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About This Site: About This Site

Information about the Jersey City Past and Present Website, its authors, and copyright.

Image Gallery

Columbia Hall

Courtesy, RF Smith

Divine Fairmount Hotel

Courtesy, RF Smith

Fourth Regiment Armory

Courtesy, RF Smith

Jersey City Athletic Club

Courtesy, RF Smith

Bayview & NY Bay Cemetery

Courtesy, RF Smith

Bergen Ave. near Fairmount

Courtesy, RF Smith

Bergen Square

Courtesy, RF Smith

Christ Hospital

Courtesy, RF Smith

City Hall, Jersey City NJ

Courtesy, RF Smith

Barrow Mansion

Courtesy: Jersey City Free Public Library

Old HC Courthouse & Jail

Courtesy, RF Smith

A. Harry Moore School

Courtesy, RF Smith

HC Administration Building

Courtesy, RF Smith

Hancock House

Courtesy, RF Smith

HC (Brennan) Courthouse

Courtesy, RF Smith

Lincoln Monument

Courtesy, RF Smith

Lincoln Park

Courtesy, RF Smith

Lincoln Park

Courtesy, RF Smith

Hudson (now JFK) Boulevard

Courtesy, RF Smith

Journal Square

Courtesy, RF Smith

Lincoln High School

Courtesy, RF Smith

Newark Avenue, Jersey City NJ

Courtesy, RF Smith

Newark Avenue, Jersey City NJ

Courtesy, RF Smith

Pacific Avenue, Jersey City NJ

Courtesy, RF Smith

Paterson Plank Road, Jersey City NJ

Courtesy, RF Smith

Paulus Hook Monument

Courtesy, RF Smith

Pershing Field

Courtesy, RF Smith

Dudley S. Gregory Mansion

Courtesy, RF Smith

Pulaski Skyway

Courtesy, RF Smith

Jersey City Reservoir

Courtesy, RF Smith

Tise Tavern

Courtesy, RF Smith

Van Vorst Park

Courtesy, RF Smith

YMCA, Jersey City NJ

Courtesy, RF Smith

Contact Us

About This Site

Jersey City:  Past and Present
Website Project
New Jersey City University

The Jersey City: Past and Present website is a digital project of New Jersey City University (NJCU). Its goal is to inform viewers, in words and images, about Jersey City and bring together the community and the university's Internet technology services.

Its purpose is to produce an encyclopedia-like resource about the history of Jersey City for use by an audience of scholars, librarians, teachers, students, and the general public. Students and teachers may use the comprehensive electronic resource to bring the city's "past and present" into the classroom via the Internet.

Jersey City is New Jersey's second-largest city and ranks among the early permanent colonial settlements in North America with Jamestown, Plymouth, and New Amsterdam. It draws upon over 350 years of history as a leading contributor to America's founding.

In its development, the website project has enjoyed a relationship with local institutions, government agencies, and community groups. It has benefited from collaboration with the following Jersey City institutions: the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy, Inc., the Jersey City Museum, and the Jersey City Central Railroad Terminal at Liberty State Park. Its content and images are heavily drawn on the resources of the Joan D. Lovero Collection in the New Jersey Room at the Jersey City Public Library, a unique repository for contemporary and historical information about Jersey City and Hudson County. 

The project has been supported by several awards granting programs:  Separately Budgeted Research grants from NJCU and the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program, Title V, Higher Education Act. In 2003, it received a Special Projects Grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a Division of Cultural Affairs in the Department of State. These grants assisted with the research, writing, and technical development of the p­­roject.

In 2004, the website was awarded the Owen J. Grundy Prize in history from the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy, Inc.  The following year, it received a "certificate of commendation" from the American Association for State and Local History.

We invite our viewing guests to discover the history and development of the dynamic urban center that is Jersey City.

