Highlights From Our Collection

WPML is home to select physical local history collections that can be viewed in the library, and is currently at work digitizing additional materials. Visit the Worth-Pinkham Room at the library to view a collection of vintage dolls and travel memorabilia collected by our namesake, Caroline Mildreth Worth-Pinkham. A copy of the only known photograph of Ho-Ho-Kus' former Sylvan Lake is also on display. 

Select Ho-Ho-Kus and New Jersey books are available for checkout and in-house browsing. A nonfiction section dedicated to New Jersey is available and located in Adult Nonfiction near the travel guides. View our digitized material below and be sure to check back for updates!  

Library History | Local History | Mildreth Worth-Pinkham 

Ho-Ho-Kus Race Track

Did you know Ho-Ho-Kus used to be home to a racetrack? The track, built in the late 1860's, was home to various types of racing over the years before a deadly accident forced its closure in 1938. The land has since been repurposed for residential use. Very few photographs exist of the track when it was in use, but a recent discovery by library staff yielded an album with some images. The creator's identity remains a mystery, although he is thought to be associated with the Duff family. Click the button below to view images specifically of the race track, or view the full album, circa the 1930's here.

Caroline Mildreth Worth-Pinkham

The current library building was donated to the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus for use as a public library by Caroline Mildreth Worth-Pinkham upon her death in 1984. Mrs. Worth-Pinkham was an established scholar and writer, known for her interest in comparative religion and love of travel. A graduate of Columbia University, she received her Ph.D in 1941 in the history and comparative study of religion - the first woman to do so in her program. Books authored by Mrs. Worth-Pinkham include A Bungalow in India; The Status of Woman as Reflected in the Puranas, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana; The Common Heritage; and Confucius Says: Woman and the Family in World Scriptures, along with many articles. An archive of her papers exists at Columbia University. 
 
Worth Pinkham Memorial Library is also currently working towards digitizing the collection of documents, photos, and items left to us by Mildreth.