Great Falls (Passaic River)
Paterson Great
Falls National Historical Park | |
U.S. National Historical Park | |
![]() The Great Falls of the Passaic River. | |
Location | Paterson, New Jersey |
---|---|
Coordinates | 40°54′58″N 74°10′54″W / 40.91611°N 74.18167°W |
Website | Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park |
NRHP reference No. | 70000391[1] (original) 86001507[2] (increase) |
NJRHP No. | 2383[3] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | April 14, 1970 |
Boundary increase | August 14, 1986 |
Designated NHLD | May 11, 1976[4] |
Designated NHP | November 7, 2011 |
Designated NJRHP | May 27, 1971 |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/PAGR_GREAT_FALLS_RAINBOW.jpg/220px-PAGR_GREAT_FALLS_RAINBOW.jpg)
The Great Falls of the Passaic River is a prominent waterfall, 77 feet (23 m) high, on the Passaic River in the city of Paterson in Passaic County, New Jersey. The falls and surrounding area are protected as part of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, administered by the National Park Service. The Congress authorized its establishment in 2009.[5]
One of the
History
Formation and early history
The falls later became the site of a habitation of the historic
Industrial development
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/Hamilton_by_Franklin_Simmons_Paterson_NJ.jpg/220px-Hamilton_by_Franklin_Simmons_Paterson_NJ.jpg)
In 1778,
Hamilton commissioned
In 1812, this was the site of the state's first
Workers were exploited, especially new immigrants from Europe, who often did not speak English. They began to seek better working conditions. The industrial area became the site of labor unrest, and it was a center for the 1913 Paterson silk strike. Facing harsh conditions in factories, immigrant workers staged numerous strikes during and after the Great War, adding to social tensions of the time. They organized the first labor movements in the United States.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/PownallPassaicFalls.jpg/220px-PownallPassaicFalls.jpg)
The SUM society continued operation until 1945, when its charter and property were sold to the city of Paterson. The area fell into disuse during a period of restructuring that resulted in a steep decline of industry in the region during the mid to late 20th century. In 1971, concerned residents established the Great Falls Preservation and Development Corporation to restore and redevelop the historic mill buildings and raceways as artifacts of industrial history.
Great Falls State Park
The State of New Jersey announced plans for a new urban state park in Paterson surrounding the Great Falls, called Great Falls State Park, in 2007.[13] The master plan for the park called for utilizing surrounding industrial areas for parklands that include a trail network and recreation areas, and creating new areas to view the falls. These plans were superseded by the establishment of Great Falls National Historical Park.
National Historical Park
On March 30, 2009, President Obama signed the
Viewing the falls
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Great_Falls_of_the_Passaic_River%2C_April_18%2C_2007.jpg/220px-Great_Falls_of_the_Passaic_River%2C_April_18%2C_2007.jpg)
The Falls are viewable from Haines Overlook Park on the south and Mary Ellen Kramer Park on the north. Drive-by viewing is available from McBride Avenue where it crosses the river just above the Falls. A footbridge over the Falls gorge (historically, the eighth such bridge to span this chasm) also serves as an outlook point. A visitor's center at the corner of Spruce and McBride avenues, in the Great Falls Historic District, provides a historical overview of the falls and the industrial and cultural history of Paterson.[citation needed] A record 177,000 visitors went to the Great Falls in 2016.[17]
National Natural Landmark
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Great_Falls_of_the_Passaic_River_after_Hurricane_Irene.jpg/220px-Great_Falls_of_the_Passaic_River_after_Hurricane_Irene.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/PAGR_NEW_Amphiteater.jpg/220px-PAGR_NEW_Amphiteater.jpg)
The Great Falls of Paterson – Garret Mountain is a
Hydroelectric facility
The
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/A_Cloudy_Day_at_Paterson_Great_Falls_National_Historical_Park.jpg/220px-A_Cloudy_Day_at_Paterson_Great_Falls_National_Historical_Park.jpg)
The Great Falls hydroelectric plant has three Kaplan type turbines with a total capacity of 10.95 Mwe. Flow through each turbine is 710 cfs, with a total flow of 2,130 cfs, 1,377 MGD. Three 8.5' diameter penstocks feed the turbines, with a velocity 12.5 ft/sec and 8.5 mph.
In popular culture
The unique history of the Great Falls and the city were described in the five-volume philosophical poem Paterson by William Carlos Williams. Among the episodes described in Williams' poem is the 1827 leap over the falls by Sam Patch, who later became the first known person to perform a stunt at Niagara Falls. The 2016 film Paterson, directed by Jim Jarmusch, is partly inspired by the works of Williams and features the falls as a primary location.
The Great Falls were also featured in the pilot of the HBO crime drama The Sopranos, as well as in the series' sixth episode, in which Mikey Palmice and another associate throw a drug dealer off the bridge and into the falls to his death.
See also
- List of waterfalls
- List of National Natural Landmarks in New Jersey
- Garret Mountain Reservation
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Passaic County, New Jersey
- Paterson Museum and Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works
- Old Great Falls Historic District
- Lambert Castle
References
- ^ "National Register Information System – Great Falls of Paterson/S.U.M. Historic District (#70000391)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ "National Register Information System – Great Falls of the Passaic and Society for Useful Manufactures Historic District (Boundary Increase) (#86001507)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Passaic County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. July 15, 2022. p. 7.
- ^ "Great Falls of the Passaic Society for Useful Manufacturing HD". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. June 23, 2008. Archived from the original on March 8, 2008. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
- ^ a b c d 111th U.S. Congress. "Public Law 111-11 § 7001(b)(1)(B)" (PDF). Retrieved August 20, 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "NPS NNL Summary for Great Falls and Garret Mountain". Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
- ^ "Great Falls State Park". Archived from the original on March 30, 2009. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
- ^ Herb Jackson. "Paterson prepares for President Obama's visit today". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ "Great Falls Raceway & Power System". American Society of Civil Engineers. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ Goldberger, Paul (August 3, 2009), "Facelift The Falls", The New Yorker, p. 23, retrieved January 1, 2022
- ISBN 9785877307438.
- ^ "A history of Paterson NJ". Patersonhistory.com. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ "NJDEP-Parks and Forests". Nj.gov. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ Ed Murray/The Star-Ledger (March 31, 2009). "Great Falls in Paterson becomes national park with Obama's signature". NJ.com. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ Mroz, Jacqueline (March 27, 2009). "The Great Falls: Power for Another Revolution?". New York Times. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
- ^ Adam Fetcher (November 7, 2011). "Salazar, City Officials Sign Agreement to Establish Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park". Retrieved November 7, 2011.
- ^ Rahman, Jayed (March 30, 2017). "Paterson's Great Falls sees record number of visitors". The Paterson Times. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
- ^ "Great Falls of Paterson-Garret Mountain". National Park Service. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
- ^ O'Neill, James M. (September 5, 2014). "UnitedWater att Dundee Dam". The Record. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
- ^ O'Neill, James M. (September 5, 2014). "Hydro operator at Paterson's Great Falls weighs putting new hydro project at Dundee Dam". The Record. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park
- National Park Service: On Designation of the Area as part of the National Park System
- Paterson Friends of the Great Falls
- Passaic County, NJ Archived February 5, 2021, at the Wayback Machine Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders
- Hamilton Partnership for Paterson
- From Local Landmark to National Site