01 / THE ORIGIN CHAPTER · MORRIS COUNTY, NJ
Lincoln Park was home. Denville was school. My friendships crossed district lines, and the work eventually crossed state lines.
57 stories and connections
LINCOLN PARK & THE SCHOOL TOWNS
● Home / school◌ Friends / district○ Town context
━ Roads┄ Railways━ Waterways
Public places and town centers. Connections do not imply visits or attendance.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Local extract, 21 Oct 2026 · School pins also use Wikidata / Wikipedia.
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Places · Rob's account
Hometown
Home in a borough with no high school of its own.
Lincoln Park was my hometown. I went to Morris Catholic in Denville, and my public-school friends were at Morris Knolls and Morris Hills.
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Local history · Sourced history
19th century
A former name survives in the borough's historical society and local memory.
Lincoln Park's earlier identity was Beavertown. The Morris Canal linked this small settlement to a much larger industrial network. The borough's historical society preserves the area's artifacts and records.
Local history · Sourced history
Morris Canal · opened 1831
Inclined Plane 10 East, Lock 14 East and the Pompton River aqueduct.
The Morris Canal used water-powered inclined planes to move boats over northern New Jersey's hills. At Lincoln Park, Plane 10 East, Lock 14 East and the Pompton River aqueduct were part of that system.
The aqueduct connected Lincoln Park with Mountain View. Beyond Lock 14 East lay the long level stretch toward Bloomfield. These are historical connections; the map's present-day waterways are not a reconstruction of the entire vanished canal.
Places · Sourced history
141 Main Street
Lincoln Park History Museum and the local historical society.
The museum preserves local heritage through objects and records concerning the Morris Canal, railroads, Native American artifacts and the borough's development. It is a starting point for exploring how the town changed.
Local history · Sourced history
1922 · 1960s
A municipal history records the town's changing scale.
Lincoln Park's police department was established by ordinance on July 10, 1922. Its own history describes the transformation from a small farming community to a rapidly expanding borough in the 1960s.
Places · Sourced history
Lincoln Park
A civic gathering place with its own summer swimming tradition.
Lincoln Park Community Lake is a borough recreation facility. The municipal Dolphins swim team uses both a 25-yard short course and a 50-meter long course here. This is town context, not a claim that Rob swam on the team.
Places · Sourced history
Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park Airport adds aviation to the borough's transport geography.
A mapped public landmark in the northern part of the borough. Its place here is geographic context; it does not imply a flight, lesson or visit by Rob.
View the mapped airfield ↗Places · Sourced history
Montclair-Boonton Line
A hometown stop on the railway running through this portfolio.
NJ Transit places Lincoln Park station at Main Street and Comly Road. It connects the borough to the Montclair-Boonton Line, the same rail corridor that anchors the existing hometown and school chapters.
People & alumni · Sourced history
Lincoln Park resident
The Twin Peaks composer’s local connection.
Badalamenti lived in Lincoln Park.
People & alumni · Sourced history
Food invention · 1961 patent
Pop Rocks, Tang, Cool Whip and quick-set gelatin.
Mitchell lists Lincoln Park as his residence on the 1961 gasified-confection patent, alongside co-inventor Leon Kremzner. His food inventions include the products listed above. The documented local tie is his residence, not proof that each product was invented in the borough.
Local history · Sourced history
Township formed 14 April 1913
Lenape travel routes, canal commerce, railways and a downtown crossroads.
The congressional centennial tribute describes the area's Lenape travel and camping history and the later importance of the canal and railways. Denville became a separate township in 1913, formed from Rockaway Township.
Main Street, Broadway and Diamond Spring Road form the historic commercial meeting point. The town's transport history offers context for its familiar nickname, the Hub of Morris County.
Local history · Sourced history
Rockaway River · Diamond Spring Road
Industrial traces remain around the former E. C. Peer store.
