Paterson Great Falls Mills (S.U.M. Historic District)
Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures (historic), Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson, New Jersey was founded in 1792 as Alexander Hamilton's planned industrial city, powered by the 77-foot Great Falls of the Passaic. Its mills turned out cotton cloth, locomotives, firearms, textile machinery and silk. The mill district is now Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, established in 2011.
- Company
- Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures (historic)
- Status
- Closed
- Opened
- 1792
- Employees
- Not stated
- Industry
- Other manufacturing
- Revised
- November 12, 2026
What is made here
Historic water-powered mill district whose mills made cotton fabrics, railroad locomotives, firearms, textile machinery and silk.
Facts
| Founding | The Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures was founded at the Great Falls in 1791, and Paterson began in 1792 as Alexander Hamilton's project (federal: nps.gov) |
|---|---|
| Products | Paterson's mills produced cotton fabrics, railroad locomotives and firearms, along with textile machinery, jute and silk spinning, weaving, dyeing and brewing (federal: nps.gov) |
| Industries | Industries powered by the falls included Rogers Locomotive Works (1832) and Colt's revolver manufacturing (1837) (reference: en.wikipedia.org) |
| Falls | The Great Falls of the Passaic drop 77 feet (reference: en.wikipedia.org) |
| National park | Authorized by Congress on March 30, 2009 and formally established on November 7, 2011 (reference: en.wikipedia.org) |
Figures are as stated by the source named next to each one. Company figures are the company's own claims.
Can you visit?
Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park (nps.gov) Check the operator's site before you go.
Sources
- NPS: Paterson Great Falls history (federal, checked November 12, 2026)
- Wikipedia: Paterson Great Falls NHP (reference, checked November 12, 2026)
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