Port Jervis, New York
12771 "Where New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania
Come Together" Visit
Us On Facebook GPS Coordinates: N41
22.50479 W74 41.56109
Last update:
09/24/2016
Web Statistics For August 2016 || Total Hits:
39,883 || Unique Visitors: 3,581
IMPORTANT TRAVEL ANNOUNCEMENT
Maintenance work on the
Roebling Bridge across the Delaware River from NY Route 97 to
Lackawaxen, PA, will require closing the roadway to vehicular
traffic beginning October 3, from 6:00 a.m. Monday, until 6:00
p.m. Thursday throughout the month of October. One walkway will
remain open at all times for pedestrian use. Vehicles will be
allowed to cross the structure on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Read more from the
National Park Service.
Claiming
a population shown by the 2010 U.S. Census as slightly
less than
9,000, this small city is
further situated on the western border of Orange
County, one of
New York's original counties and whose founding dates to 1683.
The
current city of Port Jervis was once part of the still
surrounding Town
of Deerpark which was itself
established in 1798. After incorporating as a
village in 1853, and later being legally divided from the
Town of Deerpark, in 1907 Port Jervis became a city.
On
its New Jersey side, Port Jervis abuts Montague
Township while its Pennsylvania
neighbor across the Delaware River is Westfall
Township.
It
is said that prior to the arrival of the first Europeans
in the late very late 1600s or start of the 18th century, Port Jervis was
known as "Magagkamack,"
which is a Lenni-Lenape
(Delaware Indian) phrase that
has been interpreted as "pumpkin field" or
"land covered in grass." It was in the
general vicinity of Port Jervis that a sub-group of the
Lenape, the Munsee, made their traditional seat of
government.
Because
of its location and waterways, which also includes the
mouth of the Neversink
river, Port Jervis has long been a transportation hub.
Because mining and transportation of coal was a core reason
why the D & H Canal was built, among the many lifelong
engineering accomplishments of the
city's namesake was researching and
ordering
the
first steam engine locomotive to run on commercial railroad
tracks in the United States.
Consistent
with its geography and prominence in early 19th century
transportation, Port Jervis also became an important
railroad center and still has
one of the region's few remaining steam
engine turntables.
Perhaps the most famous Port Jervis citizen is the acclaimed
author of the Red Badge of Courage, Stephen
Crane, who started school here
at age six. The inspiration for that novel and other
of his works held associations to Port Jervis where he
stayed with his brother
William, wrote articles in the
local newspaper, and would return for much of his
adult life.
Attracted
by the area's
natural beauty, including the
scenic "Hawk's
Nest" section of New York
Route 97, every year hundreds of thousands of visitors
canoe
and raft down the Delaware river.
This same region is a popular fishing
spot and is graced with American
Bald Eagles that can be observed
from public viewing areas, particularly during the winter
months. Because National
Geograhic recognized "the world-class natural and cultural
attractions of the middle and upper Delaware River region"
of which Port Jervis is part, it partnered with local
oranizations to create a useful geotourism guide map that
highlights the area's many interesting features, activities,
and points of interest. Visit the The National
Geographic's
Scenic, Wild Delaware River resource for more.
The
following additional Wikipedia.org information about Port
Jervis and related areas is made available under the
terms and conditions of Creative
Commons.
Port Jervis is
a city in Orange County, New York. The population was 8,860
at the 2000 census. It is part of the
Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan
Statistical Area as well as the larger New
York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical
Area.
The communities
of Deerpark, Huguenot, Sparrowbush, and Greenville are
adjacent to Port Jervis. The towns of Montague, New Jersey
and Matamoras, Pennsylvania face the city across the
respective state borders. Port Jervis is the home of the
last stop on the 95-mile-long (151 km) Port Jervis
Line, which is a commuter railroad line from Hoboken, New
Jersey and New York City that is contracted to NJ Transit by
the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company—the line itself
continues on to Binghamton and Buffalo, but passenger
service beyond Port Jervis was discontinued in 1966.
