scheduled tours. Leaver says they do many tours for the students in the Paramus schools who are always instantly intrigued by the countless items that depict a time long before they were born.

The museum is run entirely by volunteers. Leaver, who is from nearby Maywood, says he always had an interest in history and was happy to get involved with the Behnke Museum.

Others who play an active role include Matt Corso who is one of the museum's docents.  Corso is now the chairman of the borough's newly formed historic preservation commission.

The museum contains 2,600 items in total, according to Leaver.  Those items reflect Paramus' own history and much of it is shows what life was like in the early 1900s around the time Paramus was established as a borough - 1922

There are displays devoted to the borough's police and fire departments and WWII history. One display is devoted to the school history and in fact Leaver says Behnke claimed one of the old school desks was his own from his third classroom.

Several walls are lined with photos upon photos of old businesses in Paramus which are long since gone, although a few are still around such as the Suburban Diner on Route 17 north. The wall would not be complete without a photo of the famous Alexander's department store and its mural.

Paramus has also been home to plenty of restaurants and the museum not only pays homage to them with a photo display but also via a collection of matchboxes and menus (back in the day one could get pork chops at Brooks Cafe for just 40 cents).

The entire downstairs is devoted to Paramus' farming history complete with a collection of farming tools, even an egg sorting machine which still works.

Part of the tour includes a screening a DVD which was produced last year which highlights many of the artifacts featured at the museum as well as interviews with some of the “old timers” who remember Paramus the way it was.

Since opening in 2003, the museum has entertained almost 6,000 visitors including area residents and over 150 private tours from schools and clubs in the state.

For more information on the museum call 201-445-104 or email behnkemuseum@optonline.net.

'Like' Paramus Patch on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Sign-up for our FREE daily newsletter.