Broad Street Photos Broad & Market Photos Broad Street's Changing Views Do you have a photo of this street? If so please email me. Formerly known as The Middle Street (pre 1700) Formerly known as The High Street (pre 1700) Formerly known as The Centre Street (pre 1700) Part formerly known as East Broad Street Part formerly known as South Broad Street 1841 - Irving Street to Morris Turnpike 1850 - From Stone Bridge SW to Elizabethtown Road 1871 - 68 Harvey Street S&SW to Clinton Line

Newspaper Articles

September 13, 1885 - In the Dead of Night
September 23, 1900 - A Great Crowd
February 8, 1903 - In Peril at the Corners
May 10, 1903 - New Business Building for Broad and West Park Streets
May 17, 1903 - A Live Lion in a Broad Street Stable
January 31, 1904 - An Episode of the Revolutionary War, With an Up to Date Setting
November 12, 1905 - The Huntington Homestead
August 4, 1907 - Police Won't Tolerate Loafers and Oglers
April 17, 1910 - New Building for Old City Hall Lot
December 1, 1912 - Four Corners Loafers Bolder
June 21, 1914 - Wood Block Paving
August 9, 1914 - Near Work's End in Broad Street
October 28, 1917 - Newark Has Busiest Traffic Center in Country

Today Broad Street runs from Rafael Hernandex Elementary School south to the Route 21 Viaduct. At one time there were five streets with Broad Street in their names. Broad Street ran from Clay Street to Chestnut Street. South Broad Street was from Chestnut Street south. East Broad Street ran from Clay Street north. West Broad Street became Clinton Avenue in 1868. North Broad Street became Belleville Avenue (1868) and then Broadway. As were all Newark streets, Broad Street was orignally a dirt road that became muddy in the wet weather. In 1852 the street was finally paved with cobble stones. By 1887 the cobble stones were replaced with granite block, wood block was laid in 1914 and finally asphalt in 1926.

From "A History of the City of Newark"
Lewis Historical Publishing Company

Broad Street a Mudhole, 1832

"Many a time and oft", says a writer in the Centinel for December 18, 1832, "have I witnessed some luckless wight of a pedestrian risk his precious life, and e'en my own has been sorely jeoparded in a vain attempt to ford Broad Street in a storm. One might as well attempt to swim the Black Sea or cross the Mississippi on a streak of lightning. Not that the water is so very deep or the current so very strong; but there is mud--mud so deep and flexible--a liquid paradise for city scavengers, alias swine, to luxuriate in--said to be the best place in the world for a grazing park. And I do think our worthy town authorities show a becoming disposition to reap the full advantages of it. Now, after the present stock of pork is fully gathered in, I should recommend that a subscription be set on foot to raise money for paving some of the principal streets, say, Broad Street, from the half-way house to Elizabethtown, and Market Street, from the river to Orange. There need be no want of paving stones, for there are shells enough in Market Street alone for this purpose."

There were a number of oyster saloons on Market Street at that time and the proprietors dumped the shells in the street. Indeed, all storekeepers and other residents had, in those days, not the slightest compunction to disposing of their refuse in this fashion.

The pigs wandered apparently at will about the streets of the town and Military and Washington Parks were their favorite rooting ground. In 1833 a writer to the Centinel complains of the habit "of some citizens of letting their horses loose in the public streets at night, and on the Sabbath, by which means our sidewalks are often obstructed and children in danger."

History of Broad Street from the Broad Street Association (1923)

1940 Newark City Directory for Broad Street from Washington Park to Lincoln Park

Wards

Enumerations Districts

1869 Number Changes