Making Headlines

Watch now: new videos about Negro League Baseball at Paterson's Historic Hinchliffe Stadium

The Hamilton Partnership wrote the legislation and played a leading role in making Hinchliffe the first stadium in a National Historical Park. President Obama signed the law to add Hinchliffe Stadium to the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park in December 2014.

“Hinchliffe Stadium Memories” tells the remarkable story of one of the last surviving Negro League stadiums. Located in Paterson spectators witnessed midget car races, performances by Duke Ellington and Lou Costello, football games, boxing matches, high school graduations, and great baseball.

“The Legendary Larry Doby” explores the groundbreaking life and career of the first black player n the American League. An Eastside High School graduate and Hall of Fame outfielder, Larry Doby strongly believed in using athletics to bring people together.

Our new exhibit "A Tale of Two Historic Cities: Paterson and Washington, D.C." is now open at the Paterson Museum. The exhibit explores the special relationship between our nation's industrial and government capitals that began over two centuries ago and continues to this day.

Paterson, the new film starring Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Girls) opened on December 28. The film, directed by independent visionary Jim Jarmusch, premiered to rave reviews at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. The story follows a week in the life of Driver's character, a bus driver and poet aptly named Paterson, as he goes about his daily routine. His poems, reflections on the details of everyday life, bring to mind the works of William Carlos Williams—particularly his famous epic poem also called "Paterson." Paterson has received rave reviews, many calling it "the best performance of Adam Driver's career." Paterson, both the film and the character, bring the understated beauty and rich character of the city to life.

In November we held an event to honor Adam Driver for his contributions to Paterson's legacy. He sat down with film producers Josh Astrachan and Carter Logan to discuss his time at the Great Falls, working with Jim Jarmusch, and driving a bus through the streets of Paterson. 

Food has always been one of the most important ways that we experience and understand difference cultures. It has always been a major part of Paterson's cultural landscape, from Alexander Hamilton's 1778 picnic at the Great Falls to the Latin American, European, and Middle Eastern restaurants that line the city's streets today.

Since Hamilton's time Paterson has been a city of immigrants, opening its doors to people from around the world looking for new opportunities. Hamilton championed the "diversity of talents" that immigrants would bring to the new nation. Each successive wave of newcomers has infused Paterson with a new culture and character, making it the diverse, multicultural city it is today.

People nationwide are discovering what Paterson has to offer. The Washington Post called the city's markets, bakeries, and restaurants "a dream come true." And the Los Angeles Times describes Paterson as a must-see destination—even giving directions on how to get here from California.

In 2017 we partnered with the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park and local restaurants and businesses to connect the history of the Great Falls to contemporary life in Paterson through food. The Great Falls, Great Food, Great Stories community engagement program and the Savor Paterson cultural festival invited residents and visitors to explore the city's rich culture and heritage through its many cuisines.

Paterson restaurants and businesses that participated in Great Falls, Great Food, Great Stories and Savor Paterson include:

SAVOR PATERSON

Celebrating the 100^th Birthday of the National Park Service with the Food and Stories of Paterson

Alexander Hamilton founded Paterson as the first city planned from the start to stimulate industry and innovation. He welcomed the "diversity of talents" that immigrants would bring to the workforce. Since Hamilton's time Paterson has been a city of immigrants, opening its doors to people from around the world looking for new opportunities. Each successive wave of newcomers has infused Paterson with a new culture and character, making it into the multicultural city it is today.

Food is one of the most important ways that we experience and understand different cultures. It has always been a part of Paterson's cultural landscape, from Alexander Hamilton's 1778 picnic at the Great Falls to the Latin American, European, and Middle Eastern restaurants that line the city's streets today. Savor Paterson invites visitors to explore Paterson's rich history and culture through its many cuisines.

Savor Paterson is the first of three events at the Paterson Great Falls National Park celebrating the 100^th birthday of the National Park Service. The Centennial kicks off the second century of America's National Parks, reaching and building communities through recreating, conservation, and historic preservation.

"Savor the Past" family program 

How has food in Paterson changed over time? Join Park Rangers and the Great Falls Youth Corps at Overlook Park in celebrating 225 years of Paterson's cultural diversity through food and stories. View a model of Paterson's past restaurants, learn about Patersonians' favorite dishes and recipes, and add your own favorite family meals to the display. Afterwards, take a short walk to Mary Ellen Kramer Park to experience the food cultures in Paterson today!

