1/13/2024 0 Comments Paterson waterfall addressThe Great Falls Raceway and Power System Paterson, N. By using alternative forms of water power, the industrial city adapted to the increased power needs, making water one of the defining traits in Paterson history. The industry changed from textiles to paper to war materials over the century, but Paterson remained a significant manufacturing center. Details: The Great Falls of the Passaic River is one of the nations largest and likely most well-known waterfalls, reaching heights of 77 feet. In 1914, the Society for Establishing Useful Manufacturing built a hydroelectric plant next to the falls to satisfy the factories’ growing demand for energy. The falls were formed during the last Ice Age and later became a notable national landmark as the centerpiece of Paterson, America’s first planned industrial city under the vision of Alexander Hamilton. The national park service was giving a tour today, and explained the hydroelectric plant and how the river has been used in the past to run silk mills. Today the grass was green and the trees were lush, but it's also stunning in fall or when everything is covered in ice. At its height, over 40,000 people worked in the Paterson factories and relied on the water in the raceways to power the industry.Įven as the manufacturing industry evolved and the factories stopped using the raceway system, water continued to be a vital part of Paterson’s industrial economy. Another spectacular waterfall as well as one of the most historical in the state is The Great Falls of the Passaic River in Paterson. No matter the season, Paterson Great Falls is magnificent. This proved to be such an efficient system, that as more entrepreneurs came to the city to build factories, the raceways became longer, developing into an extensive three-tiered system to accommodate manufacturers who produced everything from silk to locomotives. The water turned the mill’s waterwheel which was connected to a drive shaft, which was connected to machines by leather belts. The water flowed through the raceways at an average speed of 25 mph and could generate as much as 2000 horsepower for the factory, depending upon the size of the waterwheel. They created a system of raceways that diverted water from the river into a series of channels that ran throughout the city, bringing water power to the industrial mills. In 1794, Pierre Charles L’Enfant initiated the design and Peter Colt developed the solution. He just needed some way to harness its potential. When he saw the fall’s incredible power, he realized it could provide the energy needed for manufacturing. The Passaic River and Paterson Great Falls inspired Alexander Hamilton to develop the area into the country’s first planned industrial city. Paterson would not have been an important industrial center without water. Giacomo DeStefano, Director of the Paterson Museum. However, arguably the most important feature of the Great Falls Youth Center is that it is a safe and welcoming space for all Paterson high school students to come to during out-of-school hours, including the summer and days when schools are closed.The raceways diverted water from above the Great Falls to be used as a source of power for the factories. The Youth Center staff and our AmeriCorps members are continuously offering various programs tailored to students' needs and interests, such as college prep and guidance, arts programming, movie nights, coffee house nights featuring students' spoken word and poetry performances, and much more. It also contains a sound studio designed to allow participants to make music and learn sound engineering and other musical and music production-related skills. The lower level features a computer lab for homework and programming, such as basic coding and video editing workshops. The top floor serves as a space for students to do homework, play board games and video games, compete in ping-pong tournaments, and learn culinary skills in the kitchen space. During the 2019-2020 school-year, the Great Falls Youth Center served over 600 students. Since its opening, the Youth Center has quickly grown from serving about 20 students a day to serving over 100 students each day. Fortunately, NJCDC was able to purchase a building-Paterson's former American Legion Hall originally constructed in 1954-and transform it into the space it is today, thanks to the generous support of many donors. Before the opening of this space, the need for a youth center in Paterson that would stay open late on weeknights and provide a variety of programs and services for older teens was overwhelming. The Great Falls Youth Center opened in March 2018 as a safe-space for Paterson high school students to go after school to do homework, spend time with friends, and participate in engaging youth development programming.
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