In 1669, Moonachie was owned by just one man; Captain John
Berry, a fur trader. It was the island of Moonachie back then
bordered by Berry's Creek, Indian Path, Losing Creek and the
Hackensack River. Indians of the Six Nations Branch inhabited
the rich cedar forests. Rumors say that Indian Chief Monaghie
gave the town its name. Captain Berry later sold Moonachie to T.
Fransen Outwater, Henrik DeKyp and George Brinkerhoff. (the
Brinkerhoff house is now the Wood-Ridge Library. During the
American Revolution, Moonachie was part of the Township of
Bergen. Local farmers shipped their products along the
Hackensack River to markets in New York. They were a self-
supporting group, isolated by the marshes from the other
communities. When the British invaded Bergen County in November,
1776, Moonachie was on their map. One small group of British
soldiers were left to guard a horse drawn ferry in Little Ferry.
When Washington's army was evacuating the area, a detachment
crossed at Little Ferry and marched up Washington Av