Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park

Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park Preserving & interpreting Paterson NJ's natural splendor, rich history, & industrial innovation
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Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park is one of the newest units of the National Park Service...and the newest in New Jersey.

There are some new faces around the park! Please help us give a warm welcome to our new seasonals, Charley and Zach! The...
06/09/2026

There are some new faces around the park! Please help us give a warm welcome to our new seasonals, Charley and Zach! They joined our team last week and have already become valuable staff members as they learn the history of Paterson and park operations. 👋
Read their bios here:

Hello! My name is Zach. I have spent most of my life in Wisconsin, growing up in Madison and attending school at UW Eau Claire. I am currently attaining my graduate degree in public history at Loyola University Chicago where my interests primarily lay in 19 and 20th century U.S history. I have always had a passion for historical interpretation and preservation, and I am excited to contribute and share the rich history that lays within Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park.

Hello! My name is Charley and this is my first season working for the National Park Service. I have a passion for geology and nature and combining those two made the NPS a perfect opportunity for me. I have my B.S. in Geology from the University of Akron in Ohio, where I have spent my entire adult life. I am excited for this season at Paterson Greats Falls NHP and can't wait to learn the local history and the amazing rock formations around the park.

📸: NPS
1. Rangers Charley and Zach standing together in front of Paterson Great Falls. They are both wearing green National Park Service polo shirts.
2. Ranger Zach standing in front of Paterson Great Falls.
3. Ranger Charley standing in front of Paterson Great Falls.

Our America Untold community art making event starts on 6/19, which is fittingly Juneteenth, which marks abolition of sl...
06/08/2026

Our America Untold community art making event starts on 6/19, which is fittingly Juneteenth, which marks abolition of slavery in 1865. That anniversary is relevant to our event, as we are hoping to showcase the lesser-told stories of Paterson and American history, like those of Black Americans and women.

Paterson was home to William Van-Rensalier, a Black engineer who helped enslaved people escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad. He's memorialized alongside fellow abolitionist Josiah Huntoon at the Huntoon & Van Rensalier Historic Site in downtown Paterson. Come to the event to learn more about his story and others.

Community Art-Marking Weekends: June 19-21, June 27-28
Showcase Weekend: June 27-28, 9:30am-4pm

📸: 1.) VIP Terry Mckenna, 2.) NPS
Image description:
1. A statue of two men, William Van-Rensalier and Josiah Huntoon, holding lanterns. The inscription below them says "Bridge Street to Freedom."
2. A flyer for the America Untold event on June 19-21 and June 27-28.

On a rainy afternoon 50 years ago today, President Gerald Ford designated the Paterson Great Falls as a national histori...
06/06/2026

On a rainy afternoon 50 years ago today, President Gerald Ford designated the Paterson Great Falls as a national historic landmark. In his speech, Ford remarked that "the industrial history of Great Falls goes back to the first years of our nation. And this engineering achievement embodied our most basic political and economic goals: independence and prosperity." A crowd of 6,000 people gathered around the falls to listen to the President's speech on this special occasion.

📸: Paterson Museum
Image description:
A black-and-white photograph of President Gerald Ford standing in front of the Great Falls at a presidential podium. Other officials are seated on either side of him.

Mark your calendars for our upcoming event! To celebrate America's 250th birthday, America Untold invites community memb...
06/01/2026

Mark your calendars for our upcoming event! To celebrate America's 250th birthday, America Untold invites community members to create and display art inspired by untold stories that helped shape our nation.

Submit: Drawings, Paintings, Sculptures, Poems, and Short Stories
Themes: Heritage, Innovation, Industrial History, Natural World, and Sports.

Community Art-Marking Weekends: June 19-21, June 27-28
Showcase Weekend: June 27-28, 9:30am-4pm
Featuring artwork by local high school artists.

📸: NPS
Image description:
A flyer for the America Untold event on June 19-21 and June 27-28. All text is included in the caption.

The 11th annual Earth Day Cleanup and Science Expo was a resounding success! In partnership with the Passaic Valley Sewa...
05/29/2026

The 11th annual Earth Day Cleanup and Science Expo was a resounding success! In partnership with the Passaic Valley Sewage Commission and Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, the park hosted 206 Paterson 4th grade students to pick up litter and then students participated in a variety of hands-on activities from a number of different science educators. 🌏🌎🌍

Many thanks to the organizations who provided STEM activities during the science expo: Thomas Edison NHP, Morristown NHP, Passaic Valley Sewage Commission, Passaic Valley Warer Commission, Great Swamp Watershed Association, The Paterson Museum, Fair Lawn Amateur Radio Club, Belinda Education Group for Science and Technology, NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory Solar System Ambassadors, Paterson P-Tech Planetarium, Americorps Watershed Ambassador, Passaic County Technical Institute Environmental Club, Ramapo College STEM Center, Carollo Engineers, and Paterson Great Falls Staff and Volunteers. 🤝⚗️💡