  • Do you know Jersey City has New Jersey's oldest continuous school site?
  • Do you know that the Underground Railroad passed through Jersey City?
  • Did you know that Mayor Frank Hague is listed among the nation's most powerful political bosses?
  • Do you know that the Jersey City Railroad Terminal (low located within Liberty State Park) was the port of entry for millions of immigrants who were processed at Ellis Island?

To discover the history of this unique city on the Hudson River's west bank, scan the website's index of entries.  Discover the background of the diverse people, events, and developments responsible for its rich history. The entries are linked to an e-chronology, providing an overview of Jersey City from its colonial settlement to its recent twenty-first-century waterfront redevelopment.

Project Administrator: Patrick Shalhoub, MA, MLS, is the Head of the Periodicals and Government Documents Department of the Congressman Frank J. Guarini Library at New Jersey City University. He received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University and his graduate degrees from New York University and Rutgers University. Mr. Shalhoub is the author of Images of America: Jersey City (Arcadia, 1995). He has worked in the New Jersey Room of the Jersey City Free Public Library and the Library/Learning Resources Center of the Hudson County Community College, and he is a member of the American Library Association and the New Jersey Library Association.

Historical Researcher: Carmela A. Karnoutsos, Ph.D., a Professor Emeritus of New Jersey City University, is an alumna of the university and received her graduate degrees from New York University. Dr. Karnoutsos is the author of New Jersey Women: A History of Their Status, Roles and Images (New Jersey Historical Commission, 1997) and an associate editor of Past and Promise: Lives of New Jersey Women (Scarecrow Press, 1990). Dr. Karnoutsos and Mr. Shalhoub wrote the university's history, From Greenhouse to Campus: The Foundations of New Jersey City University (2010, New Jersey City University). A charter member and a former trustee of the Bayonne Historical Society, Inc., Dr. Karnoutsos served on the Bayonne Community Museum Board of Trustees and the Bayonne Historic Preservation Commission.

E-mail your comments to: jchistory@njcu.edu
 

Legal Disclaimer

The content and images of the Jersey City: Past and Present Website Project are intended for information, education, and noncommercial purposes only. They are offered as information for the site's users and may not be reproduced in any form without the express permission of the Jersey City: Past and Present Website Project.

The Jersey City: Past and Present Website Project retains all rights and copyright for its content and images. Copyright and other proprietary rights may be held by entities other than, or in addition to, the Jersey City: Past and Present Web-Site Project, including the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy, Jersey City Museum, Jersey City Public Library, and photographer Aurora Selvaggio. Contact Ms. Selvaggio directly regarding the purchase and reproduction of her photographs. 

Website users of the site's content must designate the author and source(s) of the entries and images as would a researcher and must document printed materials to include either URL http://www.historyofjerseycity.org or https://njcu.libguides.com/jerseycitypastandpresent. Users may not modify the site content or remove any copyright or trademark found on the website's pages or entries.

Although the Jersey City: Past and Present Website Project has made every effort to ensure the accuracy, validity, completeness, and timeliness of its content, the Jersey City: Past and Project Website Project will not be held responsible for typographical, mechanical errors, or unintentional misinformation. Some entries are works in progress, and the content and images may change as the project continues. The Jersey City: Past and Present Website Project is not responsible for the content linked through its server address to sites on the greater World Wide Web.

Neither the Jersey City: Past and Present Website Project nor our third-party providers shall be liable to the user for any loss or damage of any nature arising from any inaccuracies in the content or from the user's reliance on the information.

The Jersey City: Past and Present Website is copyright protected. All rights reserved. Unlawful reproduction of any part of this website without the express consent of the project director is strictly prohibited. Viewers may create text hyperlinks to the site, but its content may not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without consent. We reserve the right to deny permission to use our site on another website and to request the removal of any such links.

For any inquiries regarding the use of the website as defined above, please contact the project director at jchistory@njcu.edu.

By continuing to use the site, users acknowledge that they are aware of the above disclaimer.