The Study of Ten Houses in Paterson's Dublin Area

Northeast Historical Archaeology Volume 4 1974 Symposium on Industrial Archaeology, Article 6 Paterson, N.J. 1975 The tudS y of Ten Houses in Paterson's Dublin Area Jo Ann Cotz Follow this and additional works at: http://orb.binghamton.edu/neha Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Cotz, Jo Ann (1975) "The tudyS of Ten Houses in Paterson's Dublin Area," Northeast Historical Archaeology: Vol. 4 4, Article 6. https://doi.org/10.22191/neha/vol4/iss1/6 Available at: http://orb.binghamton.edu/neha/vol4/iss1/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by The Open Repository @ Binghamton (The ORB). It has been accepted for inclusion in Northeast Historical Archaeology by an authorized editor of The Open Repository @ Binghamton (The ORB). For more information, please contact [email protected]. A StudJ of Ten louses in Paterson's Dublin Area JoAnnCotz INTRODUCTION and 20th-century surface debris, evidence of settlement on those lots during that One of the most exciting concepts emerging general period of time. Grading of the from the Paterson Salvage Archeology Proj same area unearthed stains in the ground, ect is the holistic study of a 19th-cen which Wilson identified as privy sites. tury industrial city. Being recorded are Consequently 15 features, including nine not only patterns of technological and privies, were excavated behind lots 188 industrial growth but also the cultural through 198 on Mill Street. In the priv struggle of a newly migrated populous. ies and cisterns, Wilson uncovered a The interaction of a .study of Paterson's storehouse of 19th-century domestic cul Irish working district, "Dublin," with tural material: numerous glass bottles studies of the city's industrial growth and fragments; ornately decorated clay in textiles, locomotive building, and pipe bowls and pipe stems; articles of silk weaving, illustrates an interesting clothing; and a variety of ceramic mat aspect of the evolving culture of a 19th erial, marbles, and lighting device century city. fragments (see Fig. 4- 4). The material In July 1973, a precedent was set when culture found coincided chronologically an "archeologist-observer" was included with historical analysis of the houses, in the Paterson archeological salvage and began to whet our interest in the contract work negotiated between Federal 19th-century worker's society that sur and State Departments of Transportation rounded the locomotive works. (D.O.T.) and Great Falls Development, Inc. According to local oral tradition, the (G.F.D.). The archeologist-observer, N.J. ten house-lot area was included in the Historic Sites Section archeologist part of the city known as "Dublin," so Charles "Budd" Wilson, was empowered to named for the Irish immigrants who had WOTk outside the boundaries of the His settled there in the 19th century. Al toric District on the drain right-of-way though the landmarks guiding Dublin's and on the Route 20 extension as well, boundaries have changed in the past 125 covering the entire highway area (see years--e.g., the Morris Canal has now Figs. 1-1 and l-2, and Article 4). been replaced by Interstate Route 80 One area of the highway right-of-way (Bergen Passaic Expressway), the area explored by Wilson involved property be itself is still very much intact phys hind houses on south Mill Street, on sec ically (Fig. 1-1). The architecture of tions of land acquired by the D.O.T. for the housing still reflects its 19th access roads to and from Routes 80 and century origins. A twofold research 20 into the city. The property most project was thus begun--one that would specifically dealt with included 25 by generally recreate the Dublin worker's 25- ft. lots behind the ten house-lots district as well as closely examine the on Mill Street between Slater Street and structures on the ten house-lots under Route 80. The houses on two adjoining study, charting deed ownership, occupa streets to the east, Jersey and Pine tional trends, and census data, and lead Streets, had been bought by the State and ing eventually to the study of the social demolished for the highway access before and physical mobility of these families. Wilson's study commenced. This left the Some preliminary findings on these topics ten house-lots on Mill Street exposed, are reported here. cutting lot size from 25 by 100 ft. to It is our anticipation that a study of 25 by 75 ft. (See Fig. 4-3.) the Irish migration into Paterson, par Archeological survey of the area pur ticularly in the Dublin area, will corre 44 chased for highway access revealed 19th- late with industrial growth in the city during the 19t h century, especially through the city, following the trans- 45 within the locomotive works. The