Rahway River Parkway

The Rahway River Parkway is a greenway of parkland along the banks the main stem Rahway River and its tributaries in Union County, New Jersey, United States. Created in the 1920s, it was one of the inaugural projects of the newly-created Union County Parks Commission. It was designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm, sons of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. The Rahway River Greenway plan expands on the original design. Many of the crossings of the river are late 19th century or early 20th century bridges. The East Coast Greenway uses paths and roads along the parkway.

Nomahegan Park at the upper reaches of the Rahway River Parkway near Union County College
Paddlers race past the Cranford Canoe Club on the Rahway River during the annual Fourth of July competition in Cranford.

History
1919 map of original commission's study

The idea for the Rahway River Parkway started in 1919 when Union County Sheriff, James E. Warner began a movement to "save" the river by writing to the local paper, The Cranford Citizen, and urging that the river be made into a memorial to the young men who had died in the recent World War I. This was followed by editorials of support in The Rahway Record, The Westfield Leader, The Cranford Citizen, and The Chronicle. On May 5, 1919, the Elizabeth Daily Journal, stated that the idea was "a duty rather than an opportunity.” The Rahway Women's Club sent a resolution of support to the Union County Board of Freeholders.[1]

The Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce had one of its members organize Union County Park Association to urge the creation of a park commission and April 1921, Superior Court Justice James J. Bergen was petitioned to appoint a temporary commission to study the feasibility of such a commission. On April 30, a temporary commission was named and given $10,000.00 and two years to complete the study. Within five months, the group finished the study and returned $8,391.00 of the funds. The emphasis of the report was to move quickly, before the available open space was gone. On the November 8, 1921, ballot, voters were asked to approve a permanent five-member Park Commission and $2.5 million to be spent at the commission's discretion.[1][2]

The Parkway was created between 1921–1929 following the design of the Olmsted Brothers, sons of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.[3][4] Many of the crossings of the river are late 19th century or early 20th century bridges.[5]

Description
Wooded lands along Rahway River

The Rahway River consists of four separate branches that converge in Rahway, from whence it flows as a single waterway to its mouth at the Arthur Kill. The longest, or West Branch, courses for 24 miles from Verona. The East Branch rises in West Orange/Montclair and joins the West Branch at Hobart Gap in Springfield forming the main stem of the river. The Nomahegan Brook and Black Brook enter soon thereafter. The original Rahway River Parkway was approximately seven miles.[6] The brooks and main stem through Union, Westfield, Springfield, Cranford, Kenilworth, Winfield, Clark, and Rahway (where it is joined by the Robinsons Branch and the South Branch)[7] The parkway comprises several county, municipal parks, and trails along the banks of the river.[8] some of which are part of the East Coast Greenway.[9][10][11] The river continues into Linden, Woodbridge and Carteret, which also have parks along it, which are part of the 21st century Rahway River Greenway Plan.[7]

Parks and features along the Rahway
See also: List of crossings of the Rahway River
Park/Feature Location Coordinates References/Notes
Larchmont Reservation Union 40°42′35″N 74°17′50″W
Rahway Valley Railroad Bridge Union
Springfield		 40°42′06″N 74°18′36″W [12]
Meisel Avenue Park Springfield 40°42′09″N 74°18′49″W [13]
Black Brook Park Kenilworth 40°41′04″N 74°17′42″W [14]
Echo Lake Park Westfield
Springfield		 40°40′33″N 74°20′32″W
Lenape Park Westfield
Springfield
Kenilworth
Cranford		 40°40′43″N 74°19′00″W [15]
Nomahegan Park Cranford 40°40′12″N 74°18′52″W [16]
Memorial Park 40°39′41″N 74°18′27″W
Hampton Park 40°39′33″N 74°18′37″W
MacConnell Park 40°39′27″N 74°18′34″W [17]
Girl Scout Park 40°39′36″N 74°18′24″W
Cranford Canoe Club 40°39′37″N 74°18′22″W [18]
Hanson Park 40°39′36″N 74°18′17″W [19][20]
9/11 Memorial Park / Josiah Crane Park 40°39′30″N 74°18′08″W [20]
Sperry Park 40°39′29″N 74°17′42″W [20] named for William Miller Sperry; site of Crane-Phillips House
Droescher's Mill Park 40°39′04″N 74°18′06″W [20] named for Droescher's Mill
Mohawk Park 40°38′27″N 74°17′42″W [20]
Big Bend Lake 40°37′48″N 74°17′52″W
Bloodgoods Pond Clark 40°37′48″N 74°17′52″W [21] named for Bloodgoods Felt Mill[22]
Jacksons Pond 40°37′50″N 74°17′07″W [21]
Rahway River Park Clark
Rahway		 40°37′04″N 74°17′11″W [23][24][25]
Rahway Cemetery Rahway 40°37′04″N 74°17′11″W site of Merchants' and Drovers' Tavern
Squires Island 40°36′55″N 74°16′32″W [26]
Bezega Wetland Observation Park 40°36′48″N 74°16′27″W [27][28]
Robinsons Branch enters from west
Wheatena Park Rahway 40°36′40″N 74°16′27″W named for Wheatena
Lower Essex Street Park 40°36′09″N 74°16′18″W [29][30]
South Branch enters from south
Waterfront Park Rahway 40°36′01″N 74°16′16″W
Rahway Yacht Club 40°36′13″N 74°15′49″W [31]
Hawk Rise Sanctuary Linden 40°36′17″N 74°15′00″W
Joseph Medwick Park Carteret 40°35′55″N 74°14′36″W named for Joe Medwick[32]
  • Rahway River
  • Lake Nomahegan
  • Wildlife in Springfield
  • Rahway Valley Railroad Bridge
  • Droescher's Mill
  • From footbridge in Cranford
  • Dam in Union
  • Rahway Water Tower
  • Tidal flats

