Liberty State Park
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Liberty State Park is a state park in Jersey City, New Jersey. It has a coastline along the Hudson River with views of the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. (Battery Park and the World Financial Center are the closest parts of New York to the park.) The park is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry.
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[edit] Geography
Liberty State Park is 1,212 acres (4.9 km²) in area, and takes up more than a mile of the Jersey City waterfront. It is bordered to the north by the Morris Canal Big Basin, to the south and east by the Hudson River, and to the west by Jersey City. Most of the park's area is on man-made land filled in by the Central Railroad of New Jersey and the Lehigh Valley Railroad, now-defunct companies whose lines once terminated there. A freight rail line and the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail run along the western edge of the park.
Two small southern sections of Liberty State Park are connected to Caven Point and are separated from each other and from the main part of the park by a body of water. One is connected to northern Caven Point and the other is a thin pier that extends out from Chapel Avenue.
[edit] Details
In the northeast corner of the park is the CRRNJ (Central Railroad of New Jersey) Terminal, a historic transportation building. About half of the park is currently not open to public access, and of that one third is industrial. But most of the park has views of New York and lots of open space. The areas that are open to the public are along the borders. A road called Freedom Way goes through the center and serves a barrier between the area not open to the public to the west of it and the area that is open to the public to the east, with many bikepaths, walkways, and fields.
One of the public walkways in the eastern section of the park is Liberty Walkway, a long path that stretches from the CRRNJ along the waterfront south to the Statue of Liberty overlook, bridging over two coves along the way. Halfway along 'Liberty Walkway' is a bridge that connects from Liberty State park to Ellis Island, but only authorized vehicles are allowed. The southeastern corner of the park contains the Statue of Liberty overlook, picnic facilities, a playground, the U.S. Flag Plaza, and Liberation Monument. The Public Administration Building is also in this area (Morris Pesin Drive leads from out of the park from the Administration Building. Morris Pesin Drive also has the park's mailing address). Despite all the scenery, the Liberty Science Center is probably the biggest attraction, with floors of exhibits, the biggest Hoberman sphere in the world and the biggest Kodak Omni Theatre IMAX dome screen in the country.[1] Liberty State Park will be the site of the All Points West Music & Arts Festival festival, held from August 8-10.
[edit] History
The site was an important 19th century industrial and transport area. Early in the 20th century rail tunnels under the Hudson took over its passenger services. In 1916, the Black Tom Explosion on what is now the southeastern corner of the park killed as many as seven people, caused $20 million in property damage, and was felt throughout the New York area. Containerization later shifted cargo services to other ports, and industry declined.
In 2006, the park began to host the Liberty Jazz Festival. This two day event is normally held the first weekend after Labor Day each year and has included performers such as George Benson, Waymon Tisdale and a host of other celebrated jazz artists. For more information one can visit the official Website.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal
- Friends of Liberty State Park, an advocacy group for the park's preservation
[edit] Notes
- ^ NJ Department of Parks and Forests Liberty Science Center
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