Denville's environmental resource inventory identifies surviving aqueduct bases in the Rockaway River behind the historic E. C. Peer store site. The same document traces the canal's role in the region's development.
Places · Sourced history
Morris & Essex · Montclair-Boonton
Two rail corridors meet in the high-school town.
NJ Transit identifies Denville as a station on both the Morris & Essex and Montclair-Boonton lines. This is railway geography, not an assertion about a particular daily school commute.
School & friends · CV record
Rob's school
Principal's Honors, National Honor Society, Spanish Club Chairman.
Rob's CV records Morris Catholic High School, 2008, with Principal's Honors, National Honor Society and Spanish Club Chairman.
The school dates its founding to 1957 under Bishop McNulty and identifies the Sisters of Christian Charity as a presence from the beginning.
Open the school chapter on the CV ↗Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
School & friends · Sourced history
1849 → 1873 → 1957
Sisters of Christian Charity: Paderborn, the Americas and Morris Catholic.
Pauline von Mallinckrodt founded the congregation in Paderborn, Germany, in 1849. Work with poor children and children who were blind was central to its beginnings.
During the Kulturkampf, government closures disrupted the Sisters' German schools. Sisters began a New Orleans mission in 1873, followed by other American foundations and a motherhouse in Wilkes-Barre.
Morris Catholic's own history places the Sisters at the school from its founding in 1957. Their educational presence later gained another chapter: Assumption College for Sisters moved from Mendham to the Morris Catholic campus in summer 2015.
School & friends · Sourced history
Public-school district context
Boonton is the sending relationship; Rob attended Morris Catholic.
Lincoln Park operates elementary and middle schools. Its district directs new residents in grades 9–12 to establish residency for entry into Boonton High School. Other county and academy options are also listed.
Morris Knolls and Morris Hills belong to the neighboring Morris Hills Regional District. Rob's connection to those schools is through friends, not attendance or Lincoln Park's ordinary sending relationship.
School & friends · Rob's recollection
Morris Knolls · Morris Hills
A social map that reached beyond Morris Catholic.
My public-school friends were at Morris Knolls and Morris Hills instead of my own district. Lincoln Park had no high school!
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
School & friends · Rob's recollection + district record
Friends' school · Denville
One branch of the public-school friendship network.
Rob identifies Morris Knolls as a school attended by public-school friends. The regional district identifies Denville as part of the Morris Knolls attendance area.
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
School & friends · Rob's recollection + district record
Friends' school · Rockaway
Another branch of the friendship network, in the same regional district.
Rob also identifies friends at Morris Hills. It and Morris Knolls form the Morris Hills Regional District, serving communities including Denville, Rockaway and Wharton.
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Remembrance · Sourced history
A teacher remembered
Teacher, writer, librarian. A memorial and documented account of the case.
Morris Catholic's National English Honor Society chapter bears Judith Novellino's name. The school's tribute remembers her love of writing, the stories and poetry she shared, and her work as librarian and International Club moderator.
Enter the memorial ↗People & alumni · Sourced history
Alumna · class of 1972
A former student whose case became a landmark in end-of-life decisions.
Quinlan attended Morris Catholic and graduated in 1972. On March 31, 1976, the New Jersey Supreme Court decided In re Quinlan, permitting withdrawal of her respirator under the conditions set out in the opinion.
Her parents founded Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice in 1980. The family's hospice history connects that work to their experience seeking care and making decisions for their daughter.
People & alumni · Sourced history
Former student · film
The Dreamers, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Boardwalk Empire.
Pitt attended Morris Catholic before his acting career. He is included as a former student; this entry does not imply that he graduated.
People & alumni · Sourced history
Alumna · basketball
From Morris Catholic to Rider's scoring record and the WNBA.
Rider University's profile identifies Morris Catholic as Johnson's high school and records her 2,167 career points, a women's basketball record at Rider. She later played in the WNBA.
People & alumni · Sourced history
Alumna · class of 1973
Public service in economic development, planning and international trade.
