Editing Weehawken, New Jersey (section)

==History==
===Name===
The name ''Weehawken'' is generally considered to have evolved from the [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian language]] [[Lenape]] spoken by the [[Hackensack (Native Americans)|Hackensack]] and [[Tappan (Native Americans)|Tappan]]. It has variously been interpreted as "maize land", "place of gulls", "rocks that look like trees", which would refer to the [[The Palisades (Hudson River)|Palisades]], atop which most of the town sits, or "at the end", among other suggested translations.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040317224225/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w4/weehawken-i.htm ''Weehawken''], [[Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]]. Accessed June 13, 2007. "A township in Hudson County, N.J., seven miles northeast of Jersey City. The name was originally an Algonquin Indian term and later changed by folk-usage to a pseudo-Dutch form. Its exact meaning is unclear, but variously translated as ''place of gulls,'' ''rocks that look like trees,'' ''maize land,'' ''at the end'' (of the Palisades) and ''field lying along the Hudson.''"</ref><ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. [http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/356/nj_place_names_origin.pdf#page=32 ''The Origin of New Jersey Place Names''], New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed October 23, 2015.</ref><ref>[[Henry Gannett|Gannett, Henry]]. [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n25 <!-- pg=31 --> ''The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States''], p. 31. [[United States Government Printing Office]], 1905. Accessed October 23, 2015.</ref>

[[USS Weehawken|Three U.S. Navy ships]] have been named for the city. The [[USS Weehawken (1862)|USS ''Weehawken'']], launched on November 5, 1862, was a [[Passaic class monitor|''Passaic''-class monitor]], or ironclad ship, which sailed for the [[Union Navy]] during the [[American Civil War]], encountered battles at the [[Charleston, South Carolina]], coast and sank in a moderate gale on December 6, 1863.<ref>[http://americancivilwar.com/tcwn/civil_war/Navy_Ships/USS_Weehawken.html USS WeehawkenCivil War Union Naval Ship], AmericanCivilWar.com. Accessed October 23, 2015.</ref> The ''Weehawken'' was the last ferry to the [[West Shore Railroad|West Shore Terminal]] on March 25, 1959, at 1:10&nbsp;am, ending 259 years of continuous ferry service.<ref name="Arthur G. Adams 1996"/> [[Weehawken Street (Manhattan)|Weehawken Street]] in [[Manhattan]]'s [[Greenwich Village]] was the site of a colonial [[Hudson River]] ferry landing.<ref>Apmann, Sarah Bean. [https://www.villagepreservation.org/2016/01/11/weehawken-street-historic-district-part-i/ "Weehawken Street Historic District, Part I"], Village Preservation, January 11, 2016. Accessed February 16, 2023. "Speculative New Yorkers bought lots on the east side of the planned Weehawken Street (named for the ferry connection to the New Jersey town) in anticipation of the market"</ref>

The name and the place have inspired mention in [[#In popular culture|multiple works]] of popular culture.

===Founding===
[[File:Hamilton monument map.jpg|thumb|An 1841 map of parts of Hudson and New York counties and the [[Hudson River]]]]
The township's written history began in 1609, when [[Henry Hudson]], on his third voyage to the New World, sailed down what was later named the [[North River (Hudson River)|North River]] on the [[Halve Maen|Half Moon]] and anchored in [[Weehawken Cove]].<ref>[http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/2402731/article-Hoboken-s-earliest-days-Before-becoming-a-city---Hobuck--went-through-several-incarnations "Hoboken's earliest days: Before becoming a city, 'Hobuck' went through several incarnations"], ''[[The Hudson Reporter]]'', January 16, 2005. Accessed July 7, 2016. "On October 2, 1609, Henry Hudson anchored his ship, the Half Moon, in what is now Weehawken Cove. Robert Juet, Hudson's first mate, wrote in the ship's log, "[W]e saw a good piece of ground ... that looked of the color of white green." The rock of which Juet wrote makes up Castle Point in Hoboken; nowhere else along the Hudson River exists a white-green rock formation."</ref> At the time it was the territory of the [[Hackensack (Native Americans)|Hackensack]] and [[Tappan Zee|Tappan]], of the Turtle Clan, or [[Lenape|Unami]], a branch of the [[Lenape]]. They were displaced by immigrants to the province of [[New Netherland]], who had begun to settle the west bank of the [[Hudson River|Hudson]] at [[Pavonia, New Netherland|Pavonia]] in 1630. On May 11, 1647, [[Maryn Adriansen]] received a patent for a plantation (of 169 acres) at ''Awiehaken''. In 1658, [[Director-General of New Netherland]] [[Peter Stuyvesant]] negotiated a deal with the Lenape to purchase all the land from ''"the great rock above Wiehacken"'', west to ''Sikakes'' ([[Secaucus]]) and south to ''Konstapels Hoeck'' ([[Constable Hook]]).<ref>[https://archive.org/details/historycountyhu00winfgoog/page/n74 <!-- pg=62 --> ''History of the County of Hudson, New Jersey, from Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time''], p. 62. Accessed March 29, 2007.</ref> In 1661, Weehawken became part of [[Bergen, New Netherland|Bergen]] when it (and most of northeastern New Jersey) came under the jurisdiction of the court at [[Bergen Square]].{{fact|date=September 2024}}