On June 2,
1892, Robert Lewis, an African American, was lynched on Main
Street in Port Jervis after being accused of participation
in an assault on a white woman. A grand jury indicated nine
people in connection with the lynching. This event
would serve as inspiration for one-time Port Jervis resident
and author Stephen Crane's 1898 novella The Monster.
Port Jervis
grew steadily into the 1900s. On July 26, 1907, it became a
city.
In the mid
1920's the Ku Klux Klan was active in the area, burning
crosses on Point Peter, the mountain peak that overlooks
Port Jervis.
As of the 2010 census
information available in March 2011 there were 8,828
people reported living in Port Jervis which represented a
decrease of 32 individuals or -.04% compared to a decade
earlier. The 2010 data showed the ethnic composition
of the community was 6,735 White, non-Hispanic,
1,054 Hispanic, 654 Black, 117 Asian, and 800
categorized as other with 6,596 of those individual listed
as adults and 2,232 as children. 2010
census figures noted 3,957 housing units and 387 vacant
housing.
South of the
Laurel Grove Cemetery, under the viaduct for Interstate 84,
are two monuments that symbolically mark the boundaries
between the states of New York, New Jersey, and
Pennsylvania.
The Tri-State
Monument is a replacement for the original monument erected
in 1774 that was important in resolving the New York - New
Jersey Line War.
When
arriving at the Port Jervis train platform a fast
food restaurant is located nearby. If facing
toward the train and tracks the Delaware River and State
of Pennsylvania lie a few blocks away.
Port Jervis
like many other small communities has struggled under
difficult economic conditions and all that comes with
it. Challenges continue to be met. Progress
is shown by an expansion of the city's largest employer,
improved quality of life, more recreation and hobbyist
choices, broader public interest in Port Jervis, and
commercial property renovation
plans.
03 October 2013
Front Street
Sussex Street
The Delaware River
Front Street runs the length of the
downtown Port Jervis retail business area. Along
this route is a unique gift store, antique dealers, a
genuine barber shop, and restaurants. If walking
the full distance of the downtown area - about
one-quarter mile - the historic Erie Depot stands at its
far end. A short distance further on is an art
gallery.
.
.
1) After exiting the train turn
your back to the tracks and walk to the concrete ramp
that is at the left side of the cement fence.
2) Walk up the ramp to the sidewalk.
3) At your right by the Orange sculpture is Front
Street which runs parallel with the train tracks.
4) Pike Street meets Front near the sculpture and
goes up the seen hill seen a few blocks away.
Sussex
Street is the financial and governmental area of Port Jervis.
Banks, the post office, and the municipal building are found
here. A walk to the top of Sussex Street arrives at Orange
Square Veterans' Memorial Park originally built to honor veterans of
the American Civil War. Across Sussex Street from the park is
a Methodist church and rectory associated with writer, poet, and
correspondent, Stephen Crane.
.
1) Follow steps 1 through 3 to Front
Street.
2) Walk one block on right side of Front Street to Sussex Street and
cross to the left. At the corner there is a pillared building
with a chime clock. The walk from this spot to the park at the top of
the Sussex Street hill is about one-quarter mile.
The Delaware River serves as a dividing
line between Port Jervis, NY, and Matamoras, PA.
The bridge crossing the river provides a scenic view of
the valley and New Jersey where a stone monument can be
seen on a mountain top. Also in this area is an
asphalt walking trail that follows the river to the
city's West End Beach.
1) After exiting the train platform turn
to the right, heading back in the direction the train
came from.
2) Walk the length of the platform and then about
another 60 feet.
3)Pass through the opening on the left. An orange street
sculpture is there.
4) Use steps on immediate left leading to the train
underpass tunnel.
5) Turn left and emerge on the distant end of of the
tunnel. This is Pike Street.
6) Proceed forward. Continuing in this direction on Pike
Street the bridge crossing the Delaware River is
found. Pennsylvania is on the far side.
7) If going to the walking trail or West End Beach carefully cross Pike Street at the King
Street intersection traffic light.
8) Walk three blocks on King Street to Avenue I and
turn left.
9) Go to the end of Avenue I and cross Water
Street. The walking trail is at the top of
the river bank. For West End Beach, follow the
trail to the right.
