Draft:Hillside Park

Hillside Park is a municipal park in Andover Township, New Jersey. The 500-acre space is located from Lake Iliff Road to Goodale Road.

The park offers "ball fields, tennis courts, volleyball court, basketball courts and skating rink with lights, playground, picnic area, and two recreation banquet halls." The ball fields are used by local Little League teams. A bike trail, called the 'Andover Loop Trail', utilizes an old railroad bed. The full route is 3.5 miles and runs through various parks and green spaces, including Kittatinny Valley State Park, Goodale Park, and Hillside Park. The Andover Loop Trail connects with the larger 'Sussex Branch Trail'.

The two banquet halls on site that can be booked and rented out for events are the Barn and the Hillside House. There is also a large pavilion area located at the park which is considered public space and is used as a seating area.

History
The area of Hillside Park was acquired in 1937 from the original Iliff property and was then advertised as a "200-acre site that could accommodate 300 boys and girls at $5 per week". It became known as Camp Nordland, an old Nazi support camp. What is now known as the Hillside Barn was once owned and operated by the German American Bund and was called 'Bund Hall. Along with Nazi sympathizers, members of the Ku Klux Klan and Blackshirts were reported to gather on the property.

July 4, 1940 began the downfall of the German American Bund's ownership of the area. Three of the organization's leaders were arrested before the scheduled Independence Day exercises were to begin. Seven other Bund trustees were arrested later on. Court proceedings continued, and the defendants were sentenced in February 1941.

The charter for the Bund was repealed in May 1941, with all Nazi memorabilia confiscated and turned over to the FBI. After this the property was turned over to the Office of Alien Property Custodian and purchased by Frank and Eleanor Bucino. Only a few years later in 1945, executors of their estate sold it to Camp Clearwater Inc. Andover Township then acquired the property, and has since then renamed it Hillside Park and has designated it as a park area.

In June 2020, local residents held a Black Lives Matter rally. Graduates of the local high school hosted the event, and it took place on the athletic fields. The organizers said they chose Hillside Park specifically due to its 'unfortunate past'.

Events are hosted around the year in the Barn and the Hillside House, such as tricky trays and farmers' markets. The Barn specifically serves as a polling site for Andover Township. The local Land Use Board hosts board meetings here to discuss proposed facility constructions. In addition, 'Andover Township Day' has been held here to celebrate the area by having local speakers, pageants, games, music, and fireworks.