I came across the Muscota Marsh when I was walking the neighborhood of Inwood in 2015 and thought that this is a great site that tourists should see on top of a visit to Inwood Park and the Shorakkopoch Rock where Peter Minuet bought Manhattan from the Indians.
The Shorakkopoch Rock in Inwood Park
The historic Shorakkopoch rock. This is where Peter Minuet ‘bought’ Manhattan from the Native Americans
A closer view of the plaque
The Muscota Marsh is a one-acre public park in the Inwood section of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, on the shore of Spuyten Duyvil Creek, a section of the Harlem River. It is adjacent to the much larger Inwood Hill Park and Columbia University’s Baker Athletics Complex. The park is notable for its views and for its ecological conservation features.
Muscota Marsh is unusual for having both a freshwater marsh and a salt marsh in such a tiny area. Besides attracting plant and animal life, these wetlands are intended to help filter rainwater runoff and thereby improve the water quality of the river. Other facilities include a dock for kayaks and canoes, benches and walking paths. A wooden deck overlooking the river provides views of Inwood Hill Park, the Henry Hudson Bridge and the New Jersey Palisades.
The Muscato Marsh is right next to the Columbia Boathouse
As this public green space, with a design inspired by tidal flats and mud ways, you can enjoy the educational richness of the marsh from the wildlife observation deck or venture out on to a wooden deck stretching out to the waterway through the native water gardens.
By the boathouse
Because of the close proximity of the salt marsh and the freshwater wetlands, you’ll be able to spot beautiful wading birds like the great blue heron and the snowy egret. You can also see leopard frogs and ribbed among the dramatic colors and textures of the marsh’s native plants.
The Wetlands
Opened to the public in January 2014, the park was constructed by Columbia University as part of a deal to construct the new Campbell Sports Center within its adjacent athletics complex. It was designed by James Corner Field Operations, which is best known for its work on Manhattan’s High Line. It is cooperatively administered by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and Columbia, with the university providing maintenance and security.
The wetlands
The park is open all year round and is free to enter. It is right next to the Columbia Stadium.
It is a nice part of the Inwood Park
The Muscato Marsh facing Inwood Hill Park
The clever duck
Disclaimer: This information was taken from the NYC Parks information guide and Wikipedia. Please check this small pocket park out for its beauty and for its importance in the environment.
The marsh during the beginning of the summer of 2023
The Pascack Valley Historical Society is now celebrating their 75th Anniversary.
The Pascack Historical Society Museum (John C. Storms Museum), headquarters of the award-winning Pascack Historical Society, is located in the 1873 church building that was dedicated by the Reverend Henry Ward Beecher. The building and all the exhibitions have gone through an extensive renovation and have been reinstalled with more signage and information. Please check out their new displays.
The sign that greets you in the front of the building.
The Historical Marker in front of the building.
As you enter the building, you are welcomed to a comfortable spot.
The extensive exhibits include a general store, colonial kitchen, a Victorian Living Room, dolls, clothing and other displays of American life in the Pascack Valley. The front gallery as you enter serves as a classroom and lecture hall for the society. There you can see a variety of artifacts in the collection from china to guns and clothing.
Artifacts in the front room.
Artifacts in the first gallery.
A collection of antique guns in the front gallery.
A selection of hats in the front gallery.
There is also a special exhibition that features the world’s only wampum drilling machine as well as a collection of early colonial currency.
The Wampum Machine sign and how Wampum is made.
Their early Colonial Financial exhibits include an early wampum machine that the tour guide had said that it was the only one of its kind that made a type of rolled wampum from the inner section of a conch shell. Early New Jersey currency is well represented in the collection with several types of dollar bills at a time when states printed their own currency for its citizens. Really take a look at the early detail work of these bills.
The Wampum display of shells and tools.
The uses of Wampum and how it is made.
The oldest working Wampum machine in the world.
The Van Ripper General Store exhibition features many types of early Colonial artifacts that include weights and measures, food items found in an early grocery store, turn of the last century bottles and many types of appliances for cooking. Several treasures are tucked here and there to create the mood of shopping at the turn of the last century in Bergen County. There are classic groceries, weights and measures to weight groceries and several artifacts from the Van Ripper and Stockdale Farms which used to be located in the area.
The General Store sign
The General Store display.
Stockdale’s Dairy Farm was a popular farm in Park Ridge before the 1960’s.
Tools need on the farm and in the home.
The Tool display at the General Store.
The Toy Collection is extensive and covers several time periods. They have a interesting collection of dolls over the ages that include cloth and china dolls that would cater to children from different economic status. There are also games, wooden and metal pull toys and hobby toys such as marbles and jacks.