Additional thanks to Hamilton Partnership for Paterson for providing bussing for over half of the students! 🚍

📸: NPS
Image description:
1. Students and chaperones carrying garbage bags and pickers along a paved path with green trees and hills in the background under a blue sky.
2. Ranger Tylor and a student volunteer standing next to an NPS vehicle with garbage bags piled in the truck bed.
3. Two students carrying garbage bags while a third student bends down to pick up trash on the ground.
4. A group of students gathered around Ranger Ernie in an NPS vehicle.
5. Students gathered around an EnviroScape pollution model, being taught by a Passaic County Technical Institute student.
6. Several students participating in a water filtration activity run by Carollo Engineers in front of the Great Falls.

It's fledgling season! Our rangers noticed a robins' nest with three hatchlings in it earlier this month and now the bab...
05/21/2026

It's fledgling season! Our rangers noticed a robins' nest with three hatchlings in it earlier this month and now the babies have left the nest. Join us on Saturday, May 23 at 10 a.m. for a ranger-led bird walk to see how many species we can spot! 🪺🐣

📸: NPS
Image description:
1. Three hatchling robins with downy feathers sitting in a nest among green leaves.
2. A young fledgling robin perched on a branch. The young bird has mottled dark spotting on its chest with some orange feathers coming in.

Three years ago today, Hinchliffe Stadium reopened after 26 years. This historic stadium was built in 1932 and was home ...
05/19/2026

Three years ago today, Hinchliffe Stadium reopened after 26 years. This historic stadium was built in 1932 and was home to several Negro League baseball teams. Paterson's own Larry Doby played there and then went on to become the first Black player in the American League of the MLB, just months after Jackie Robinson joined the National League. Since its reopening, Hinchliffe has become the home field for the New York Cosmos soccer team, New Jersey Jackals baseball team, and Jersey Shore Wave football team, in addition to hosting high school teams and other community events. ⚽⚾🏈🏆

📸: NPS
Image description:
(Left to right) Former Northeast Regional Director Gay Vietzke, former NPS Director Chuck Sams, mascot Jack the Jackal, Mayor Andre Sayegh and Superintendent Darren Boch pose on the stadium field in front of crowds in the stands.

Let's see SUM (some) birds! These northern rough-winged swallows sitting on the wrought-iron Society for Establishing Us...
05/11/2026

Let's see SUM (some) birds! These northern rough-winged swallows sitting on the wrought-iron Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures sign are just some of the species rangers have been seeing around the park. Join us on one of our upcoming family-friendly ranger-led bird walks. 🐦🦅🦆

Paterson Great Falls Bird Walk Schedule:
Mark your calendars for our upcoming bird walks!
-Spring Migration – Saturday, May 23, 10-11 A.M.
-Late Spring Migration – Sunday, June 14, 10-11 A.M.
-Summer Birds – Saturday, July 18, 10-11 A.M.
Meet at Overlook Park, 72 McBride Ave Ext. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Some binoculars will be available to borrow.

📸: NPS
Image description:
1. Two brown northern rough-winged swallows perching on a decorative wrought-iron sign that says S.U.M. The birds are facing away from the camera and the river is below them.
2. A flier for upcoming bird walks at Paterson Great Falls - 5/23, 6/14, and 7/18. All the text is included in the caption.

The Quarry Lawn, a 2.5-acre expansion of the park opened to the public this Wednesday, May 6. Park Superintendent Darren...
05/11/2026

The Quarry Lawn, a 2.5-acre expansion of the park opened to the public this Wednesday, May 6. Park Superintendent Darren Boch, Congresswoman Nellie Pou, and Mayor Andre Sayegh were among the speakers who helped usher in this new park built in partnership with the City of Paterson and the National Park Service. Come visit this historic area that has taken many forms over the years — from a mountain that was quarried for building material to a bustling hub of mills and now a tranquil place to enjoy nature.

📸: NPS
Image description:
1. State, city, and NPS officials and community members holding a red ribbon to mark the opening of the new park. Mayor Sayegh is holding a pair of large scissors in the middle of the group.
2. Superintendent Darren Boch speaking at a National Park Service podium in front of a crowd of people with the New Jersey state flag behind him.
3. Rangers Michael and Ilyse wearing their flat hats standing with their backs to the camera with people gathering in the Quarry Lawn in the background.
4. Ruins of a brick building surrounded by green trees and a paved walkway.
5. The paved walkway through the Quarry Lawn leading to the stabilized ruins of the mills and seating areas for visitors.

Address

72 McBride Avenue Extension
Paterson, NJ
07501ORUSEGPSCOORDINATES-N40.91533°W74.17992°

Telephone

+19735230370

Website

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