Walk Across New Jersey Part X - Preview

In Walk Across New Jersey (WANJ) Part X we abandon, for the rest of the series, even the pretense of semi-wilderness (as experienced in the Watchung and South Mountain Reservations on the previous two hikes) and head into the heart of megalopolis.  We still have pleasant parks to traverse, but with more of an urban park character.  Additionally we will be walking through elegant pre-automobile age suburbs and old working class neighborhoods and lively commercial districts.  And past old factories, warehouses, Superfund sites, beautiful old churches, schools, cemeteries, etc. - a plethora of stuff almost too great to describe.

The hike begins with the pleasant railroad suburb of South Orange and ends seriously urban upon reaching Newark's Broad Street Station.  

The old firehouse (1926) near the South Orange train station.

There are many old factories in Orange - "hatmaking capital of the world", including a few where hats were made.  But my favorite is this art deco pile where Monroe calculators (those old fashioned things with lots of moving parts) were manufactured.

Starting at the historic South Orange train station we head north into the City of Orange with its distinctly more blue collar ambiance. A consequence of its industrial heritage - especially the manufacture of hats. Boasting some 21 or more (numbers vary from different sources) hat factories in its prime, including the original ones of of the Stetson family who went on to iconic western hat fame.  We'll see a few extant old factories along with elements of the ongoing transformation of this sometimes gritty formerly industrial zone into the "Valley Arts District" (click here).

Sad rivers of northeastern New Jersey.  We cross the almost imperceptible high ground between the  watershed of the Rahway River  (on the left)  draining into the Arthur Kill and  that of the Second River (on the right) draining into Newark Bay (via the Passaic River).  Both just below their headwaters in the Watchung Mountains.

Some of the giant light bulbs strewn about in West Orange - these in front of the municipal building.  Commemorating Thomas Edison who lived the latter part of his life and died in West Orange.  We pass by the entrances to his gated community and his laboratory.

Next, crossing from the Rahway to the Passaic River watershed, we visit West Orange - land of light bulbs thanks to its most famous resident, Thomas Edison (who actually "invented" the light bulb elsewhere - in Menlo Park visited on WANJ VI where we saw a much larger light bulb).  The hike passes through three of the four Oranges - only East Orange is missed.

As you can see from the sign, there are spaces available in Rosedale Cemetery. Should you be looking for a final resting place among New Jersey's captains of industry, you will be out of luck on the hike as the office will be closed.

Then beautifully landscaped Rosedale Cemetery - one of the oldest and most historic in the state.  New Jersey's industrial graveyard whose permanent residents include the founders of Colgate, Merck, Upjohn, Johnson & Johnson and A&P along with famous architect Charles McKim, pioneering tennis star Althea Gibson and a few other famous people.

This 1920's last of the bow bridges over the Morris Canal was still present March, 2014 and will certainly still be there when we do the hike.

From Rosedale Cemetery we make our way to the Morris Canal in Bloomfield.  Having used the Delaware and Raritan Canal for much of the early WANJ, it is  essential to include at least a snippet of New Jersey's greatest and most innovative (if much less well preserved) canal as well - and this is it.   There is not really any canal left here but there is a pleasant park along the alignment including a historic bridge slated for demolition (but still there at last check).  

Cherry blossoms in Branch Brook Park on April 16, 2013 - indications are that we should have them close to peak on the day of the hike.  Let's hope.

Just before reaching the end of the hike at Broad Street Station, we pass the very large Newark Cathedral - impressively sited on the highest natural elevation in the city,

A bit more street walking takes us to the north end of Newark's Branch Brook Park where the cherry blossoms could well be spectacular.  Ostensibly too late, a recent NJ.com article forecasts the peak to be one day after the hike. We'll walk through Branch Brook Park right the way down , then on to Broad Street Station passing a more few historic sites including the impressive Newark Cathedral. 

For a map showing all the Walk Across and Ramble Across New Jersey hikes completed prior to this one, click here.  WANJ hikes are in red, the alternate WANJ route through the Plainfields in pink, and RANJ in green.