The Hudson County Park System owns and operates several

county park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...

s in

Hudson County, New Jersey Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in t ...

. It has its roots in the

City Beautiful movement The City Beautiful Movement was a reform philosophy of North American architecture and urban planning that flourished during the 1890s and 1900s with the intent of introducing beautification and monumental grandeur in cities. It was a part of the ...

around the turn of the twentieth century. The system comprises eight parks (the extension of one which includes a golf course) comprising . Additionally, the county owns acreage in preservation areas in the

New Jersey Meadowlands New Jersey Meadowlands, also known as the Hackensack Meadowlands after the primary river flowing through it, is a general name for the large ecosystem of wetlands in northeastern New Jersey in the United States, a few miles to the west of N ...

History

The

at the turn of the twentieth century was conceived to revitalize industrialized urban communities and to provide them with public space for recreational activities. The concept of a county park system began in the 1880s. The Hudson County Park Commission was created in 1892 to plan a park and boulevard system like those provided in other cities such as Boston and Newark. (There had been discussions of building a county long road as early as the 1870s.) The first feature the commission initiated was a boulevard that would connect the future parks called Hudson Boulevard (renamed John F. Kennedy Boulevard in the 1960s). It was constructed from 1892 to 1897, under Chief Engineer Edlow W. Harrison, in some places incorporating existing roads and became the county's principal north-south corridor. From Bayonne it wound north 14 miles to the

Bergen County Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Boulevard East Boulevard East (officially John F. Kennedy Boulevard East, and sometimes referred to as JFK Boulevard East) is a two-way, mostly two lane, scenic county road in the North Hudson, New Jersey municipalities of Weehawken, West New York, Guttenberg a ...

along the top edge of the

Bergen Hill Bergen Hill refers to the lower Hudson Palisades in New Jersey, where they emerge on Bergen Neck, which in turn is the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson Rivers, and their bays. In Hudson County, it reaches a height of 260 feet. Rail ...

cliff to end at King's Bluff in Weehawken. In 1908 the State of New Jersey reconstructed the road to "improve and beautify it". In 1908, the Commission was sued by Philip Daab (Daab v. Hudson County Park Commission) due to a

land dispute A territorial dispute or boundary dispute is a disagreement over the possession or control of land between two or more political entities. Context and definitions Territorial disputes are often related to the possession of natural resources s ...

. The architects Daniel W. Langton and Charles N. Lowrie were active in the City Beautiful movement of architecture and were founding members of the

American Society of Landscape Architects The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is a professional association for landscape architects in the United States. The ASLA's mission is to advance landscape architecture through advocacy, communication, education, and fellowship ...

. Lowrie succeeded Langton as Landscape Architect for the Hudson County Park Commission, a position he held for thirty years.

James J. Braddock—North Hudson Park

The park is in North Hudson (); the collection of municipalities in the northern part of the county; specifically the Woodcliff Section of

North Bergen North Bergen is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 63,361. The township was founded in 1843. It was much diminished in territory by a ...

. Its name refers to its location and to honor of

James J. Braddock James Walter Braddock (June 7, 1905 – November 29, 1974) was an American boxer who was the world heavyweight champion from 1935 to 1937. Fighting under the name James J. Braddock (ostensibly to follow the pattern set by two prior world boxing ...

, World Heavy Weight Boxing Champion from 1935 to 1937 and inducted in hall of fame in 2001. who was a lifelong resident of

. It is also known colloquially as “80th Street Park” or “El Parque de La Ochenta”. It is roughly bounded by 79th Street to the south,

Bergenline Avenue Bergenline Avenue is a major commercial district in the North Hudson section of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The north–south streets passes through Union City, West New York, Guttenberg, North Bergen. Its southern end is at Uni ...

on the west, and

Boulevard East Boulevard East (officially John F. Kennedy Boulevard East, and sometimes referred to as JFK Boulevard East) is a two-way, mostly two lane, scenic county road in the North Hudson, New Jersey municipalities of Weehawken, West New York, Guttenberg a ...

to the east and north. The park was created in 1910 and encompasses an area of . including Woodcliff Lake, the body of water that is the largest lake in the county. The North Hudson Park UFO sightings occurred on January 12, 1975. The presence of a North Bergen temporary school building has led to controversy and referendums.

Columbus Park

Columbus Park is near

Hoboken High School Hoboken High School (HHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in Hoboken, in Hudson County, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Hoboken Public Schoo ...

on west side of Clinton Street between 9th and 10th Streets (). It is 2.6 acres Originally designed by Charles N. Lowrie, who was landscape architect for the

Hudson County Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in ...

Parks Department. There is a statue of Christopher Columbus in the center of the park. There is also a memorial dedicated to John A. Sacci, a beloved high school history teacher, who was tragically shot on February 12, 1998. The monument was facilitated by students and to this day, the word "remembrance" is misspelled on the marble monument.

Stephen R. Gregg Park—Bayonne Park

Stephen R. Gregg Park (), also known as Bayonne Park, is located west of Kennedy Boulevard on

Newark Bay Newark Bay is a tidal bay at the confluence of the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers in northeastern New Jersey. It is home to the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal, the largest container shipping facility in Port of New York and New Jersey, t ...

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...