The Early Dutch Farmhouse Kitchen & Dining Room features one of the first beds that has no mattress but constructed by a series of ropes that are tightened. The tour guide explained that this might be where the expression “Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite” might have come from as the ropes needed to be tightened each evening before the family went to bed.
Early Dutch life sign.
The exhibit also had early furniture hatches, chamber pots, a butter churner, various chairs that were manufactured in the area and several detailed decorative pieces.
The Early Dutch Kitchen and Living Space
The Victorian Dress of the church visitation.
The Victorian Living Room features many plush pieces of furniture, decorative knick-knacks that used to dominate the décor and a graceful piano with mother of pearl keys and decorative carved sides. This model was one of maybe a hundred made for a very elite client. The display also featured one of the early record players that still works.
The ‘Victorian Afternoon’ exhibition in 2024:
The sign for the Victorian home:
The ideal Victorian Home ‘Parlor’
Early Edison products
Early Edison recording equipment was not just musical but decorative.
The horse display.
The new exhibition 2025: ‘Collignon Chairs’
The exhibition is on the Collignon Chair factory of River Vale, NJ and the selection of chairs that the factory once manufactured.
The sign from the exhibition
Some of the collection of Collignon chairs on display including the popular deck chair used on streamlines.
The popular folding rocker from the collection
The display of chairs and a drawing of the old factory
Off to the side, there is an early sleigh and horse display, an exhibit of typewriters and carbon paper as I found out the area was once the leading manufacturer for carbon paper and a complete workshop with tools from all eras.
Typewriter collection at the museum.
Early Electronics
The schoolhouse desk of the school master.
The workshop is a very detailed in its artifacts with early saws, hammers and items that even I could not figure out what they were.
In the main room, there are more cases of toys, Revolutionary items and Native American artifacts to explore.
Native American Artifacts
The Lenape display
The Native American display.
A small gift shop is off to the side selling items donated by members.
Become a Friend: From the Friends of the Pascack Historical Society Museum pamphlet:
Pascack Historical Society Information and History:
The Corner Cupboard of early American china.
(From their pamphlet):
Membership Benefits:
Become a member of the Pascack Historical Society, a 501C3 organization. Dues are modest and membership has its privileges!
One year of free admission to the museum and most of its activities.
A one year subscription to the Society’s award-winning quarterly newsletter, RELICS.
10% discount on museum gift shop items (Sale items and new books excluded).
50% discounts on programs for children and adults.
You will receive Members Only advance notice mailings and emails about upcoming events and activities.
Members only “behind the scenes tours” of the museum. (By Appointment Only).
You will have the satisfaction of knowing you have joined the ranks of the area’s most passionate historical preservationists, who have a commitment to educate and enrich their neighbors’ lives-young and old.
The Military embellishments
In 2026, the museum was celebrating the ‘250th Anniversary’ of the Revolutionary War and had an exhibition of artifacts from the Pascack Valley.
The ‘250th Anniversary’ of Revolutionary War
This included all the stops that General Washington made in Bergen County, battles and confrontations with British soldiers and family battles by members who were loyalists and patriots.
The currency of the war years
The exhibitions shows New Jersey’s contributions to the war effort. This part of the exhibition has Colonial currency from New Jersey.
New Jersey Colonial Currency
The full exhibition of the ‘250th Anniversary’ of the Revolution War
Uniforms and accessories of the War years
The Baylor Massacre attack
The Tarlatan Calvary helmet
The Lenape artifacts from that era
Membership Opportunities:
Preserving and disseminating local history is a labor of love when you become a PHS member. It is a partnership between you and your fellow members. We encourage you to think about volunteering at some level at the museum or its events. Check out the volunteer opportunities below and give us a call if you would like to participate in any of them.
Docent: Act as a guide when people visit the museum. A simple one-day training session is all it takes.
Researcher: Do you like to wander through books and archives searching for answers to questions?
Archivists: Preserve and catalog the history of the Pascack Valley.
Educators: Work with youngsters and licensed teachers at Society events.
Tech Savvy: Volunteer your time to help with our website or graphic design.
Handy Helpers: Do you like to repair things? Can you sew, do carpentry? This might be for you.
*Disclaimer: Information on Volunteer and Membership opportunities are taken directly from the Pascack Historical Society Museum pamphlet. Most of the descriptions of the displays is what I was able to see in my short time visiting. The museum has a treasure trove of items to look at in detail.
The Reformed Dutch Church with its Colonial cemetery and the Wortendyke Barn is right down the road so take a few hours to explore the area. The members of the Wortendyke family are buried in the church’s cemetery.
