 |  | |
 |
|  |
 |  | |
| | |
|
| |
| | |
|
|
|
Originally published in 1927
By Wm. H. Richardson
Edited by GET NJ, COPYRIGHT 2003
At this juncture a few moments might be profitably spent in considering the place to which these men had turned their eyes. Our annalists have rather overdone the
horse-racing, the gambling, the cock-fighting, the bull-baiting, the hilarious drinking, and red-neck rioting, that characterized the particular grade of New York society who ducked their own town and came over here to indulge their outdoor sporting instincts in Paulus Hook, particularly after Cornelius Van Vorst opened the first ferry hither on June 18, 1764, and still more particularly after he opened a race-course around the sand-dunes on Monday, October 9, 1769.
That pioneer ferry, as a matter of fact, was infinitely more than a public utility for the reprobate rabble who for nearly thirty-five years furnished much feature stuff for New York journalists. It was contributing prodigiously to the importance and convenience of travel by way of Paulus Hook, which rapidly became the radial point for the stage routes. Before 1804, there were twenty stages a day arriving and departing here. The Jersey end of the ferry business was operated under lease by Michael Cornelisen; Abraham Mesier had charge of the New York terminus.
Michael Cornelisen’s hotel on our side of the Hudson was located near the ferry stairs at the foot of Grand street, and it was a famous place in its day. So also was his line of “flying machines,” as he modestly alluded to them, which were advertised to negotiate the
tri-weekly hop to Philadelphia in three jumps, stopping the first night at Elizabethtown, the second in Trenton, and reaching Philadelphia the third. Michael was astute enough to time the launching of his thunderbolts to the city of Brotherly Love at an hour long before the arrival of his first periagua from New York, so that travelers simply had to come to his Plaza. We must take off our hat, at this far vista of the historic perspective, to our old friend, Michael Cornelisen, inn-keeper at Paulus Hook, the pioneer go-getter of Jersey City, for his success in compelling the trade of New York tourists; not many people have done it since.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Featured Link |
Liberty Self Storage in Jersey City
The Best in Self Storage! Open 7 Days A Week – 201-451-6939 - At Liberty State Park in Jersey City - Very close to Hoboken, Newport & Bayonne - Convenient to Manhattan, Just 5 minutes from the Holland Tunnel at NJ Turnpike Exit 14b - Great rates! Over 25% lower than New York City self storage - Free move-in service – Truck and driver included!
Text Link Online Advertising Program
A text Link is your business name and a Link to Your Site in bold red text on one Line and a description of your services on the next. The GET NJ network serves thousands of visitors each day!
GRAVE ROBBER Jersey City Computer Repair
297 Griffith Street, Jersey City, NJ - In the Heights just off of Kennedy Blvd. - Very close to Journal Square and Union City, just five minutes away from Hoboken, Downtown Jersey City, Newport, and the Waterfront -
 |
|
|
|
|
|