Curries Woods
Encyclopedia
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 area remained rural until the later part of the century when the Central Railroad of New Jersey built a line connecting ferries to Elizabeth
, New Jersey
and New York City
. Currie's Woods still remained untouched through the late part of the century and it was valued for its woods, rocky shore and dunes on Newark Bay
. A lot of the land was eventually lost, but a tract was set aside in the early part of the 20th century. A small cemetery, the Old Greenville Cemetery, was nearby. This park lost much of its land to the city's largest Housing Authority project in 1959, except a small tract in Bayonne, Mercer Park.
The area overlapping the city line was earlier called Pamrapo. The name is a derivation of a phrase from the Algonquian
language spoken by the Hackensack
people, a phratry
of the Lenni-Lenape who lived in the northeastern New Jersey
at the time of European contact in the 17th century. A possible meaning could be rock or point of rocks which would refer to the terrain. , and the original ravine
in Bergen Hill
, or lower Hudson Palisades found there. Spellings included Pimbrepow, Pembrepock, Pemmerepoch, Pimlipo, Pemrepau , Pemrapaugh, and Pamrapough Pamrepaw'Pamropo
Two streets, one in Greenville
and another in northern Bayonne
still bear the name..Patents for land Achter Kol (beyond the ridge) were issued in 1654 ,as an extension of the Pavonia, New Netherland
settlement, which were centered around Communipaw
and Harsimus
. The Pamrapo Bank, founded in Bayonne in the 19th century, takes its name from this area.The Central Railroad of New Jersey
maintained a station called Pamrapo along the right of way now used by the Hudson Bergen Light Rail
tracks, New Jersey Route 185
, New Jersey Turnpike
Newark Bay
Extension (I-78) create a physical boundary and de facto
border with Bayonne
the actual city cuts diagonally across the neighborhood along the route of the Morris Canal
. The unusual path fo the canal was made necessary by Bergen Hill
, lower the Hudson Palisades. Travelling parallel to the base of the ridge it was cut
through a natural break in the rock formation, and then travelled northwest to join the Hackensack River
, a filled portion still seen in Country Village
.
.
Merritt Street,a 0.14 mile (0.2253076 km) section of which part is designated Hudson
County Route 707, is a short street in the neighborhood where Old Bergen Road
and Ocean Avenue end and Avenue C begins.The street is terminus for New Jersey Transit
bus 6
Greenville, Jersey City
Greenville is the southernmost section of Jersey City, New Jersey.In its broadest definition Greenville encompasses the area south of the West Side Branch of Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and north of the city line with Bayonne, between the Upper New York Bay and the Newark Bay, and corresponds to the...
in Jersey City, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
bordering Bayonne
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is a peninsula that is situated between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east...
. 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 area remained rural until the later part of the century when the Central Railroad of New Jersey built a line connecting ferries to Elizabeth
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Currie's Woods still remained untouched through the late part of the century and it was valued for its woods, rocky shore and dunes on Newark Bay
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, 3rd largest and one of busiest in the United States...
. A lot of the land was eventually lost, but a tract was set aside in the early part of the 20th century. A small cemetery, the Old Greenville Cemetery, was nearby. This park lost much of its land to the city's largest Housing Authority project in 1959, except a small tract in Bayonne, Mercer Park.
Pamrapo
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
language spoken by the Hackensack
Hackensack (Native Americans)
Hackensack was the exonym given to a band of Lenape, a Native American people is a European derivation of the Lenape word for what is now the region of northeastern New Jersey along the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers.-Territory and Society:...
people, a phratry
Phratry
In ancient Greece, a phratry ατρία, "brotherhood", "kinfolk", derived from φρατήρ meaning "brother") was a social division of the Greek tribe...
of the Lenni-Lenape who lived in the northeastern New Jersey
Gateway Region
The Gateway Region is located in the northeastern part of State of New Jersey in the United States of America. The area encompasses Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic, Union and Middlesex counties...
at the time of European contact in the 17th century. A possible meaning could be rock or point of rocks which would refer to the terrain. , and the original ravine
Ravine
A ravine is a landform narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streamcutting erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. A ravine is generally a fluvial slope landform of relatively steep sides, on the order of twenty to...
in Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill refers to the lower Hudson Palisades in New Jersey, USA, where they emerge on Bergen Neck, which in turn is the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson River, and their bays. In Hudson County, it reaches a height of 260 feet.-Rail:...
