Great Falls S. U. M. Historic District, Oliver Street, Paterson, Passaic County, NJ
Summary
Significance: In 1791 Alexander Hamilton and others founded an industrial venture known as the Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.). The formation of this Society embodied the theory prepounded by Hamilton in his "Report on Manufacturers" (1791), that the best way to ensure America's independence of Europe was by establishing industries in the U.S. Under Hamilton's guidance, the Society acquired land at Paterson, New Jersey, at the Great Falls of the Passaic River. The falls, one of the largest on the east coast, was to supply the power to various mills and manufactories through a 2-1/2 mile system of raceways (see HAER No. NJ-2). Although not a terribly successful venture at first, approximately 60 mills, as well as other manufacturing plants, were established in what is now the S.U.M. Historic District, many dating from the 1830s and 1840s. The S.U.M. is recognized as being one of the sites where the American Industrial Revolution began, and was the first planned industrial area in the U.S.
Survey number: HAER NJ-1
Building/structure dates: ca. 1915 Initial Construction
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 70000391
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