Historical Markers and War Memorials in Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the county seat for Hudson County
Jersey City is in Hudson County
Hudson County(156) ► ADJACENT TO HUDSON COUNTY Bergen County(427) ► Essex County(170) ► Union County(118) ► Kings County, New York(445) ► New York County, New York(2052) ► Richmond County, New York(226) ►
Touch name on this list to highlight map location. Touch blue arrow, or on map, to go there.
On Lincoln Park Road, on the right when traveling west.
In Memoriam of the Irish Famine An Gorta Mor 1845 – 1852 For those lives claimed by it and the Irish Immigrants that survived and relocated to the United States. Erected By The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Hudson County, N.J. [ Back . . . — — Map (db m42404) HM
You are standing on a site which saw one of the worse acts of sabotage in American history!
Prior to the U.S. entering WWI, the shoreline on which you now stand was occupied by an extensive munitions depot operated by the Lehigh Valley . . . — — Map (db m126349) HM
On Broadway at Lincoln Highway (U.S. 9), on the left when traveling east on Broadway.
In honor of George E. Blakeslee Pioneer of the modern highway [ Rear Marker : ] Blakeslee rededicated September 2005 by The Friends of the Marion Section Patrick J. O’Melia Hassan Abubakr • Tessie Brady • Sam C. Difeo • Mary Donnelly . . . — — Map (db m51534) HM
On Audrey Zapp Drive, on the right when traveling east.
New Jersey Central Jersey Central Lines Honoring the employees of the Central Railroad of New Jersey 1849 – 1976 Dedicated by the Central Railroad of New Jersey Veteran Employees Association — — Map (db m51512) HM
On Audrey Zapp Drive at Phillip Street, on the right when traveling east on Audrey Zapp Drive.
Prior to 1860, the area surrounding you was mostly brackish waters, salt marshes and mudflats of a tidal estuary. Known to the native Lenape as Communipaw Cove, these wetlands were a rich source of fish, waterfowl and shellfish. Early Dutch and . . . — — Map (db m49794) HM
On Liberty Walk, on the left when traveling north.
The land we know as Liberty State Park has undergone many changes. Known to the Lenape Indians as Communipaw Cove, it was a place of saltmarshes and oysters. Later Dutch and English settlers harvested salt hay for their livestock. To native people . . . — — Map (db m69423) HM
On Phillip Street, on the right when traveling west.
Henry Hudson’s “Half Moon” anchored off Communipaw in 1609. In 1633 the Dutch West India Company built the first house occupied by “John the Laugher.” A small colony of Dutch houses and farms developed along the shore where . . . — — Map (db m42415) HM
On Audrey Zapp Drive, on the left when traveling east.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, with the skies so clear that the Twin Towers across the river appeared to be within reach, the very essence of what our country stands for — freedom, tolerance, and the pursuit of happiness – was attacked. . . . — — Map (db m49789) HM WM
On Morris Pesin Drive, on the right when traveling east. Reported missing.
On July 30, 1916, the Black Tom munitions depot exploded, rocking New York Harbor and sending sleeping residents tumbling from their beds.
The noise of the explosion was heard as far away as Maryland and Connecticut. On Ellis Island, terrified . . . — — Map (db m126348) HM
On Lincoln Park Road, on the right when traveling west.
to the Volunteer Fireman of Jersey City Erected through the bequest of Capt. Frederick T. Farrier as a token of the friendship and esteem in which he held his former associates in the Volunteer Fire Department. Edwin M. Farrier 1931 . . . — — Map (db m42413) HM
“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”
Jack Roosevelt Robinson
1919–1972
Jack Roosevelt Robinson, the first African-American to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball, . . . — — Map (db m6101) HM
On Lincoln Park Road., on the left when traveling west.
In memory of the Soldiers of Jersey City who fought in the War of the Rebellion. [ Back of Monument: ] This monument is erected by the executor of the estate of the late Edward J. Donnelly, Sergt. Co. C, 5th N.J. Volunteers and a . . . — — Map (db m42406) HM
On Morris Pesin Drive, on the right when traveling east.
