Moving along to another badge I have a "P" to offer you. This is for the Township of Parsippany, New Jersey. This item is in my display containing NJ Municipalities that I have managed to obtain over the last 45 years.
I have assembled the collection in alphabetical order. This represents the 28th community in the big case.
The Parsippany Community is technically a "Township" so it fits right into the municipal group . It is in Morris County, which is where I lived for thirty years or so. I remember rolling hills, two lane roads, and plenty of lakes dotted on the map here and there.
The memory is good, but the facts have changed. Today there are over 50,000 people living there. It is the largest place in Morris County as well as northern New Jersey.
The name originated from the Indians who lived back in my day. They described it as "the place where the river winds through the valley." The Indian word was - parsipanong.
Troy Hills is part of the official name of this community.On the badge pictured above one will see the hyphen and those words. In reality the Town is generally recognized as simply Parsippany. That makes the Indians happy. I think they also like this traditional shape badge in my display. I have had it a good twenty years, and I am quite proud to have it.
The shield is a traditional Jersey type badge. It is simple. One size fits all. Letters get stamped into the two panels and presto the badge is unique. Plating and numbers follow and we have an excellent finished product. The end piece reads: "Parsippany - Troy Hills," "Police," Number "14".
Like all my "muni's" they sit about three feet away from my keyboard where they ignite a different memory every day.
This "P" is for PARAMUS and it is part of the MUNICIPAL COLLECTION that I have been describing over recent months in this blog.
My parents went almost their entire life in New Jersey without hearing of or driving to Paramus. The community was a small area in Bergen County near the George Washington Bridge. It is incorporated as a "Borough" which is why this badge fits in my Muni Collection.
When our Country was first being settled this area was inhabited by Indians. Their favorite game bird was the Turkey. In their language one will see the roots for the word that gives this town its' name.
During the Revolutionary War this community saw nothing in terms of a battle, but they did have heavy movements of both Washington's Troops, as well as the British. The trails used became the foundation for many of today's major roads.
It took the creation of the Garden State Parkway and an appropriate exit to create the Paramus Mall. These two events, I am told, put this community on the map.
My research revealed that this Mall was one of the top spending spots in the country. I am so glad the wife and I live in Florida where Gulf Waters are our main concern.
The badge that is pictured above is an obsolete badge that is believed to date back to the mid 1920's. It is a traditional Jersey type badge with a silver tone finish.
As the picture reveals it has two panels with recessed lettering. The letters re black and reads: Paramus on top, with Police on the second panel. The NJ State Seal is stamped from the rear onto the shield prior to plating.
In the number box, at the bottom, is the number "277". It is the 27th community in alphabetical order in my display. It is a keeper, especially since I favor the shape which was very popular in New Jersey. It now sits under glass where it reminds of all those receipts from "the mall" that I don't have to worry about.
I like to trim off some of my displays with a picture or two from New Jersey, and if it is Newark that makes it even better. The Guy's above are from other cities, but nonetheless their pictures are pretty neat.
The Officers on top I believe are from Washington DC. The foursome on the bottom are from the City of Brotherly Love - Philly. Are they going in the right direction? It looks like they are headed towards Newark.
I obtained these pictures over the last few years and think they look good here for the "world" to view. A copy is available on request. Also If you have an old picture that you would like to share here, send it to our email address.
