View No. 4: The New Jersey Central RR Terminal

Watercolor on Linen / 14“ X 19”

During Hudson’s second day, the ship passed an oyster-rich tidal flat which later became the site of another major landmark at the mouth of the Hudson River, the Central New Jersey Railroad Terminal. Many of the immigrants arriving at Ellis Island departed from here for other locations across the country.                                                       

Opened in 1889, it functioned until 1967 when it became part of Liberty State Park where it now houses an interpretive center. Adjoining the terminal is a short inlet that was once the terminus of the Morris Canal. Built in 1824, it extended 107 miles westward to the Delaware River in Pennsylvania and carried barges containing everything from coal to farm products until 1871.