Bergen Point, New Jersey
History
The area was connected to Staten Island with a ferry as early as the late 17th century, and was later developed as a resort. In the late 18th century it became more prominent as a ferry landing for travelers between New York City and Philadelphia. An 1837 US government coastal survey map identifies it as Vanhorn Point, reflecting the name of a Dutch family that occupied the area just to the north called Pamrapo (among many other spellings, roughly today's Curries Woods neighborhood in Greenville) from the mid-17th century. The Bergen Point Lighthouse, built offshore in 1849, was demolished and replaced with a skeletal tower in the mid 20th century. A charter was granted for the construction of The Jersey City and Bergen Point Plank Road in 1851.
Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine announced on May 6, 2006, that funding was in place to extend the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail system to Eighth Street. Work was completed and the station opened in January 2011.
A large portion of the point was once site of a Texaco plant, which was cleared and is slated to become a residential and recreational area along Newark Bay and Kill Van Kull. Other former industrial sites are slated for mixed-use development. In 2022, the construction of a major studio at was announced. Called 1888 Studios, it will be the largest in New Jersey.
The renovated Collins Park and walkways along the new developments are part of the Hackensack RiverWalk.
Gallery
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The Latourette House in Bergen Point was the birthplace of Samuel Francis Du Pont
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Bergen Point, 1974
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The point lends its name to the neighborhood
See also
- Bergen Neck
- Hackensack RiverWalk
- Geography of New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary
- Port of New York and New Jersey