Dedicated to America’s role of preserving freedom and rescuing the oppressed, this monument, by Natan Rapoport, of an American soldier carrying a World War II concentration camp survivor was gifted to the State of New Jersey through the generosity . . . — — Map (db m13295) WM
On Belmont Avenue at West Side Avenue, on the left when traveling west on Belmont Avenue.
Hudson County’s great public work of the 1890’s was Hudson (now Kennedy) Boulevard, a 20-mile landscaped roadway running through the county. Construction caused the demolition or relocation of many buildings and was completed in 1895. The road . . . — — Map (db m42419) HM
Near Morris Pesin Drive, on the right when traveling east. Reported missing.
On the foggy, drizzly morning of June 13, 1958, Morris Pesin (1911-1992) made his historic 8 minute canoe trip to the Statue of Liberty with a Jersey Journal reporter to dramatize the close proximity of the Jersey City shoreline to Ms. . . . — — Map (db m126346) HM
Sculptor James Earle Frazer Erected in 1930 by the Lincoln Association of Jersey City with contributions from the school children of Jersey City. Rededicated February 12, 2005 75th Anniversary [ Pedestal Inscription: ] Lincoln . . . — — Map (db m42408) HM
On Summit Avenue (County Route 617) south of Magnolia Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Reported permanently removed.
Jersey City’s oldest building, the Newkirk House was erected circa 1690 a few blocks northeast of the nearby Dutch settlement of Bergen Square (1660). Occupied for two centuries by the Newkirk family, the sandstone structure was sold by . . . — — Map (db m156027) HM
On Bergen Avenue at Highland Avenue on Bergen Avenue.
The Old Bergen Church, a Dutch Reformed Church, is a classic blending of Greek Revival details and form, with New Jersey Dutch influences. Originally founded in 1662 at Bergen Avenue and Vroom Street, the church has undergone two rebuildings on this . . . — — Map (db m6137) HM
On Sip Avenue at Newkirk Street, on the right when traveling east on Sip Avenue.
In 1660, as the last Dutch Director-General of the colony of New Netherland, Stuyvesant was instrumental in the establishment of the Village of Bergen, which was near this site. The Scottish-American sculptor J. Massey Rhind was commissioned to . . . — — Map (db m100143) HM
On Montgomery Street at Bergen Avenue, on the left when traveling east on Montgomery Street.
In grateful memory of Right Reverend Monsignor Roger A. McGinley Priest and Patriot who by teaching and example raised the level of citizenship in our city, and by founding Saint Aedan’s Parish in 1912, serving as its pastor for twenty-four . . . — — Map (db m35589) HM
Near Audrey Zapp Drive, on the right when traveling east.
From 1864 until 1967: the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CRRNJ) Terminal provided a vital link between the New Jersey and New York City shores. At its busiest, more than 200 ferry sailings transported tens of thousands of commuters and thousands of . . . — — Map (db m13300) HM
Near Audrey Zapp Road, on the right when traveling east.
After passing the Statue of Liberty and being processed at Ellis Island, where did the new Americans go? Once declared “clearly and beyond a doubt, entitled to land” almost two-thirds of the immigrants processed at Ellis Island . . . — — Map (db m49339) HM
Near Audrey Zapp Drive, on the right when traveling east.
This terminal was completed in June, 1889 and became fully operational on October 6, 1889. For almost 80 years it served as the main passenger terminal for the Central Railroad Company of New Jersey at this strategic Jersey City waterfront location. . . . — — Map (db m13290) HM
Near Audrey Zapp Road, on the right when traveling east.
The term “Historic Trilogy” is used to represent the role the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CRRNJ) Terminal, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty played in American history. It was these three historic structures that greeted most . . . — — Map (db m49344) HM
On Liberty Walk, on the right when traveling north.
