Teaneck Public Library Online

Phelps' Mansion and Ruins

On April 1, 1888, an explosion in the newly added art gallery with its seventy-five gas jets set the house on fire. Phelps was in Washington at the time. He was notified by telegram; there were no telephones. Messengers summoned Hackensack and Englewood fire departments. A timber at the south end of the art gallery was the only piece of wood left by the fire. It protruded over an iron door that impeded fire fighting efforts. ...... The Phelps Ruin was a spectacle in Teaneck until 1925 when the Municipal Building was erected there. Covered with vines and lush growth, the tall chimneys, foundations, and eyeless windows were reminders of past grandeur. Many Teaneck men today who were boys then recall happy hours spent playing in The Ruins.

From: William Walter Phelps: A last Imprint, The History of Teaneck by Mildred Taylor p. 51

	From the postcard: Phelps' Mansion, Teaneck, N. J. Pub. by 709 M. Fast, Hackensack, N. J., Printed in Germany Notes: Used postcard. Post date Dec. 30, 1910. Started in 1869 from a farmhouse, "with the aid of architects he (Mr. Phelps) made additions and alterations until in 1886 the building was 350 feet long, varying from 25 to 50 feet in width" From: The History of Teaneck by Mildred Taylor, p. 50.
	Notes: Used postcard. Post date Dec. 13, 1904 with one cent stamp.
	From the postcard: Road Leading to Phelps Ruins, Teaneck, N. J. Made in Germany Notes: Used postcard. Post date Aug. 23, 1907 with one cent stamp.
	From the postcard: Phelps Ruins, Teaneck, N. J. Pub. by Geo, W. Walker Notes: Used postcard. Post date unidentified with one cent stamp.
	From the postcard: Phelp's Ruins on the Road to Hackensack, Englewood, N. J. Published by Robert Livingston, Englewood, N. J., Made in Germany Notes: Used postcard. Post date Sep. 20, 1908 with one cent stamp.
	From the postcard: Phelp's Ruins on Road between Englewood and Hackensack, Teaneck, N. J. Published by the American New Company, New York, Leipzig, Berlin, Dresden Notes: Used postcard, Post date Feb. 23, 1909 with one cent stamp.