impact portation corridor along the base of Gar- of this ready supply of manpower, examined ret Mountain (Archdeacon 1853: 8). This both economically and culturally, would produced two factors conducive to in- complete the story emerging from excava creased industrialization in t he city: tions in the Historic District at the a means of receiving raw materials and Grant and Rogers locomotive works (see exporting finished products; and a new Article 1). A brief sketch of Paterson' s source of labor in the unskilled Irish industrial beginnings points out the im canal workmen who remained and settled portance of such an available work force. there (Diocese of Paterson 1963: 18). A third factor was the i nf lux of ambitious HISTORICAL BACKGROUND young semiskilled men, like Thomas Rogers of Groton, Conn. (later founder of Rogers Paterson' s industrial history began in Locomotive and Machine Company), who wi tli 1792 with t he inception of the Society t heir natural ability and acquired skill, for the Establishment of Usefull 1funufac developed into a new manufacturing elite tures (S.U.M. ), which planned to utilize (Trumbull 1882: 111). t he t r emendous power source of the Passaic In 1839, Michael Chevalier, a French Falls by channeling water from the Passaic man traveling across the United States, River through raceways to industrial quoted an American writer who depicted s i tes. It was for this purpose that the the character of Americans of the time: Society purchased 700 acr es of land above and below the Falls for ~329s 8s. 3d. We are born i n haste, ••• finish our (approximat ely $30,000 or $40/acre) from education on the run, ••• marry on its Dutch owners (SHriner 1890: 53- 53 ). the wing, • •• make a fortune at a According to 19th-century historian W. stroke and lose it in t he same manner, Woodford Clayton, the S.U.M. purchase to make and lose i t again ten times included"··· all the land south of the over, in the twinkling of an eye. Our river west of Prospect Street and nor t h body is like a l ocomotive, going at of Slater Street, to a line some di stance the rate of 25 mil es an hour, our soul, west of the r ocks; ••• on Market Street a high pressure engine; our life like between Main and Madison Avenue, and a shooting star and death overtakes us south to Slater Street; ••• " (Clayton at last like a flash of lightning. and Nelson 1882 : 406). (Chevalier 1839: 286) But the l and, the power, and the pos s ibilit y of a product still needed an Paterson, and well the whole of 19th ingredient--people. To man the early tex cent ury industrial America, might easily tile mills, S.U.M. directors first sought be characterized i n much the same way. skilled native workmen. Finding none, As the first planned industrial city in they imported workers from England, Scot the United States, Paterson became a hub land, Irel and, and other European coun of activity--in building, engineering, and tries (Clayton and Nelson 1882: 406). people. I ts fortune was made and lost This early experiment into industrial numerous t imes, in cotton textiles, in ization seemed plagued with problems, locomotive building, and in silk manufac however, and resulted in t he decision to t uring. The pressure of its economi cal " ••• abandon the manufacture and dis engine fluctuated with the times and charge their workmen ••. " by 1796 (Arch continues to do so today. What Chevalier deacon 1853: 3). The endeavor was labeled recorded in 1839 was the strongest vib premature since there was neither indus rating fiber of the new industrial nation: trial experience within the country nor the people, who with their skill, labor, any preparation for the exportation of and i ngenuity sought a new world and trade . Not least among the r easons for built it in these new industrial cities. failure were "the large sums wasted by By 1850, the three compani es that the engineer" (Pierre L'Enfant) and the would become Paterson's 19th-century lo fact that "the machinists and manufac comotive industry were already producing turers imported were presumptious and an annual product in locomotive machinery ignorant of many branches of business worth $850,000 and employing a total of they engaged to conduct ••• " (Archdeacon 1001 hands (United States Census of Man 1853: 3 ). ufaatures 1850). With the problems that Despite this initial setback, S.U.M. had plagued the earlier S.U.M. attempts continued to lease land and water rights surmounted, the city began a period of to manufacturers through the beginni ng of industrial growth and prosperity which the 19th century. By 1829, the Morris would last until the end of the silk er a Canal had been opened for navigation in 1919 (Garber 1968: 276).

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