The term “Historic Trilogy” is used to represent the role the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CRRNJ) Terminal, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty played in American history. It was these three historic structures that greeted most . . . — — Map (db m69419) HM
Restoration of the New Ferry Building on Ellis Island is being supported in part by a Federal Save America’s Treasures award administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. New Ferry Building In 1999, the Statue of . . . — — Map (db m49291) HM
On Liberty Walk, on the left when traveling north.
Salt marshes like the one you are looking at, once lined the entire coast of New York Harbor. Most were filled as the Harbor became an industrial port. However, this remnant marsh teems with the life that results when brackish (salty) water meets . . . — — Map (db m69424) HM
An Adventure in Stabilization Ellis Island The 29 buildings on the south side of Ellis Island comprise one of the largest hospitals to be built in the United States during the first decades of this [20th] century. With more than a quarter . . . — — Map (db m49309) HM
Near Newark Avenue at Palisade Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
A Tribute to the
Soldiers
of New Jersey
who encamped on this hill
during the War of 1812
Placed by
The United States Daughters 1812
State of New Jersey
1915 — — Map (db m156026) WM
On Bergen Avenue at Montgomery Street, on the left when traveling south on Bergen Avenue.
In Memoriam
U.S.S. Maine
Destroyed in Havana Harbor
February 15, 1898
This tablet is cast from metal recovered from the U.S.S. Maine
Presented to the People of
Jersey City, N.J.
By
General Joseph Wheeler
Post No. 4 A.V.F.S. . . . — — Map (db m6102) WM
On Greene Street at Essex Street, on the left when traveling south on Greene Street.
Known for his boldness and his strategic genius, Nathanael Greene was considered the most accomplished general of the American Revolution after George Washington.
While Greene is most noted for his command of the Southern Campaign of 1780, . . . — — Map (db m239406) HM
On Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, on the right when traveling south.
This was the second giant clock to decorate the top of the Colgate company warehouse (nearby). This version, created in 1924, was removed and relocated after the company left Jersey City in 1988.
Why Eight Sides?
The clock is octagonal . . . — — Map (db m239407) HM
On Hudson Street, 0.1 miles south of Essex Street, on the right when traveling south.
Liberty State Park, across the Morris Canal, features the majestic Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, hundreds of acres of green space, and the State's only ferry access to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
Once Neglected, Now . . . — — Map (db m239443) HM
On Hudson Street at Essex Street, on the right when traveling south on Hudson Street.
In 1822 George P McCulloh, a Morristown businessman conceived the idea for the Morris Canal.
The canal would cross the State of New Jersey from the Hudson River at Jersey City to the Delaware River at Phillipsburg.
Rising a total of 914 . . . — — Map (db m239442) HM
Near Greene Street, 0.1 miles south of Essex Street, on the left when traveling south.
Still existing today are the remnants of the Morris Canal, an artificial waterway constructed in the 19th century to connect the New Jersey counties between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers.
You Can Still See
The Sugar House, located just . . . — — Map (db m239444) HM
Near York Street just east of Jersey Avenue, on the left when traveling east.
This tree has been extinct in the wild since 1803. It has been continued in cultivation not only because of its rarity but also for its attractive flowers and foliage. When fully grown, it will be 20' tall.
All Franklinias currently in . . . — — Map (db m239381) HM
On Grand Street just west of Washington Street (County Road 627), on the left when traveling west.
105 Grand Street
Greek Revival Townhouse
Built Circa 1837
by Dudley S. Gregory
First Mayor of Jersey City
The land was formerly owned by
Robert Fulton
inventor of the steamboat
Listed on the
National Register . . . — — Map (db m239398) HM
Near York Street just east of Jersey Avenue, on the left when traveling east.
Died in the World Trade Center:
9/11/01
Donated by his friends: 5/10/02
Boyd Gatton moved to the United States in 1992 and was still discovering new interests in this country as an operations officer at Fiduciary Trust. He was born in . . . — — Map (db m239383) HM WM
Near Barrow Street at York Street, on the left when traveling north. Reported damaged.
