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Jersey City History

Guests, Charles Greene Bush, Princeton

Washington Irving & The Legend of Jersey City

On October 25, 2018, I participated in a Halloween event at the Apple Tree House in Jersey City, New Jersey. The program was entitled “Washington Irving & The Legend of Jersey City.” The Jersey City Office of Cultural Affairs and the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy served as hosts, and the New Jersey Council for the…

Halloween is Coming! An October Event

Recently, I’ve hinted at researching Washington Irving for a hitherto unnamed event. Now, it’s official!

Tales of Our Cities: Jersey City’s Book Festival

Every September, the Jersey City Free Public Library organizes an annual book festival in downtown Jersey City. The event showcases local authors and promises something for readers of all ages. This past Sunday marked the 10th Annual Tales of Our Cities. While researching my book, I relied heavily on the treasures in the New Jersey…

(Courtesy of Preservation New Jersey)

The Apple Tree House: Jersey City’s Salon

Last week, I attended an entertaining and fascinating lecture on the Lenape Indians, the indigenous people inhabiting the New York metropolitan region and the entire Garden State prior to European exploration and colonization. Where might you ask? At the Apple Tree House. Right in Jersey City.

Half Moon

The Sad State of Henry Hudson

Deep into several research projects, including one exploring early Jersey City history, I’ve been leafing through books and jotting down notes at the New York Public Library or the Jersey City Free Public Library on many evenings and weekend afternoons.

August Will, View of City Hall from Clifton Place & Hudson Avenue (1899).

August Will: A Lost Glimpse of Jersey City

In several recent posts, I’ve respectively mused upon the urban pastoral and Jersey City’s relationship with nature. During the nineteenth century, especially the decades following the American Civil War, Jersey City industrialized, rapidly shedding its village-like character and more bucolic features.

The Jersey City of Yore

During the past several weeks, I’ve been researching the early history of Jersey City. Mainly, this consists of me pouring over books, prints, and ephemera in the research rooms of the New York Public Library and the Jersey City Free Public Library. Mind you: this is not a chore. The hours fly by.

DGD005-PR-JCLC-PROOF-052118

The J. Owen Grundy History Award: My Book’s First Honor

On Thursday, May 31, 2018, the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy will be awarding Left Bank of the Hudson: Jersey City and the Artists of 111 1st Street (Fordham University Press) with the 2018 J. Owen Grundy History Award at the organization’s 18th Annual Preservation Awards.

DJ Trouble and I chatting. (Courtesy of Kirk Howle)

Little City Books: An Evening in Hoboken

On the evening of April 4, 2018, Little City Books in Hoboken, New Jersey invited me to talk about my book, Left Bank of the Hudson (Fordham University Press), and its larger themes of artists, cities, and gentrification. DJ Trouble from WFMU (91.1FM) served as a sharp and engaging moderator for the event. (Fun fact:…

"Learning New Jersey ... One Building at a Time" by Gabrielle Esperday, Ph.D. Apple Tree House, Jersey City, New Jersey. March 22, 2018. (Courtesy of Robert Farren)

A Snapshot of Jersey City Culture

Let’s face it: transplants to New York love to scoff at New Jersey.  (Interestingly enough, I’ve noticed that native New Yorkers lack this prejudice.) Contrary to this popular stereotype, culture exists in the Garden State.