. Comprising 97.5 acres, it was originally designed by Charles N. Lowrie, landscape architect for the Hudson County Parks Department. Named for Stephen Raymond Gregg Sr. (September 1, 1914 – February 4, 2005), a Bayonne native and

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

soldier who received the United States military's highest decoration—the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

—for his actions in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. A statue of Gregg in the park was unveiled in 2021 It is a component of the

Hackensack RiverWalk Hackensack RiverWalk, also known as the Hackensack River Greenway, a is partially constructed greenway along the Newark Bay and Hackensack River in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The linear park, which closely follows the contour ...

. In June 2022 landascaped gardens were dedicated to the memory of Bayonnne residents who had died of Covis-19.

Laurel Hill

Laurel Hill (), better known as

Snake Hill Snake Hill (known officially as Laurel Hill) is an igneous rock intrusion jutting up from the floor of the Meadowlands in southern Secaucus, New Jersey, at a bend in the Hackensack River., Variant name: Snake Hill It was largely obliterated in t ...

, is the newest county park, along the

Hackensack River The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles (72 km) long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the subur ...

southwest of

Secaucus Junction Secaucus Junction (known as Secaucus Transfer during planning stages and signed simply as Secaucus) is a NJ Transit Rail Operations commuter rail hub in Secaucus, New Jersey. The $450 million, station opened on December 15, 2003, and was dedi ...

Secaucus Secaucus ( ) is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the town's population was 16,264,New Jersey Meadowlands New Jersey Meadowlands, also known as the Hackensack Meadowlands after the primary river flowing through it, is a general name for the large ecosystem of wetlands in northeastern New Jersey in the United States, a few miles to the west of N ...

. Visible from the eastern spur of the

New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not consi ...

, the rock rises from the surrounding Meadowlands. It comprises 104.5 acres with potential 100 adjacent acres for expansion.

Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US President Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for seven miles (11 km) from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, ...

(), started in 1905, is in the Bergen Section of

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Lincoln the Mystic ''Lincoln the Mystic'', also known as the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, is a bronze statue by James Earle Fraser. It is located at Lincoln Park in Hudson County, New Jersey, near the beginning of the Lincoln Highway. A full size bronze replica stand ...

Lincoln Park West—Skyway Golf Course

Lincoln Park West comprises 123 acres. The Skyway Golf Course is the only public golf facility in the county. The nine-hole course is along the

west of

New Jersey Route 440 Route 440 is a state highway in New Jersey, United States. It comprises two segments, a freeway in Middlesex County linking Interstate 287 (I-287) and the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95), in Edison to the Outerbridge Crossing in Perth Amboy and a f ...

between

Communipaw Communipaw is a neighborhood in Jersey City in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. It is located west of Liberty State Park Liberty State Park (LSP) is a park in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located on Upper New York Bay in Jersey City ...

and Duncan Avenues. The course was created on a larger site and raised the about 1.2 million cubic yards of soil to an average 25 feet with hills as high as 45 feet. It opened in June 2015. Its name is inspired by the

Pulaski Skyway The Pulaski Skyway is a four-lane bridge-causeway in the Gateway Region, northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey, carrying an freeway, expressway designated U.S. Route 1/9 (US 1/9) for most of its length. The structure has a ...

Mercer Park

Mercer Park () was created from the remnants of

Curries Woods Curries Woods is a neighborhood in the southern part of Greenville in Jersey City, New Jersey bordering Bayonne. It was named after James Curie, who was on the town Committee for Greenville when it was its own Township in the 19th century. The ar ...

at the border of

Greenville, Jersey City Greenville is the southernmost section of Jersey City in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Geography In its broadest definition, Greenville encompasses the area south of the West Side Branch of Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and north of the ...

and

north of the

National Docks Secondary National Docks Secondary is a freight rail line within Conrail's North Jersey Shared Assets Area in Hudson County, New Jersey, used by CSX Transportation. It provides access for the national rail network to maritime, industrial, and distributio ...

rail line. It was named after General

Hugh Mercer Hugh Mercer (16 January 1726 – 12 January 1777) was a Scottish-born American military officer and physician who participated in the Seven Years' War and Revolutionary War. Born in Pitsligo, Scotland, he studied medicine in his home country ...

, a famous American Revolution figure. It was developed during the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

(WPA) era under the New Deal. The park lost much of its land to the city's largest housing authority project in 1959, except a small tract in Bayonne of 6.4 acres. Washington-park-nj-arch

Washington Park

Washington Park () straddles

Jersey City Heights The Heights or Jersey City Heights is a district in the north end of Jersey City, New Jersey, atop the New Jersey Palisades overlooking Hoboken to the east and Croxton in the Meadowlands to the west. The southern border of The Heights is ge ...

and Union City along their border on

Paterson Plank Road Paterson Plank Road is a road that runs through Passaic, Bergen and Hudson Counties in northeastern New Jersey. The route, originally laid in the colonial era, connects the city of Paterson and the Hudson River waterfront. It has largely been su ...

. It comprises west of Palisade Avenue. Into the 1900s the land was owned by the Stuckleys, a wealthy New York family who operated it as carnival or campground and held fairs, circuses, and Wild West shows. Much of the park was laid-out during the

in the 1930s.

West Hudson Park

West Hudson Park () is located in the West Hudson communities of

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places In Australia: * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin In Canada: * Inukjuak, Quebec, or " ...

and Kearny. It was originally designed by Charles N. Lowrie. It comprises 43.4 acres.

References

External links

Hudson County Division of Parks website
{{Hudson County, New Jersey Government County parks departments in the United States County government agencies in New Jersey County parks in New Jersey