The Story of Waterloo Village: From Colonial Forge to Canal Town

Book excerpt: First established in the 1700s as a forge village, Waterloo--located in Sussex County, New Jersey--has endured several eras of decline and growth. An industrial hub and farming community, it played a role in the American Revolution. When the canal arrived, Waterloo reinvented itself into a vital transportation link that helped foster the new nation's first Industrial Revolution. The peacefulness of the canal belies the complex engineering required to integrate it into the village's footprint. Today, beautifully preserved colonial-era buildings complement pre-Civil War structures, Victorian mansions and twentieth-century edifices. Local author John Giles illuminates the constant ebb and flow of the history of Waterloo Village.