A Morris Catholic graduate whose career has included New York City planning leadership and federal Treasury and Commerce roles.
People & alumni · Sourced history
Alumnus · class of 1992
NFL special-teams coach and former Rams interim head coach.
Fassel graduated from Morris Catholic in 1992. His coaching career includes leading NFL special teams and serving as the Rams' interim head coach in 2016.
People & alumni · Sourced history
Alumni · words and language
Authors in the school's wider alumni story.
The school's alumni overview includes writers Peter Payack and Paul JJ Payack. Paul founded Global Language Monitor.
Teachers · Rob's recollection
Morris Catholic
Named by Rob as an influential teacher.
Remembered by Rob de la Teja as an influential teacher at Morris Catholic.
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Teachers · Rob's recollection
Morris Catholic
A shared love of reading, across many disagreements.
Remembered by Rob de la Teja as an influential teacher at Morris Catholic.
Read the memorial ↗Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Teachers · Rob's recollection
Morris Catholic
Named by Rob as an influential teacher.
Remembered by Rob de la Teja as an influential teacher at Morris Catholic.
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Teachers · Rob's recollection
Morris Catholic
Named by Rob as an influential teacher.
Remembered by Rob de la Teja as an influential teacher at Morris Catholic.
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Teachers · Rob's recollection
Morris Catholic
Named by Rob as an influential teacher.
Remembered by Rob de la Teja as an influential teacher at Morris Catholic.
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Teachers · Rob's recollection
Morris Catholic
Named by Rob as an influential teacher.
Remembered by Rob de la Teja as an influential teacher at Morris Catholic.
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Teachers · Rob's recollection
Morris Catholic
Named by Rob as an influential teacher.
Remembered by Rob de la Teja as an influential teacher at Morris Catholic.
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Teachers · Rob's recollection
Emerson College
Named by Rob as an influential professor at Emerson.
Remembered by Rob de la Teja as an influential professor at Emerson College.
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Teachers · Rob's recollection
Emerson College
Named by Rob as an influential professor at Emerson.
Remembered by Rob de la Teja as an influential professor at Emerson College.
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Teachers · Rob's recollection
Emerson College
Named by Rob as an influential professor at Emerson.
Remembered by Rob de la Teja as an influential professor at Emerson College.
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Teachers · Rob's recollection
Emerson College
An influential professor, remembered. Professional tribute and obituary links.
Remembered by Rob de la Teja as an influential professor at Emerson College.
Read the memorial ↗Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Teachers · Rob's recollection
Emerson College
An influential professor, remembered. Professional tribute and obituary links.
Remembered by Rob de la Teja as an influential professor at Emerson College.
Read the memorial ↗Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Teachers · Rob's recollection
Emerson College
Named by Rob as an influential professor at Emerson.
Remembered by Rob de la Teja as an influential professor at Emerson College.
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Teachers · Rob's recollection
Emerson College
Named by Rob as an influential professor at Emerson.
Remembered by Rob de la Teja as an influential professor at Emerson College.
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Teachers · Rob's recollection
Emerson College
Named by Rob as an influential professor at Emerson.
Remembered by Rob de la Teja as an influential professor at Emerson College.
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Teachers · Rob's recollection
Emerson College
Named by Rob as an influential professor at Emerson.
Remembered by Rob de la Teja as an influential professor at Emerson College.
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Teachers · Rob's recollection
Emerson College
Named by Rob as an influential professor at Emerson.
Remembered by Rob de la Teja as an influential professor at Emerson College.
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Teachers · Rob's recollection
Emerson College
Named by Rob as an influential professor at Emerson.
Remembered by Rob de la Teja as an influential professor at Emerson College.
Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
School & friends · CV record + Rob’s recollection
Boston · journalism · 2012
The college chapter and the professors who helped shape it.
Rob’s CV records a BS in Journalism in 2012, with minors in Visual & Media Arts and Business Studies. He names the professors below as influential in his Emerson years.
