Silk City

Exploring new places can bring some unexpected and delightful experiences.

In 1983 I transferred with Hewlett-Packard Company from Mountain View, California, to HP’s division in Rockaway, New Jersey.  The HR department helped with many of the challenges of temporary lodging, then finding a home.

There was a newcomer’s package provided.  One of the brochures in the package was a guide to points of interest in New Jersey.  The guide divided New Jersey into six regions. I found it a great read, just to know more about the state.

I was born on the Jersey Shore, at Ocean City. We had moved away as my father rejoined the Army a few years after serving in WWII. Yet for summers we returned for vacations on the shore at Ocean City and Cape May, where my parents had met. I felt familiar with that part of the state.

That left the other five sections to explore. I set off when I had free time on weekends, using the guide as a checklist.

The guide included Great Falls on the Passaic River at Paterson.  Waterfalls are always fun to see, so in the early spring of 1984 I planned a sightseeing swing into that eastern part of the state with the Great Falls as one stop.  I found a spot to park then ambled along a rough but paved path to the viewing area for the falls.  The falls spilled and splashed over a ledge of modest height on the right, tumbled along a narrow notch past the viewpoint and emerged to resume in a placid flow down the river to the left.

The Great Falls were modest compared to some of the better-known falls.  Yet when Alexander Hamilton visited, he recognized the significance of the falls as a power source. Paterson emerged at its peak as the second largest industrial center of the early United States, I had heard.

I was alone in the area at first and snapped a few shots of the falls and did a quick look around.  To the left were some industrial buildings along the river. Across the river on a wooded hillside there was a large and imposing building quite apart from everything else.

Before I had decided to walk back to my car, an older man arrived, looking down river in something of a nostalgic manner.  I said “hi” and added something about it being a nice day for taking in the view.  He replied “yes, I’ve been coming here for 40 years.” I asked if he had been born in Paterson, and indeed, he had been. I recall that his career had been a solid and reliable one in this city that was distressed in so many ways. 

His eyes scanned again along the river, and he continued his comments. “Did you know that once most of those buildings were silk mills?  This was known as Silk City, USA, yes sir, Silk City!  See that castle up on the hillside?  That’s the Lambert Castle.  Lambert was one of the silk barons.”

He turned to look again downriver and pointed.  “Down there they built the first steam locomotive made in the United States.  And the first submarine was built right here in Paterson along this river.”  Hi voice carried a quiet pride for his town.

He looked at the ground for a moment. “Back in the early days, this wasn’t paved like this”, as he looked at the path. “It was all weeds.” He waved his hand briefly to indicated about waist high around him.  “I liked to come out here in the winter.  The mist from the falls would drift onto the weeds and freeze. When they were coated with ice, they were beautiful.  I’d take pictures.  I still have the photographs.”  He stopped and gazed along the river again. Then he turned back to me, nodded, and wished me a good day as he strolled off.

I visited many places during my quest to learn more about New Jersey, most now forgotten.  Yet this stop at the Great Falls remains etched vividly in my mind. Paterson at that time had long declined and was one of the most impoverished cities of our country.  Yet this man carried in his heart, and shared, his enduring fondness for the good memories and proud history of his home.

Epilogue

When Cheryl and I had our first date at the coffee bar of the Barnes and Noble Bookstore, I mentioned that I had lived for a while in New Jersey.  She replied that her Dad had been in the Navy and the family lived in Paterson for a short time.  I was glad I could share this story with her.