Bergen County Court House

Bergen County, New Jersey had a series of court houses. The current one stands in Hackensack, New Jersey.HistoryThe current Bergen County Courthouse is not the first courthouse but actually the sixth courthouse built for Bergen County. In 1683 four counties were created in East Jersey and they were Bergen, Essex, Middlesex and Monmouth. In 1710 Hackensack became the county seat in Bergen. In 1715 the first courthouse was built and it was located three blocks from the current courthouse. The courthouse also housed a jail. The second courthouse was built in 1734 near the “Green”, but was burned by the British in 1780 during the Revolutionary War. The third courthouse, a log building, was then built in Oakland. This was considered a temporary location and the courthouse later moved to the home of John Hopper in Ho-Ho-Kus. After the war, the courthouse was moved to the house of Archibald Campbell of Hackensack.Freeholder Peter Zabriskie later donated land near his Hackensack home located at the northeast corner of Main and Bridge Streets and in 1786 a new courthouse and jail opened. Peter Zabriskie’s home, called “The Mansion” was also called “Washington’s Headquarters” because George Washington frequently was a guest there. Years later the Mansion became a hotel. The Mansion was then torn down in 1945. In 1822 due to space limitations, a new courthouse was built at the location of the current courthouse and it was utilized for over 90 years.