The History of the Village of Hillburn

In August 1872, George Coffin, George Church and W.W. Snow, managers of the Ramapo Wheel and Foundry Company, set out to establish a village for the foundry workers. Land was purchased, streets were laid out, houses were erected. Workers were encouraged and assisted to purchase lots and build houses on them. This village was called Woodburn, because of the near proximity of woods and water. In 1882, when applying for a post office, it was found there was another Woodburn and the name was changed to Hillburn, which still maintains the characteristics of its name. It was here in Hillburn that W.W. Snow chose to build a residence for himself, where he remained until his death.

The Ramapo Iron Works was incorporated in 1881. They saved money by making their own castings instead of buying from shops in New York City and Jersey City. Twenty acres of land were purchased from Mr. Suffern. A soft iron foundry was built to manufacture the castings, along with 20 houses and a store, which furnished the people in the village with all the supplies they needed. This was the beginning of the Village of Hillburn. At the time, it was larger and had a greater population than Suffern. Hillburn was the first of the of the two to be incorporated as a village on July 24, 1893.