In 1674, [[New Netherland]] was ceded to the [[Netherlands]] by the British and the town became part of the Province of [[East Jersey]]. In 1677, John Luby acquired several parcels covering {{convert|35|acre|ha}} along the Hudson.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://files.usgwarchives.org/nj/statewide/history/colrec/vol21/v21-01.txt |title=New Jersey Colonial Records, East Jersey Records: Part 1 – Volume 21 Calendar of Records 1664–1703 |access-date=October 17, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210113334/http://files.usgwarchives.org/nj/statewide/history/colrec/vol21/v21-01.txt |archive-date=February 10, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Most habitation was along the top of the cliffs since the low-lying areas were mostly marshland. Descriptions from the period speak of the dense foliage and forests and excellent land for growing vegetables and orchard fruits. As early as 1700 there was regular, if sporadic ferry service from Weehawken.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hudsonriver.com/ferry.htm|title=History of the Hudson River Ferries|access-date=February 28, 2009|archive-date=March 7, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307204017/http://hudsonriver.com/ferry.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1752, [[George II of Great Britain|King George II]] made the first official grant for ferry service, the ferry house north of [[Hoboken, New Jersey|Hoboken]] primarily used for farm produce and likely was sold at the [[Greenwich Village]] landing that became [[Weehawken Street (Manhattan)|Weehawken Street]].<ref>Van Valen, James M. [https://archive.org/details/historybergenco00valegoog/page/n96 <!-- pg=86 --> ''History of Bergen County, New Jersey''], p. 86. New Jersey Publishing and Engraving Co., 1900. Accessed January 14, 2012. "For many years the farmers and others in the northern part of Bergen County reached New York by means of the Weehawken Ferry established by Samuel Bayard about the year 1700. The charter for this ferry was granted by George II in 1752 to Stephen Bayard."</ref>

Weehawken was formed as a township by an act of the [[New Jersey Legislature]], on March 15, 1859, from portions of [[Hoboken, New Jersey|Hoboken]] and [[North Bergen, New Jersey|North Bergen]]. A portion of the township was ceded to Hoboken in 1874. Additional territory was annexed in 1879 from [[West Hoboken, New Jersey|West Hoboken]].<ref name="Story">Snyder, John P. [https://nj.gov/dep/njgs/enviroed/oldpubs/bulletin67.pdf ''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968''], Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 148. Accessed May 30, 2024.</ref>

===Revolutionary War===
[[File:WestshoreRRWeehawkenimg096.jpg|thumb|Ferries departing the [[West Shore Railroad]]'s [[Weehawken Terminal]] in the late 19th century]]
During the [[American Revolutionary War]], Weehawken was used as a lookout for the patriots to check on the British, who were situated in New York and controlled the surrounding waterways. In fact, in July 1778, [[William Alexander (American general)|Lord Stirling]] asked [[Aaron Burr]], in a letter written on behalf of General [[George Washington]], to employ several persons to "go to Bergen Heights, Weehawk, Hoebuck, or any other heights thereabout to observe the motions of the enemy's shipping" and to gather any other possible intelligence.<ref>[[James Parton|Parton, James]]. [http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/cul/texts/ldpd_5767459_001/pages/ldpd_5767459_001_00000111.html ''The Life and Times of Aaron Burr (Volume 1)''], p. 109. J.R. Osgood, 1876. Accessed January 14, 2012.</ref> Early documented inhabitants included a Captain James Deas, whose stately residence at Deas' Point was located atop a knoll along the river.<ref>[http://www.ettc.net/njarts/details.cfm?ID=1040 Historic Monument – Hamilton-Burr Duel, Weehawken], Art & Architecture of New Jersey, [[Stockton University]]. Accessed January 14, 2012.</ref> [[Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette|Lafayette]] had used the mansion as his headquarters and later [[Washington Irving]] came to gaze at Manhattan.

