Glen Rock in Bergen County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Glen Rock

Photographed by Michael Herrick, June 24, 2010

1. Glen Rock Marker

Inscription. Pamachapura, or "Stone From Heaven", supposed Indian council site. Town of Glen Rock took its name from it in 1894.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1894.

Location. 40° 57.766′ N, 74° 8.086′ W. Marker is in Glen Rock, New Jersey, in Bergen County. It is at the intersection of Rock Road and Doremus Avenue, on the left when traveling west on Rock Road. Located next to the "Glen Rock". Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Glen Rock NJ 07452, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in New Jersey’s North Jersey,

in Greater Newark,

and in the New York City Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Glen Rock Honor Roll (here, next to this marker); This Bell (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Glen Rock Honored Heroes (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Red Brick Schoolhouse (approx. 0.9 miles away); Hopper Family Burying Ground (approx. 1.1 miles away); Hopper House (approx. 1.1 miles away); Hopper Homestead (approx. 1.2 miles away); Hawthorne World War II Monument (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Glen Rock.

Regarding Glen Rock. Unlike most suburban towns whose names have little or nothing to do with reality, Glen Rock was actually settled around an enormous

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rock left by retreating glaciers in a small valley (glen). From a 1985 The New York Times article, "Glen Rock is named for a 570-ton boulder, believed to have been deposited by a glacier, that stands at the northern end of Rock Road, the town's main street. Called Pamachapura, or Stone from Heaven, by the Delaware (Lenape) Indians, it served as a base for Indian signal fires and later as a trail marker for colonists." Notwithstanding this article, Rock Road runs almost due East/West, so there is no "northern end"—nor is the rock at the end of Rock Road, which runs nearly another half mile to its western end. Also, while the Rock lies at the intersection of Rock Road and Doremus Avenue, the Rock is actually on Doremus, not Rock.

Also see . . .
1. Glen Rock, New Jersey on Wikipedia. Excerpt:

The borough was settled around the Glen Rock, a large boulder in a small valley (glen), from which the borough gets its name. The rock, a glacial erratic weighing in at 570 tons and located where Doremus Avenue meets Rock Road, is believed to have been carried to the site by a glacier that picked up the rock 15,000 years ago near Peekskill, New York, and carried it for 20 miles to its present location. The Lenape Native Americans called the boulder "Pamachapuka" (meaning "stone from heaven" or "stone from the sky") and used
Photographed by Michael Herrick, June 24, 2010

2. Glen Rock Marker and the Glen Rock
it for signal fires and as a trail marker.

(Submitted on June 29, 2010, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)

2. Glen Rock Historical Society: Glen Rock Incorporation, 1894. 2019 article by Sue Tryforos, Borough Historian. Excerpt:

It is not recorded officially where or how Glen Rock received its name, however "Glen Rock" is found on a map in the Walker Atlas of 1876 to designate the area surrounding The Rock (other local areas were known as "Small Lots" and "Ferndale", to name just two). Mrs. William H. Legg, nee Marinus, stated that one of her forebears in the Marinus family felt that Big Rock was not a pleasant sounding name and that it was he who named the area "Glen Rock".

(Submitted on September 7, 2025, by Zachary Yona of Glen Rock, New Jersey.)

Additional commentary.
1. The rock in Glen Rock
The rock has never been officially or locally called "The Glen Rock." It is almost universally "The Rock" or "The Great Rock." The NJ Historical Preservation Office calls it rather generically "Big Rock."

I know Wikipedia disagrees, but our local historical society has made it clear that the origins of the name for the town are uncertain, and certainly not directly from the rock itself (Also See link No. 2). The important

Glen Rock Marker and the Glen Rock image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Michael Herrick, June 24, 2010

3. Glen Rock Marker and the Glen Rock

distinction is that the town was named for the rock, not after it.

— Submitted September 7, 2025, by Zachary Yona of Glen Rock, New Jersey.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 7, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 29, 2010, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut. This page has been viewed 2,726 times since then and 96 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 29, 2010, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.