Raúl Grijalva: “soon after the Revolutionary War, Alexander Hamilton selected the area around the Great Falls of the Passaic River as a…”

“soon after the Revolutionary War, Alexander Hamilton selected the area around the Great Falls of the Passaic River as a site for the first planned industrial center in America. Hamilton, then Secretary of the Treasury, invited Pierre L'Enfant to design the city in 1791. The result was the City of Paterson, New Jersey, which became one of the most important manufacturing centers in America during the Industrial Revolution. President Gerald Ford designated the Great Falls Historic District as a national historic landmark in 1976. The 104th Congress established an historic district and authorized the restoration, preservation, and interpretive program for the area. H.R. 189, sponsored by our colleague, Representative Bill Pascrell, the former mayor of Paterson, designates the historic district as a National Historic Park and a unit of the National Park System. This bill contains standard management language for NPS units. This is a unique area and will make an excellent addition to our National Park System. Representative Pascrell is to be commended for his tireless efforts on behalf of the legislation and the city and the people of Paterson. We urge the adoption of this bill by the House today.”