Great Falls (Passaic River)

Paterson Great Falls
National Historical Park
The Great Falls of the Passaic River.
Great Falls (Passaic River) is located in Passaic County, New Jersey
Great Falls (Passaic River)
Location of the Great Falls of the Passaic River in Passaic County. Inset: Location of Passaic County in New Jersey.
Great Falls (Passaic River) is located in New Jersey
Great Falls (Passaic River)
Great Falls (Passaic River) (New Jersey)
Great Falls (Passaic River) is located in the United States
Great Falls (Passaic River)
Great Falls (Passaic River) (the United States)
LocationPaterson, New Jersey
Coordinates40°54′58″N 74°10′54″W / 40.91611°N 74.18167°W / 40.91611; -74.18167
WebsitePaterson Great Falls National Historical Park
NRHP reference No.70000391[1] (original)
86001507[2] (increase)
NJRHP No.2383[3]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 14, 1970
Boundary increaseAugust 14, 1986
Designated NHLDMay 11, 1976[4]
Designated NHPNovember 7, 2011
Designated NJRHPMay 27, 1971
The Great Falls in January 2019 with a characteristic rainbow.

The Great Falls of the Passaic River is a prominent waterfall, 77 feet (23 m) high, on the Passaic River in the city of Paterson in Passaic County, New Jersey. The falls and surrounding area are protected as part of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, administered by the National Park Service. Congress authorized its establishment in 2009.[5]

One of the United States' largest waterfalls, it played a significant role in the early industrial development of New Jersey starting in the earliest days of the nation. It is part of the Great Falls of Paterson–Garret Mountain National Natural Landmark.[6] It has also been designated as a National Historic Landmark District since 1976.[7][8] The Great Falls' raceway and power systems were designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark and a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1977.[9]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System – Great Falls of Paterson/S.U.M. Historic District (#70000391)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System – Great Falls of the Passaic and Society for Useful Manufactures Historic District (Boundary Increase) (#86001507)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  3. ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Passaic County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. July 15, 2022. p. 7.
  4. ^ "Great Falls of the Passaic Society for Useful Manufacturing HD". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. June 23, 2008. Archived from the original on March 8, 2008. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
  5. ^ 111th U.S. Congress. "Public Law 111-11 § 7001(b)(1)(B)" (PDF). Retrieved August 20, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "NPS NNL Summary for Great Falls and Garret Mountain". Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
  7. ^ "Great Falls State Park". Archived from the original on March 30, 2009. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  8. ^ Herb Jackson. "Paterson prepares for President Obama's visit today". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  9. ^ "Great Falls Raceway & Power System". American Society of Civil Engineers. Retrieved January 29, 2022.