Paterson Great Falls: New Jersey’s Hidden Gem of American Industrial and Natural History

(PATERSON, NJ) — Did you know that Alexander Hamilton was the founding father of a city in New Jersey? In the heart of urban Paterson, New Jersey lies the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park.

Hamilton recognized the potential of the Great Falls in 1791, envisioning it as a center for America’s Industrial Revolution. Long before this, however, the Lenape people, a native American tribe, had discovered the Great Falls, which served as both a sacred site and a place of gathering. Captain Arent Schuyler was the first European explorer to record the Falls’ existence in 1679. Inspired by the Great Falls’ energy, Hamilton founded the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures (SUM) to promote U.S. industrialization. The SUM acquired land around the Great Falls, leading to a system of canals and waterwheels to power local industry. By 1794, America’s first water-powered cotton spinning mill was operational, and the area soon became a major industrial hub, producing goods like locomotives and textiles.

Today, the Great Falls remains a symbol of America’s industrial history and attracts nearly 300,000 visitors annually. Emma St. John, a ranger at the Great Falls says, “We have this amazing natural beauty that people don’t expect to exist right in the middle of the city and we definitely just want to keep getting bigger and better.”