Van Buskirk Island
Encyclopedia
Van Buskirk Island is a man-made island in the Hackensack River
in Oradell
, New Jersey
, United States
. The island was formed in 1802, and was created by the dams for the mills, The Southern End was known as the old Dock, Upper Landing or Old Landing and was the official head of navigation on the Hackensack River (the highest point of navigable water on the river). Schooners plied the river regularly between Old Dock and New York
. The land was also an industrial center from Pre-Revolutionary War times with several types of mills: saw mills, bark mills and finally a grist mill. After this it was used as the site for the Hackensack Water company
from 1882 (Site built and expanded, remains historically intact from 1911, including important steam equipment from the Industrial Revolution
.
In 1990, United Water
(formerly Hackensack Water Co.) ceased using the site and offered it to Oradell, then Bergen County
. The island is currently in a state of transition and the focus of a battle between the county and conservation groups regarding its future status and use as a park and/or recreational area.
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,...
in Oradell
Oradell, New Jersey
Oradell is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,978. The borough's territory includes a dam on the Hackensack River that forms the Oradell Reservoir...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The island was formed in 1802, and was created by the dams for the mills, The Southern End was known as the old Dock, Upper Landing or Old Landing and was the official head of navigation on the Hackensack River (the highest point of navigable water on the river). Schooners plied the river regularly between Old Dock and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The land was also an industrial center from Pre-Revolutionary War times with several types of mills: saw mills, bark mills and finally a grist mill. After this it was used as the site for the Hackensack Water company
New Milford Plant of the Hackensack Water Company
The New Milford Plant of the Hackensack Water Company was a water filtration and pumping plant located on Van Buskirk Island, an artificially created island in the Hackensack River, in Oradell, New Jersey. The site was purchased in 1881 by the Hackensack Water Company...
from 1882 (Site built and expanded, remains historically intact from 1911, including important steam equipment from the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
.
In 1990, United Water
United Water
United Water Resources, founded as Hackensack Water Company in 1869, has grown into one of the United States's largest water services companies. It is headquartered in Harrington Park, New Jersey. The company owns and operates water and wastewater utilities and also has contracts to operate...
(formerly Hackensack Water Co.) ceased using the site and offered it to Oradell, then Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
. The island is currently in a state of transition and the focus of a battle between the county and conservation groups regarding its future status and use as a park and/or recreational area.