Goodbye Midgetville
TOTOWA – Demolition crews are expected to begin tearing down homes ravaged by Hurricane Irene in a borough neighborhood known locally as "Midgetville," which has long been a roadside attraction to area teens.
The borough council on Tuesday awarded a $49,375 bid to Control Industries, Inc., to tear down three homes on Norwood Terrace and one on Riverview Drive, according to a NorthJersey.com report.
The neighborhood was dubbed Midgetville because of its scaled-down homes that, according to urban legend, were built as quarters for Alfred Ringling and his diminutive circus performers, according to the publishers of Weird NJ.
The small, isolated neighborhood consists of tiny cottages that were once vacation homes. The area is flood-prone, sitting along the banks of the Passaic River, and the homes were damaged severely during Hurricane Irene in 2011.
The lure of Midgetville has drawn countless carloads of teens to the neighborhood over the decades, often leading to encounters with residents who grew tired of being known as a sideshow attraction.
Buyouts were completed through the county's Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program, according to NorthJersey.com.
The homes being torn down are at 23, 31, 43 and 61 Norwood Terrace, according to the report. A fourth home is at 416 Riverview Drive. In 2013, the borough council obtained $1.25 million in bonds to assist with the buyouts, according to NorthJersey.com.
Demolitions are expected to begin next month.
