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On Main Street between Stiger and Bergen in Hackettstown now stands a CVS; the result of a long debate of what would become of the old Bergen Machine & Tool Co. which stood before it.  The story of the factory on Main begins with a company called American Sawmill Machinery which was founded in 1903. In their heyday they were the largest makers of circular sawmills in the country. The company is often confused with being an actual saw mill when in fact they manufactured sawmills for lumber businesses.  “During the 1950s the company used another name, American Woodworking Machinery Co., for marketing, presumably to de-emphasize their sawmill roots. This name should not be confused with the earlier, and larger, American Wood Working Machinery Co. The former name is associated with Hackettstown, NJ, and was used in the 1950s and possibly the early 1960s. The latter name is associated with Rochester, NY and Williamsport, PA (among others), and was active between 1897 and 1925.” http://vintagemachinery.org  An example of a machine made by them can be found here.  HACKETTSTOWN, NEW JERSEY, JULY 9, 1943   In 1955, a new player was in town, the Bergen Machine & Tool factory. They moved the manufacturing part of their company to Hackettstown on the old Sawmill site and kept the sales office and warehouse on Franklin Avenue in Nutley.  Bergen Machine and Tool years before demolition.   The company left New Jersey for Mountain Top, Pa., in 2003 and the building sat vacant.  In 2011, a broken water line that soaked and weakened support beams led to a portion of Bergen Tool building collapsing. After that the building began to suffer from vandalism and neglect.  In June of 2011 a new owner bought the building for $1.1 million who proposed demolition as the dilapidated building was beyond rehabilitation. Residents fought against demolition of the front building stating historical significance, but eventually the brick building came down. 
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Dutch traders first settled in Passaic in 1678 with the founding of a fur-trading post. After the river was dammed, industrial growth blossomed. Some of the most successful mills of New Jersey were built in Passaic. Many of them were German worsted mills. The town used to be full of European immigrants, which had come to fill the factories. In the 1970's came deindustrialization, which was pretty much the downfall of many American cities. Passaic would prove no better. The industrial section of the city of Passaic known as the lower Dundee, the east side neighborhood that runs along the bank of the Passaic, is filled with ruins of the cities legacy as an industrial powerhouse. I made my way down to the area to walk the streets where 15,000 woolen mill workers fought for the rights of workers in the Passaic textile Strike of 1926.  To continue reading the story please click here.....
Along the eastern edge of New Jersey lay the steep cliffs of the New Jersey Palisades/Hudson River Palisade which stretch north from Jersey City to Nyack, New York. Known for their vertical drop down to the Hudson River's edge they are approximately 300 feet high in Weehawken.  Source: http://www.weehawkenhistory.org/ Established in 1859, Weehawken is situated on the western shore of the Hudson River, along the southern end of the New Jersey Palisades.Weehawken was known as a town who used a wide varieties of methods to battle the cliffs of the Palisades. Wagon lifts, stairs, and even an elevator designed by the same engineer as those at the Eiffel Tower were put in place to accommodate the tourists and summer dwellers who came to the area for its natural breeze of its location.  Wagon Elevator and 100 Steps, West Hoboken, N.J. 1902 Source:weehawkenhistory.org One of these was the Weehawken wagon lift which was a funicular wagon lift. It ascended from the foot of Hackensack Plank Road to then West Hoboken.  Source: http://www.weehawkenhistory.org/ In 1887, the great Weehawken Elevators and Railroad began construction and was completed in 1891. By April of 1892 it began operations.    Near it were steps running down the cliff leading from Mountain Road.  The elevator and stairs are no longer in service but its remnants can still be found. In the overgrowth behind a commercial business along the cliffs and under a highrise is where what is left of the lift can be seen. The ruins of the stairs are visible from the road. Laura Gonzalez
Dutch traders first settled in Passaic in 1678 with the founding of a fur-trading post. After the river was dammed, industrial growth blossomed. Some of the most successful mills of New Jersey were built in Passaic. Many of them were German worsted mills. The town used to be full of European immigrants, which had come to fill the factories. In the 1970's came deindustrialization, which was pretty much the downfall of many American cities. Passaic would prove no better. The industrial section of the city of Passaic known as the lower Dundee, the east side neighborhood that runs along the bank of the Passaic, is filled with ruins of the cities legacy as an industrial powerhouse. I made my way down to the area to walk the streets where 15,000 woolen mill workers fought for the rights of workers in the Passaic textile Strike of 1926.  Built in the 1880's near the Canal was the Pantasote Leather Company, which produced imitation leather. Pantasote is an imitation leather material made by the Pantasote Company, beginning in 1891. It was a durable, relatively inexpensive material used as upholstery and fabrics used on trains, for tents, and awnings. The factory was abandoned in 1993 and was the site of illegal toxic waste dumping.  Source: theslowerroad.com Read more here...
The NX Annie Drawbridge is an out of service drawbridge that has been left in its raised position built by the Erie Railroad.   The bascule bridge was once part of the Newark Branch. It is a moveable bridge.   The bridge was built as a double-track structure, but after the elimination of commuter train service it was changed to single track service. Freight train service continued through the creation of Conrail in 1976, but the bridge was abandoned in the 70s.   In 1982 it was used in the filming of "Annie" which is why it is often referred to as the "Annie Bridge". Laura Gonzalez
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ABOUT THE AUTHORLaura Gonzalez is a photographer, blogger and historian currently residing in Newark, New Jersey. Archives
April 2021
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