The Great Falls Is Now A National Park!

On April 15th, Representative Bill Pascrell Jr., Senator Frank Lautenberg, Senator Bob Menendez and Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres held a community celebration to mark President Obama’s signing of the Omnibus Public Lands Act, which designated 35 acres of land surrounding the Great Falls as the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park. The 77-foot waterfall powered textile mills that gave Paterson its nickname, the Silk City.

Hundreds of people were in attendance including activists, members of the City Council, the Board of Education, the U.S. National Park Service, and city workers.

Notable Alexander Hamilton biographer Ron Chernow spoke, sharing stories on the founder of the City. Congressman Pascrell, Senator Lautenberg, Senator Menendez, Mayor Torres, and Congressman Rush Holt gathered to praise the teamwork of the many players. The passage of the legislation was also celebrated by Paterson natives Leonard Zax, Chairman of the NJCDC’s Hamilton Partnership and John Lawrence, Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. Their work in Washington, especially through partnership with the Department of Interior and the National Parks Service, honors the city of Paterson and its place in history as the site of America’s economic independence.

The Historic District surrounding the Great Falls is also home to New Jersey Community Development Corporation’s (NJCDC) headquarters, which is located in some of the refurbished buildings of the Rogers Locomotive Works, once the nation’s leading supplier of locomotives during the industrial revoloution.

Pascrell, a native Patersonian and former Mayor, whom many credited during the ceremony with getting the legislation passed, said the Great Falls represents the history of the people of Paterson.

This sentiment was echoed by Senator Lautenberg, another native of the Silk City. “This was a city of hopes and dreams, and a belief that in America you could succeed,” Lautenberg said. Officials hope the projects associated with the designation will bring hundreds of new jobs to the city.

After the press conference, NJCDC hosted a celebration at its headquarters located only one block from the Great Falls at 32 Spruce Street. While guests ate lunch and buzzed with excitement about Paterson’s future, Senator Lautenberg and John Lawrence recanted stories of the Falls and their families’ connections to the rich history and legacy of Paterson.