Savor Paterson restaurant tasting 

Visit several of Paterson's finest restaurants to get a true taste of the city. Each restaurant will be selling small samples of their cuisine for $1-$3.

Great Falls Great Food Great Stories is a project that connects the history of the Great Falls to contemporary life in Paterson. The Great Falls are at the center of Paterson and American history, and food is a central part of our lives and cultures, in Paterson and beyond.

A collaboration of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, the Hamilton Partnership for Paterson, and Paterson restaurants and businesses, Great Falls Great Food Great Stories brings the park into the city. Nine “storyfronts” that share stories of Paterson, food, and the Falls are installed around Market and South Main Streets. Look out for them and for signage and special placemats in participating neighborhood restaurants.

Alexander Hamilton’s 1778 picnic at the Great Falls of the Passaic wasn’t just a peaceful break from the fighting of the Revolutionary War—it also planted the seeds of an idea. While some envisioned the new United States as a nation of independent farmers, Hamilton thought that America’s story should start with a new city, one that would stimulate industry and innovation. He welcomed the “diversity of talents” that immigrants would bring to the workforce.

Paterson went on to attract people from around the world, who came to the city to work and make a better life for themselves and for their families. They would develop many of the industries and inventions that put Paterson on the map.

 People in Paterson have always worked hard to put food on the table—and they have always enjoyed the landscape of the Great Falls. They have strived to preserve their heritage while adopting new cultures and customs. Their story is the same today. The businesses, foods, and languages may have changed, but the dream is the same. 

A project by Team Paterson for the Hamilton Partnership for Paterson: Friends of the Paterson National Park. Produced with the support of the New Jersey Council on the Humanities.

 Great Falls Great Food Great Stories was created by Team Paterson: Manuel Miranda, Mariana Mogilevich, Valeria Mogilevich, with Yuyeon Cho, Sarah Harrs, Fred Pirlot. Based on a proposal as part of the 2015 Van Alen Institute/National Parks Service Competition National Parks Now, which also included Frances Medina, June Williamson, and Willy Wong.

Future park visitors will have a new way to experience the history, culture, and beauty of the Great Falls—the Alexander Hamilton Center. The plan for the Center was announced at today's meeting of the national park's Federal Advisory Commission.

The world-class visitor center will include exhibits that explore the national park's major interpretive themes, including economic independence, immigration and labor, industry and innovation, arts and literature, and Negro League baseball.

On July 10, 1778, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and the Marquis de Lafayette stopped for lunch at the Great Falls. Years later, as the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton founded the City of Paterson as the birthplace of America's economic independence, fueled by the rushing water of the Passaic River.

On Sunday July 10, 2016, we will hold a series of free events in the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park to commemorate the "most important picnic in American history." The event starts at 12:30 p.m. in Mary Ellen Kramer Park (parking is available in Overlook Park at 72 McBride Street). Hamilton Partnership President Leonard Zax will speak about the Great Falls as the inspiration for Alexander Hamilton to create the world's first planned city of innovation, and launch what we have come to call the American Dream.

At 1:00 p.m. living historians portraying Washington, Hamilton, and Lafayette will recreate the famous picnic. We encourage visitors to bring their own picnic lunch and dine along with the founding fathers! After the picnic, visitors will be able to meet and talk to the founding fathers.

At 2:00 p.m. rangers will lead an hour-long walking tour of the national park. The tour will conclude at the Paterson Museum, where visitors can explore some of the incredible inventions and technological innovations from Paterson that would forever change life in America, and around the world. The Museum will also feature the traveling exhibition Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Made America, organized by the New-York Historical Society. This beautifully-designed display tells the story of Hamilton’s life, from his childhood as a poor orphan in the Caribbean, to his journey to New Jersey to begin his education, to his rise as one of our most important founding fathers.

These events are hosted by the National Park Service and the Hamilton Partnership, and by the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society as part of their annual CelebrateHAMILTON program. For a full schedule of 2016 CelebrateHAMILTON programming, visit www.celebratehamilton.com. 

Click the link below to download the flyer for the event.