, or lower Hudson Palisades found there. Spellings included Pimbrepow, Pembrepock, Pemmerepoch, Pimlipo, Pemrepau , Pemrapaugh, and Pamrapough Pamrepaw'Pamropo
Two streets, one in Greenville
Greenville, Jersey City
Greenville is the southernmost section of Jersey City, New Jersey.In its broadest definition Greenville encompasses the area south of the West Side Branch of Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and north of the city line with Bayonne, between the Upper New York Bay and the Newark Bay, and corresponds to the...
and another in northern Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
still bear the name..Patents for land Achter Kol (beyond the ridge) were issued in 1654 ,as an extension of the Pavonia, New Netherland
Pavonia, New Netherland
Pavonia was the first European settlement on the west bank of the North River that was part of the 17th century province of New Netherland in what would become today's Hudson County, New Jersey.-Hudson and the Hackensack:...
settlement, which were centered around Communipaw
Communipaw
Communipaw is a section of Jersey City, New Jersey west of Liberty State Park and east of Bergen Hill, and site of one the earliest European settlements in North America. It gives its name to the historic avenue which runs from its eastern end near LSP Station through the neighborhoods of...
and Harsimus
Harsimus
Harsimus is a neighborhood within Downtown Jersey City. The neighborhood stretches from the Harsimus Stem Embankment in the north to Christopher Columbus Drive in the south between Coles Street and Grove Street or more broadly, to Marin Boulevard...
. The Pamrapo Bank, founded in Bayonne in the 19th century, takes its name from this area.The Central Railroad of New Jersey
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey , commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States...
maintained a station called Pamrapo along the right of way now used by the Hudson Bergen Light Rail
City Line
While the original Lehigh Valley Terminal RailwayLehigh Valley Terminal Railway
The Lehigh Valley Terminal Railway was a Lehigh Valley Railroad company organized in 1891 through the consolidation of the companies that formed the Lehigh Valley's route from South Plainfield through Newark to Jersey City via its bridge across Newark Bay...
tracks, New Jersey Route 185
New Jersey Route 185
Route 185 is a short state highway in Jersey City in the U.S. state of New Jersey, between Route 440 and Linden Avenue. Route 185 is a freeway in the Greenville neighborhood of Jersey City. It is parallel to Interstate 78 on the eastern side...
, New Jersey Turnpike
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road in New Jersey, maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the Turnpike is the nation's sixth-busiest toll road and is among one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United...
Newark Bay
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, 3rd largest and one of busiest in the United States...
Extension (I-78) create a physical boundary and de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
border with Bayonne
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is a peninsula that is situated between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east...
the actual city cuts diagonally across the neighborhood along the route of the Morris Canal
Morris Canal
The Morris Canal was an anthracite-carrying canal that incorporated a series of water-driven inclined planes in its course across northern New Jersey in the United States. It was in use for about a century — from the late 1820s to the 1920s....
. The unusual path fo the canal was made necessary by Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill refers to the lower Hudson Palisades in New Jersey, USA, where they emerge on Bergen Neck, which in turn is the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson River, and their bays. In Hudson County, it reaches a height of 260 feet.-Rail:...
, lower the Hudson Palisades. Travelling parallel to the base of the ridge it was cut
Cut (earthmoving)
In civil engineering, a cut or cutting is where soil or rock material from a hill or mountain is cut out to make way for a canal, road or railway line....
through a natural break in the rock formation, and then travelled northwest to join the Hackensack River
Hackensack River
The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles 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 suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River,...
, a filled portion still seen in Country Village
Country Village, Jersey City
Country Village is an residential enclave in the southwestern corner of the Greenville section of Jersey City, New Jersey that was built as planned community in the early 1960s.-Design and geography:...
.
.
Transportion
Merritt Street,a 0.14 mile (0.2253076 km) section of which part is designated Hudson
Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County is the smallest county in New Jersey and one of the most densely populated in United States. It takes its name from the Hudson River, which creates part of its eastern border. Part of the New York metropolitan area, its county seat and largest city is Jersey City.- Municipalities...
County Route 707, is a short street in the neighborhood where Old Bergen Road
Old Bergen Road
Old Bergen Road is located in the Greenville Section of Jersey City, New Jersey, and is designated Hudson County Route 601. It runs between Kennedy Boulevard at the north and County Route 707 to the south at Curries Woods...
and Ocean Avenue end and Avenue C begins.The street is terminus for New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit Bus Operations
New Jersey Transit Bus Operations is the bus division of New Jersey Transit, providing bus service throughout New Jersey along with service along one light rail line, with many routes going to New York City and Philadelphia.-History:...
bus 6