Essex County Park System Archives

06/02/2026

The Essex County Visual Arts Installation at the State Teen Arts Festival

06/01/2026

Guess the park! Can you guess what park is featured in this historic photo? Come back on Wednesday to find out!

05/29/2026

Archives 101: What is an accession number? An accession number is a unique number assigned to each accession that is used to organize the records and to track them. They are often based on the year of the accession followed by a sequential numbering system.

05/28/2026

It Came From Within the Archives! (Throw-back Thursday) Did you know that, during World War II, parts of Essex County Riverbank Park, Weequahic Park, and the Branch Brook Extension were occupied by the United States Army? As early as December 1941, areas were utilized by the Area Control Air Defense contingent of the Coast Artillery Division. While full public access to Branch Brook and Riverbank Parks was restored before the end of the war in 1945, portions of Weequahic Park remained under military control into the 1950s. After the war it was primarily used to provide urgently needed housing for returning veterans and their families.

05/27/2026

It's Essex County Veterans Memorial Park! This park is in Newark and is one of our newest parks, having only opened in 2009. For more information on Veterans Memorial Park, visit our website: https://essexcountyparks.org/parks/veterans-memorial-park

05/26/2026

05/25/2026

Guess the park! Can you guess what park is featured in this historic photo? Come back on Wednesday to find out!

05/22/2026

Archives 101: What is a record series? As noted by AASLH, a record series is a group of records that logically belong together, are filed and maintained together, and serve the same function. The collection of the Parks Archives has several record series, such as the building specifications seen in this photo.

05/21/2026

It Came From Within the Archives! (Throw-back Thursday) Did you know that, at one time, deer were brought into Essex County South Mountain Reservation? As this 1907 Annual Report tells us, a deer paddock, complete with fencing, was built within the Reservation and eight fallow deer were purchased to inhabit it. According to the Annual Report, the fallow deer were chosen because they were less shy than the red deer indigenous to the area.

05/21/2026

It's Essex County Verona Park in Verona. The photo is from the 1964 Annual Report. For more info on Verona Park, visit our website: https://essexcountyparks.org/parks/verona-park