Paterson Great Falls: Mary Ellen Kramer Park

On By nationalparkswithtIn New Jersey

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Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T! 

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Mary Ellen Kramer Park at the head of Paterson Great Falls is named for the ‘First Lady of Paterson.’ As the wife of Paterson’s Mayor for 14 years, Mary Ellen Kramer fought to preserve the Great Falls Historic District. In 1970, she was instrumental in blocking the construction of a highway over the falls that would have demolished the old silk mills.

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Kramer’s efforts resulted in President Ford naming the district a National Historic Landmark in 1976. In 2001, the entire NJ Congressional Delegation appealed to Congress to open a feasibility study for inclusion of the falls in the National Park Service. In 2009, President Obama signed legislation naming Great Falls a National Historical Park and in 2011, the Department of the Interior officially designated it as the 397th NPS unit.

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Paterson Posts»

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Location: 72 McBride Avenue Extension, Paterson, NJ

Designation: National Historical Park

Date designated or established: 11/7/2011

Date of my visit: 1/26/2020

20 thoughts on “Paterson Great Falls: Mary Ellen Kramer Park”

  1. Every now and then, I will do a post linked to the “power of one,” the ability of one person or a small group to make a difference.l Although Mary Ellen Kramer was better situated than most, it was still her conscious decision to act that made this park possible. It is great that such people exist.

    Reply

  3. I had no idea! My husband was born in Great Falls, and I think he will enjoy reading about this. I only remember the description of Lewis and Clark when they first approached the falls–the sounds and sights must have been overwhelming!

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    1. I think your husband’s Great Falls is a different place. This is Paterson Great Falls…Alexander Hamilton visited this area and helped to make this the birthplace of the American industrial revolution. It’s in northern NJ…Lewis and Clarke forged more westward paths. I know there is also a Great Falls on the Potomac, north of DC, but I don’t think that’s your husband’s birthplace either…

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      1. I completely missed the part of your post where you listed the location of the falls. How embarrassing.
        You are absolutely right-my husband was born in Great Falls, Montana, which is where Lewis and Clark had to portage their boats. Quite a ways away! 🙂

  6. mvobsession

    I’ve been there many times and they always take my breath away. I love these photos from angles different from the ones I’ve taken. Beautiful job.

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  7. Dear Theresa,

    You have to check out the Bergenfield Museum if you are in the area. Coopers Pond Park is really beautiful, and the house museum is very interesting.

    Sincerely,

    Justin Watrel, Blogger
    VisitingaMuseum.com/MywalkinManhattan.com

    Reply

  8. Pingback: 15 Free Things to Do in Paterson, NJ – Travel Aspire

  9. Dear Theresa,

    Long time no here. Have you been traveling around over the summer too? The last eight weeks before school started, I traveled all over New Jersey, the Hudson River Valley and New York City updating pictures for my blogs and writing new ones. I never ran around so much but the results are more descriptive blogs with better more colorful pictures to back up the script. I hope you enjoy them. Let me know what you think of my Paris, Prague and Palermo blogs. I value your judgement. Happy Travels!

    Sincerely,

    Justin Watrel, Blogger
    MywalkinManhattan.com/VisitingaMuseum.com

    Reply

    1. Hi Justin! That’s great. I’m in the corporate world so I typically only have a few days to a week to explore. I did get to DC and New England in the spring, a bit of the Carolinas in the summer. And we are just back from vacation in Wyoming, so more new material to come. Please send me some links to your European posts…I don’t see them in your blog? Hope the school year has started off well

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      1. Dear Theresa,

        I know the feeling. I just started back at both colleges again, I am a Professor at Bergen Community College and a graduate student at NYU so the posts will come less frequently. The links are:

        Exploring Paris block by block:

        https://mywalkinmanhattan.com/category/exploring-paris-block-by-block/

        Exploring Prague Block by block:

        https://mywalkinmanhattan.com/category/exploring-prague-block-by-block/

        Exploring Palermo block by block:

        https://mywalkinmanhattan.com/category/exploring-palermo-block-by-block/

        I hope you enjoy them. Happy travels and have a good week.

        Sincerely,

        Justin Watrel, Blogger
        MywalkinManhattan.com/VisitingaMuseum.com

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