See also

References
  1. "The Inception of a Parkway". Friends of Rahway River Parkway. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  2. It Takes a Village... and a park commission, Friends of the Rahway River Parkway. Accessed August 14, 2017.
  3. "A New Sports Facility Jeopardizes Rahway River Park - The Cultural Landscape Foundation". tclf.org. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  4. "Percival Gallagher - The Cultural Landscape Foundation". tclf.org. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  5. "Historic Bridge Survey Union County (1991-1994)" (PDF). NJDOT. 2001. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  6. Federal Writers' Project, The WPA Guide to New Jersey: The Garden State (1939) ("Cranford is an old residential town spread along the Rahway River Parkway a link of nearly 7 miles joining a series of county parks and playgrounds. The name Nomahegan is a variation of Noluns Mohegans, as the New Jersey Indians were called in the treaty ending the Indian troubles in 1758. It is translated as women Mohegans or she-wolves and was applied to them in scorn by the fighting Iroquois.")
  7. Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University (February 2009). Rahway River Greenway Plan (PDF) (Report). Rahway River Greenway Plan. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  8. Rahway River, Union County, New Jersey. Accessed January 3, 2017.
  9. "New Jersey East Coast Greenway Multi-use Guide" (PDF). NJDOT. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  10. "East Coast Greenway link to be completed in Union County". Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  11. New Jersey: Camden & Trenton to New York City
  12. "RVRR - Rahway River Bridge". Bridgehunter.com. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  13. "Meisel Avenue Park" (PDF). Union County Department of Parks. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  14. "Black Brook". Union County Department of Parks. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  15. "Lenape Park" (PDF). Union County Department of Parks. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  16. "Nomahegan". July 24, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  17. "MacConnell Park" (PDF). Union County Department of Parks. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  18. "Cranford Canoe Club". www.cranfordcanoeclub.com. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  19. "Hanson Park Conservancy". Hanson Park Conservancy. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  20. "Rahway River Parkway Cranford Section" (PDF). Union County Department of Parks. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  21. "Rahway River Park Clark/Linden Section" (PDF). Union County Department of Parks. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  22. D'Andrea, Michael Q.; Russo II, Lawrence M. (September 2016). "New Jersey's Oldest Felt Mill" (PDF). GardenStateLegacy.
  23. "Rahway River Park Clark Rahway" (PDF). Union County Department of Parks. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  24. Yearby, Jean P. Rahway River Park, Swimming Pool, Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress. Accessed April 14, 2015.
  25. "Rahway River Park - The Cultural Landscape Foundation". tclf.org. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  26. "Squires Island" (PDF). Union County Department of Parks. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  27. "Rahway, NJ – Urban Floodplain Restoration – Louisiana Resiliency Assistance Program". resiliency.lsu.edu. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  28. "New Park Named for Rahway Vet" (PDF). The Rahway Review. January 23, 2003.
  29. "NJDEP SRP - Essex Street Riverfront Park". www.nj.gov. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  30. http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2009/03/new_park_set_to_open_along_rah.html
  31. "Rahway Yacht Club". rahwayyachtclub.yolasite.com. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  32. "Joseph Medwick Memorial Park". www.middlesexcountynj.gov. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
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