Not far from Deas' was a ledge 11 paces wide and 20 paces long, situated {{convert|20|ft}} above the Hudson on the Palisades. This ledge, long gone, was the site of 18 documented [[duel]]s and probably many unrecorded ones in the years 1798–1845. The most famous is [[Burr–Hamilton duel|the duel]] between [[Alexander Hamilton]], first [[United States Secretary of the Treasury|Secretary of the Treasury]], and [[Aaron Burr]], then Vice President of the United States, which took place on July 11, 1804;<ref>[[Joseph Ellis|Ellis, Joseph J.]] 2000. ''[[Founding Brothers|Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation.]]'' ''(Chapter One: The Duel)'', [[Alfred A. Knopf]]. New York. {{ISBN|0-375-40544-5}}</ref> this duel was re-enacted on its 200th anniversary (July 11, 2004) by descendants of Hamilton and Burr.<ref>[http://www.weehawkenhistory.us/whc/providence/pawtucket/themes/weehawken/wtm_assets/duel2004/re-enactment.php Hamilton-Burr Duel Re-Enactment] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160511155454/http://www.weehawkenhistory.us/whc/providence/pawtucket/themes/weehawken/wtm_assets/duel2004/re-enactment.php |date=May 11, 2016 }}, Weehawken Time Machine. Accessed March 19, 2017.</ref> Three years earlier, a duel was held at this spot between Hamilton's son, [[Philip Hamilton]], and [[George Eacker]].<ref name=PBS>[http://www.shoppbs.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/duel/peopleevents/pande16.html "The American Experience – The Duel – People & Events – Philip Hamilton's Duel"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202175749/http://www.shoppbs.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/duel/peopleevents/pande16.html|date=December 2, 2020}}, [[PBS]]. Accessed March 21, 2022. "When Alexander Hamilton's 19-year-old son rose to his father's defense on November 20, 1801, he took the first step of a violent process that had become an American social convention – the duel.... The weapons chosen were pistols; the dueling site the heights of Weehawken, New Jersey, just across the Hudson from New York."</ref> (Another source, however, puts the duel in [[Paulus Hook]] in [[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4iafgTEhU3QC&q="Paulus%20Hook%20new%20jersey"|author=Chernow, Ron|title=Alexander Hamilton|publisher=[[Penguin Publishing Group]]|page=652|via=[[Google Books]]|isbn=9780143034759|date=2005|accessdate=March 21, 2022|archive-date=March 21, 2022|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/tsMDY}}</ref>) Phillip, who had been defending his father's honor, suffered a fatal wound in his hip and his left arm and died two days later on November 24, 1801.<ref name=PBS/>

===19th century===
In the mid-19th century, [[James G. King]] built his estate Highwood on the bluff that now bears his name and entertained many political and artistic figures of the era, including [[Daniel Webster]].<ref>Allocca, Sean. [http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/1911410/article-Happy-Birthday--Weehawken---Town-unveils-new-book--year-long-150th-celebration- "Happy Birthday, Weehawken! Town unveils new book, year-long 150th celebration"], ''[[The Hudson Reporter]]'', February 8, 2009. Accessed January 14, 2012. "According to the book, Weehawken first gained momentum when James Gore King, a banking tycoon from New York City, moved his family to Weehawken in 1832. Naming his estate Highwood, these 50 acres served as the model for what Weehawken represented: exquisiteness, quiet communities, and astonishing scenery."</ref>

With the ferry, the [[Hackensack Plank Road]] (a toll road that was a main artery from Weehawken to [[Hackensack, New Jersey|Hackensack]]), and later, the [[West Shore Railroad]], built during the early 1870s, the waterfront became a transportation hub. The wealthy built homes along the top of the [[New Jersey Palisades]], where they might flee from the sweltering heat of New York and breathe the fresh air of the heights. Weehawken became the playground of the rich during the middle to late 19th century. A series of wagon lifts, stairs and even a passenger [[elevator]] designed by the same engineer as those at the [[Eiffel Tower]] (which at the time was the world's largest)<ref name="Arthur G. Adams 1996">{{Cite book| author = Arthur G. Adams| publisher = [[Fordham University Press]]| isbn = 978-0-8232-1676-5| title = The Hudson Through the Years| year = 1996| url = https://archive.org/details/hudsonthroughyea00adam}}</ref> were put in place to accommodate the tourists and summer dwellers. The [[Eldorado Amusement Park]], a [[pleasure garden]] which opened in 1891, drew massive crowds.<ref>Staff. [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1892/07/17/106889690.pdf "A Substantial El Dorado; Weehawken's Counterpart Of The City Of Gold. It Can Be Readily Reached By Various And Some Novel Conveyances – Many Means Of Entertainment – A Grand Spectacle – What There Is To See"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', July 17, 1892. Accessed February 9, 2015.</ref>

===20th century===
The turn of the 20th century saw the end of the large estates, [[casino]]s, hotels, and theaters as tourism gave way to subdivisions<ref name="NYT1994">Senft, Bret. [https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/25/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-living-weehawken-insular-with-magnificent-skyline-view.html "If You're Thinking of Living In/Weehawken; Insular With a Magnificent Skyline View"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 25, 1994. Accessed February 9, 2015.</ref> (such as Highwood Park and Clifton Park) and the construction of many of the private homes in the township.<ref>Astudillo, Carla. [http://www.nj.com/data/2018/03/the_23_towns_with_the_most_historical_homes.html "The 23 N.J. towns with the most old homes, ranked"], NJ Advance Media for [[NJ.com]], March 2018. Accessed November 14, 2019.</ref> This coincided with the influx of the Germans, Austrians, and Swiss, who built them and the breweries and embroidery factories in nearby [[Union City, New Jersey|Union City]] and [[West New York, New Jersey|West New York]]. While remaining essentially residential, Weehawken continued to grow as Hudson County became more industrial and more populated. Shortly after [[World War I]], a significant contingent of [[Syrian]] immigrants from [[Homs]] (a major textile center in its own right) moved into Weehawken to take advantage of the burgeoning textile industry.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}