Molly Ann Brook (sometimes Molly Ann's Brook) is a tributary of the
Passaic River
Passaic River ( ) is a river, approximately long, in Northern New Jersey. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey, ...
which flows south between the northern ranges of
First Watchung Mountain
The Watchung Mountains (once called the Blue Hills) are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States. The name is derived from the American Native Lena ...
and
Second Watchung Mountain
The Watchung Mountains (once called the Blue Hills) are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States. The name is derived from the American Native Lena ...
in
Passaic County
Passaic County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the population of Passaic County was enumerated at 524,118, an increase of 22,892 (4.6%) from t ...
and
Bergen County
Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
. Traveling north from its confluence with the
Passaic River
Passaic River ( ) is a river, approximately long, in Northern New Jersey. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey, ...
, Molly Ann Brook passes through the city of Paterson and the boroughs of
Haledon
Haledon ( ) is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 9,052, an increase of 734 (+8.8%) from the 2010 census count of 8,318, which in turn reflected an in ...
North Haledon
North Haledon (pronounced North HAIL-don) is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 8,417,Franklin Lakes.
History
Molly Ann Brook, like its neighboring Passaic River tributaries, played host to
General Lafayette
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...
's troops during the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
. Known as ''Krakeel Val'' in 1780, the brook passed along the western edge of Lafayette's Grand Parade, running through the area where General St Clair's troops were stationed in October and November.
In the late 18th century, the area of Westside Park, at the mouth of the brook in Paterson, was home to Dirck and Molly Van Houten and their children, one of the original pioneer families to settle the area. Adreyean, the ninth child of the family, distinguished himself from other Van Houtens in the area by calling himself ''Molly's Yawn'' (Dutch), or ''Molly's son''. Living at his parents' homestead, the brook running through the property came to be known as ''Molly Yawn's Brook'', which was later corrupted to the current ''Molly Ann's Brook''.
In the early 20th century, the brook became well known for its intense floods, particularly a massive flood affecting four towns in July, 1945. As a response, overflow tunnels were proposed in the late 1950s. Ultimately, in 1999 the
United States Army Corps of Engineers
, colors =
, anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day)
, battles =
, battles_label = Wars
, website =
, commander1 = ...
, Philadelphia District completed a flood control project in the lower reaches of the brook to protect against 50-year storm events. The project significantly deepened and widened the brook through the construction of concrete and rock-lined channels.Anthony J. DePasquale, Douglas Leatherman, & Randy Thomas. ''Molly Ann's Brook: Channel Protection for High-Velocity Urban Stormwater Runoff''. Stormwater: The Journal for Surface Water Quality Professionals. Jan/Feb, 2001. Available online /ref>
Description
Molly Ann Brook rises south of Franklin Ave in Franklin Lakes, about two thousand feet west of Goffle Pond, where the headwaters of the neighboring
Goffle Brook
Goffle Brook is a tributary of the Passaic River which flows south through a section of Passaic County and Bergen County in New Jersey and drains the eastern side of the First Watchung Mountain. Heading up the brook from the confluence with th ...
are located. After flowing through High Mountain Golf Club, Molly Ann Brook joins two smaller tributaries to form Haledon Reservoir, an approximately three thousand foot by one thousand foot artificial lake. A second man made lake, Lower Basin Pond, exists directly below Haledon Reservoir, followed by a swimming hole about two thousand feet downstream.
In
North Haledon
North Haledon (pronounced North HAIL-don) is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 8,417,First Brook, which extends north from its junction with Molly Ann Brook into the town of Wyckoff. Three quarters of a mile downstream of the confluence with First Brook, Molly Ann Brook is joined by the tiny Spring Brook just south of Overlook Ave. Another smaller brook paralleling Ballentine Drive and draining part of the western flank of
First Watchung Mountain
The Watchung Mountains (once called the Blue Hills) are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States. The name is derived from the American Native Lena ...
in
North Haledon
North Haledon (pronounced North HAIL-don) is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 8,417,Second Watchung Mountain
The Watchung Mountains (once called the Blue Hills) are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States. The name is derived from the American Native Lena ...
.
Beyond Oldham Pond, Molly Ann Brook is quickly joined by one other tributary flowing east off
Second Watchung Mountain
The Watchung Mountains (once called the Blue Hills) are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States. The name is derived from the American Native Lena ...
just south of the Haledon-North Haledon border. Here the brook transitions from the suburban environments of Franklin Lakes and
North Haledon
North Haledon (pronounced North HAIL-don) is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 8,417,Prospect Park,
Haledon
Haledon ( ) is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 9,052, an increase of 734 (+8.8%) from the 2010 census count of 8,318, which in turn reflected an in ...
, and Paterson. Bound by concrete flood control walls, the brook takes on an artificial appearance for much of its lower reach. Ultimately, Molly Ann Brook joins the
Passaic River
Passaic River ( ) is a river, approximately long, in Northern New Jersey. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey, ...
Great Falls
Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements
* Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size
* Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent
People
* List of people known as "the Great"
*Artel Great (born ...
, becoming the last tributary to reach the Passaic before the river's waters plunge over the imposing geologic barrier.
See also
*
List of rivers of New Jersey
This is a list of streams and rivers of the U.S. state of New Jersey.
List of New Jersey rivers includes streams formally designated as rivers. There are also smaller streams (''i.e.,'' branches, creeks, drains, forks, licks, runs, etc.) in the ...