Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park - Paterson NJ
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Don.Morfe
N 40° 54.895 W 074° 10.802
18T E 569049 N 4529635
The Great Falls of the Passaic River is a prominent waterfall, 77 feet high, on the Passaic River in the city of Paterson in Passaic County, New Jersey. The falls and surrounding area are protected by Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park.
Waymark Code: WM178YZ
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 01/04/2023
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member Mark1962
Views: 2

From Wikipedia

"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.

One of the United States' largest waterfalls, it played a significant role in the early industrial development of New Jersey starting in the earliest days of the nation. It is part of the Great Falls of Paterson–Garret Mountain National Natural Landmark. It has also been designated as a National Historic Landmark District since 1976. The Great Falls' raceway and power systems were designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark and a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1977.

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
In 1778, Alexander Hamilton visited the falls and was impressed by its potential for industry. Later when Hamilton was the nation's Secretary of Treasury, he selected the site of the nation's first planned industrial city, which he called a "national manufactory." In 1791, Hamilton helped found the Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.), a state-chartered private corporation to fulfill this vision. The town of Paterson was founded by the society and named after New Jersey Governor William Paterson, in appreciation of his efforts to promote the society.

Hamilton commissioned civil engineer Pierre Charles L'Enfant, responsible for the layout of the new capital at Washington, D.C., to design the system of canals known as raceways to supply the power for the watermills in the new town. As a result, Paterson became the nucleus for a burgeoning mill industry. In 1792, David Godwin was commissioned to build the first water-powered cotton spinning mill in New Jersey. He subsequently built the first dam on the falls; it was a structure made of wood."

(visit link)
Park Name: Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park

Historic/Cultural Park: yes

Natural Park: yes

Recreation Area: no

Wildlife Refuge: no

Park Website: [Web Link]

Type of Listing: Visitor Center

Fees in Local Currency: 0.00 (listed in local currency)

Dates of Access: From: 01/01/2023 To: 12/31/2023

Hiking: no

Camping: no

Bicycling: no

Horseback Riding: no

Off-Roading: no

Swimming: no

Snorkling/Scuba: no

Boating: no

Rock Climbing: no

Fishing: no

Other Park Type not listed above: Not listed

Other Type Detail: Not listed

Hours available: Not listed

Other Activities: Not listed

Visit Instructions:

A log will require a recent photograph at the coordinates. Some of these locations will be placed for the scenery, so a gpsr will just ruin the picture.

If you don't have a digital camera post a descriptive log.

Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest National Parks of the World
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
Don.Morfe visited Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park - Paterson NJ 01/05/2023 Don.Morfe visited it