Garden Pre-School Cooperative founder Alma Rodriguez originally designed this Children's Garden in 1996. The continuing development has been guided by the Friends of Van Vorst Park, Inc, which also envisioned and created the renovation of . . . — — Map (db m239360) HM
On Washington Street south of Dudley Street, in the median.
Hudson County
Korean War Memorial
Sunday, June 25, 1950 - Monday, July 27, 1953
This memorial is dedicated to the eternal memory of the Men and Women of Hudson County who fought so valiantly and . . . — — Map (db m239606) WM
On Grand Street just east of Warren Street, on the right when traveling east.
By the Grace of God, on the Feat of Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra and Wonderworker, his Eminence, Archbishop Michael (Dahulich), Diocese of New York and New Jersey, Orthodox Church in America, blessed and designated this church as Saints Peter . . . — — Map (db m239397) HM
On Grand Street east of Warren Street, on the right when traveling east.
This church, established in 1907 as the
Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church,
was originally built in 1853 as the
First Dutch Reformed Church
for the residents of Paulus Hook.
This site is listed in the
New Jersey Historic . . . — — Map (db m239396) HM
Near Washington Street, 0.1 miles south of Dudley Street, on the right when traveling north.
The building standing on the other side of the Morris Canal Big Basin is the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal. Built in 1889, the complex represented the greatest concentration of rail facilities in the New York Harbor area during that . . . — — Map (db m239445) HM
On Van Vorst Street at Essex Street, on the right when traveling south on Van Vorst Street. Reported unreadable.
The Morris Canal was an engineering marvel. Created by manual labor, it was mainly intended to transport coal from Pennsylvania's anthracite coal fields to northern New Jersey's industries.
In 1831, the canal operated from Phillipsburg on . . . — — Map (db m239391) HM
Near Washington Street, 0.1 miles south of Dudley Street, on the left when traveling south.
By the late 1850s, the original canal basin (the "Little Basin") proved to small to handle the growing canal traffic. To the south of it, the Big Basin was constructed in 1859. Canal traffic continued to increase during the Civil War years and . . . — — Map (db m239451) HM
Near Washington Street, 0.1 miles south of Dudley Street, on the right when traveling north. Reported unreadable.
The Morris Canal's original shipping basin was constructed here after the 102-mile-long canal reached Jersey City in 1836. The canal, built between 1825 and 1836 and from Phillipsburg on the Delaware River to Jersey City, transported chiefly . . . — — Map (db m239449) HM
Near York Street west of Barrow Street, on the left when traveling east.
During the 1600's, the Van Vorst family owned most of the nearby lowland and marsh from the Hudson river to the hill that climbs up to the old medical center, which they used for farming and fishing. In 1835, the year that Cornelius Van Vorst . . . — — Map (db m239389) HM
Near Montgomery Street west of Barrow Street, on the left when traveling west.
Cornelius Van Vorst gave this hilly land to the Township of Bergen in 1835. He graded, landscaped and fenced it in 1851. From 1841 to 1856, this was Van Vorst Township. In latter years, it merged with Jersey City. Brownstones around this park built . . . — — Map (db m239384) HM
Near Montgomery Street just west of Barrow Street, on the left when traveling west.
In 1991, led by the Friends of Van Vorst Park, Inc., an unprecedented community empowerment movement began whereby over 450 residents worked together for many years to improve the park's public safety and beauty. The Friends of Van Vorst Park, Inc., . . . — — Map (db m239386) HM
On Grand Street west of Washington Street (County Road 627), on the right when traveling east.
1804
Designated as a public square by Alexander Hamilton & Associates of the Jersey Company.
1850s Originally named Washington Square Park.
1904
Battle of Paulus Hook Obilisk dedicated by the Daughters of the . . . — — Map (db m239401) HM
On Grand Street east of Warren Street, on the right when traveling east.
In honor of
the 276 men and women of
S.S. Peter and Paul's Church
who served our country
in World War II
and
in reverend memory
of those who gave their lives
Peter Babiak •
William Chuchta •
Peter Gross • . . . — — Map (db m239394) WM
