It feels like a scene in a post-apocalyptical film seeing the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal at Liberty State Park. The terminal is now a pavilion where tourists take the Ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, but the tracks leading to the station are all overgrown with weeds and brush. Here a once great railroad thrived. Here, the remnants of a civilization decay. Any moment on the horizon I expect to see apes riding horses casting nets on fleeing humans.
The Jersey Central Line was a regional railroad with origins in the early 19th century, running until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail. The terminal opened in 1864. It was a departure point for Union Troops and materials to the South during the final years of the Civil War. Soon after, the terminal initiated one of the defining aspects of America, the post-war period of immigration. From 1890 to 1915, approximately 12 million immigrants were processed for entry at Ellis Island and they entered the country via the terminal. It wasn’t Plymouth Rock or Jamestown where most folks first witnessed a land, as Fitzgerald wrote, “commensurate to (their) capacity to wonder,” it was Jersey City!
The "Blue Comet" railway train traveled between Jersey City to Atlantic City from 1929 to 1941. My Sister-in-Law’s Parents, Ned & Rose Katz, were from the Atlantic City area. They grew up there, when Atlantic City was known as the “World’s Playground.” When I first moved to Jersey City, Ned told me about taking Rose on the Blue Comet to Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, then the Ferry to Manhattan to see Frank Sinatra at the Paramount Theater—a famous series (Bobby Soxer shows) of concerts in ole Blue Eyes career. Tickets were fifty cents said Ned. After the concert they ate corn beef sandwiches and cheese cake and waited for the morning train to take them back down the shore. They fell in love and were married until they passed on during the last decade of the last century. Sinatra in his prime. A long train ride to talk and kiss. The Statue of Liberty glistening in the breaking dawn. What couple wouldn’t fall in love?
The Blue Comet was one of the last Steam Locomotive passenger trains to run. The Central Railroad of New Jersey went bankrupt in 1967 and was absorbed into Conrail. Trains ceased to travel from Atlantic City, the terminal ceased operation and became a landmark. Liberty State Park and this terminal is one of the most visited tourist spots in the world. It’s a place where history echoes—a station that helped Union victory, that enabled immigrants to uplift our country and decided the long marriage of Ned & Rose.
The Jersey Central Line was a regional railroad with origins in the early 19th century, running until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail. The terminal opened in 1864. It was a departure point for Union Troops and materials to the South during the final years of the Civil War. Soon after, the terminal initiated one of the defining aspects of America, the post-war period of immigration. From 1890 to 1915, approximately 12 million immigrants were processed for entry at Ellis Island and they entered the country via the terminal. It wasn’t Plymouth Rock or Jamestown where most folks first witnessed a land, as Fitzgerald wrote, “commensurate to (their) capacity to wonder,” it was Jersey City!
The "Blue Comet" railway train traveled between Jersey City to Atlantic City from 1929 to 1941. My Sister-in-Law’s Parents, Ned & Rose Katz, were from the Atlantic City area. They grew up there, when Atlantic City was known as the “World’s Playground.” When I first moved to Jersey City, Ned told me about taking Rose on the Blue Comet to Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, then the Ferry to Manhattan to see Frank Sinatra at the Paramount Theater—a famous series (Bobby Soxer shows) of concerts in ole Blue Eyes career. Tickets were fifty cents said Ned. After the concert they ate corn beef sandwiches and cheese cake and waited for the morning train to take them back down the shore. They fell in love and were married until they passed on during the last decade of the last century. Sinatra in his prime. A long train ride to talk and kiss. The Statue of Liberty glistening in the breaking dawn. What couple wouldn’t fall in love?
The Blue Comet was one of the last Steam Locomotive passenger trains to run. The Central Railroad of New Jersey went bankrupt in 1967 and was absorbed into Conrail. Trains ceased to travel from Atlantic City, the terminal ceased operation and became a landmark. Liberty State Park and this terminal is one of the most visited tourist spots in the world. It’s a place where history echoes—a station that helped Union victory, that enabled immigrants to uplift our country and decided the long marriage of Ned & Rose.
No comments:
Post a Comment