Read the college chapter ↗Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Early work · From Rob’s CV
2021 to present
Horror stories begun in 2020; a portfolio site launched in 2021.
In September 2020, inspired by the personal and global horrors surrounding me, I started writing short horror stories as a hobby. They picked up something of a cult following, and by the end of 2021 I launched PulpMacabre.com to share portfolio samples of the work. The end goal is a two-to-three-book publishing contract: the collection Pulp Macabre first, then the novel Blood & Wine, which is still in the works.
Visit Pulp Macabre ↗Read the CV chapter ↗Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Early work · From Rob’s CV
2022 to present
Wine education, satire and editorial independence.
Natty Wine Rag came out of my appreciation for wine education and my distaste for pretension in the industry. The goal: intermediate-to-advanced wine knowledge, delivered with more satire and a wider world view than my contemporaries, without ever getting the facts wrong.
Visit Natty Wine Rag ↗Read the CV chapter ↗Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Early work · From Rob’s CV
2010 to 2018
DigBoston, Eleven Magazine PDX, Music Times and Uncocktail.
During my freshman year, half the local newspapers in the United States went bankrupt. Before that I got to interview a lot of cool artists and musicians, review films and nightlife, and write a few editorials about censorship and streaming media that turned out to be prophetic.
Read the journalism record ↗Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Early work · Rob’s portfolio
The earlier homepage
An introduction, a CV and links to fiction and wine writing.
The earlier personal site connects the writing and CV. It is a digital starting point for the portfolio that grew into this atlas.
Visit robteja.com ↗What AI made possible ↗Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Early work · Sourced history
New York · from Rob’s CV
Bartending, events, delivery, trivia and the move into wine.
Service taught me that being merely good is never enough. Maintaining the atmosphere matters more than mixology. The work is never as easy as it looks.
Open the service chapter ↗Early work · From Rob’s CV
2013 to 2014
Trivia
Trivia, 2013 to 2014. Recorded in Rob’s service-industry CV. This chapter connects the work to the larger story; no unconfirmed branch or street address is pinned to the hometown map.
Read the service chapter ↗Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Early work · From Rob’s CV
2013 to 2015
Events
Events, 2013 to 2015. Recorded in Rob’s service-industry CV. This chapter connects the work to the larger story; no unconfirmed branch or street address is pinned to the hometown map.
Read the service chapter ↗Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Early work · From Rob’s CV
2015
Delivery
Delivery, 2015. Recorded in Rob’s service-industry CV. This chapter connects the work to the larger story; no unconfirmed branch or street address is pinned to the hometown map.
Read the service chapter ↗Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Early work · From Rob’s CV
2015
Bartender
Bartender, 2015. Recorded in Rob’s service-industry CV. This chapter connects the work to the larger story; no unconfirmed branch or street address is pinned to the hometown map.
Read the service chapter ↗Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Early work · From Rob’s CV
2016
Bartender
Bartender, 2016. Recorded in Rob’s service-industry CV. This chapter connects the work to the larger story; no unconfirmed branch or street address is pinned to the hometown map.
Read the service chapter ↗Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Early work · From Rob’s CV
2016
Bartender
Bartender, 2016. Recorded in Rob’s service-industry CV. This chapter connects the work to the larger story; no unconfirmed branch or street address is pinned to the hometown map.
Read the service chapter ↗Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Early work · From Rob’s CV
2019
Sommelier
Sommelier, 2019. Recorded in Rob’s service-industry CV. This chapter connects the work to the larger story; no unconfirmed branch or street address is pinned to the hometown map.
Read the service chapter ↗Personal account: Rob de la Teja, his supplied CV or his notes of 21 October 2026.
Reset the search to return to the full collection.
THE STORY KEEPS GOING
The hometown map opens into the later writing and service years. Digital projects and New York jobs remain connected chapters, with their own dates and locations.
Explore the early portfolio ↗Return to the full atlas ↗