Visit from Bergen Community College for the Bergecco- Parc Consulting Inc. on April 9th, 2025: for the ‘Bergen 250’ project:
The project we created for the “Bergen 250: the 250th Anniversary of the Revolutionary War” that was created:
As part of my International Marketing class, I took my students to visit the three sites for our project on the ‘Bergen 250’:
The students toured the museum with the assistance of the Museum’s Board members
As part of the assignment for our ‘Farm to Table Dinner’, the project starts here with a Cocktail Party and tour of the museum. The back room of the museum was where the party takes place and then the guests would tour the museum before heading to dinner at the Wortendyke Barn down the road.
Peter Meany, the First Vice President of the Board explaining the Wampum machine to the students. This form of Native American currency is the only machine in the world like it and is a rare artifact.
Our Team group picture at the Pascack Valley Historical Society with members of the Museum’s Executive Board Peter Meany, Ralph Donnell Jr. and Christopher Kersting.
We want to thank the Board for taking time out of their busy schedule to support the students on this project.
Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. Spring 2026 Team Project: “Bergen 250-Touring and Marketing the Pascack Historical Society for Tourism”:
The Proposal for “Bergen 250: Touring the Pascack Historical Society Museum”:
I presented the project to my students after the Spring Break and then the next week took my students on a mandatory field trip to the Pascack Historical Society Museum in early April. The Board members of the Museum led us on a tour of all the exhibitions, then discussed their plans for the “Bergen 250” and then discussed some of the challenges that the museum faced with attendance.
Touring the museum
The students on their part took pictures and notes about the museum and their displays. Many would make various trips back to the museum to crest the QR codes for the displays and map the museum’s backyard for the Farm to Table fundraiser and a proposed afternoon tea.
Touring the museum
Touring the museum
Touring the museum with the Board of the museum
The museum’s Board members could not have been nicer and more helpful to the students and myself. We got a lot of insights on what direction the Board wanted to go.
Our Team picture at the museum
The tour of the museum took about an hour. We then had a Division Team Dinner at Pompilio’s Pizzeria in Downtown Westwood, NJ:
I find that these Team dinners and lunches are very helpful in getting the students together to get to know each other and we share a nice meal as a Team should. We asked the Board to join us so we could continue the conversation.
Dinner with both the Board and my Team
For the next five weeks the three Teams broken into Marketing, Historical and Foodservice created their ideas and game-plans to help the museum increase traffic by trying to bring a younger and tech savvy visitor into the space.
The Pascack Historical Society YouTube Presentation:
The video of our Presentation to the Board of the Pascack Historical Society Museum on the evening of April 29th, 2026
On the evening of April 29th, the Board members of the museum joined us for the Presentation of ideas the students came up with including setting new QR codes for all the displays, a revamped Marketing plan to showcase the museum, a new historical walking tour, one aimed at adults and one to children and the ideas for the fundraising dinner, a children’s birthday party concept and a Afternoon Tea fundraiser.
After the Presentation, we had a Q & A on the ideas and after the Presentation was over, we had a reception for our guests and for the student consultants. Then we took our Corporate Team picture.
The Wortendyke Barn Museum, a National Register landmark, is all that remains of the original Wortendyke family farm. The barn, built circa 1770, is an outstanding example of the vernacular architecture referred to as a “New World Dutch Barn”, which could be found throughout 18th and 19th century Bergen County.
The Historic sign of the barn
The Wortendyke Family sign
Most were built between 1624 and 1820 wherever Dutch farmers settled along the Hudson, Hackensack, Passaic, Raritan and Mohawk rivers. Today there are probably fewer than 100 of these barns left in various states of use and repair.
The Wortendyke Barn from Pascack Road
It was completely made of local wood, down to the nails called trunnels. Massive anchor beams support by posts creating an H-Frame, support the entire structure. These beams in turn support the ‘pulin’ plates, which support the roof. These barns were wider than long with steep, sloping roofs and low sidewalls, which created large storage areas. Farmers were able to store a variety of crops, keep many animals in the side bays and store hay in the large, roomy lofts. Because they were raised off the ground on a sill, the wood plan floors could last for decades. Large entrances on both gable ends allowed for the efficient unloading of wagons.
The Wortendyke Barn’s Museum exhibits include handmade 18th and 19th Century farm implements and tools and the history of the Wortendyke family farm and exhibits showing the agricultural history of Bergen County from the first settlers through the 20th century. The Wortendyke family settled in northern New Jersey in 1735 and maintained the land as a working family farm for over 115 years. After 1851, the land was sold several items but the barn continued to be used for its original purpose until well into the 20th century.
At the time the barn was built, most of the families living in the Hackensack Valley were independent farmers some owning hundreds of acres of fertile farmland. People of Dutch ancestry were numerous in Bergen County, speaking Dutch in their homes and churches. The Wortendyke family settled in this area in 1735, when Fredrick Wortendyke Senior moved from Tappan, NY and purchased 465 acres in present day Woodcliff Lake and Park Ridge. The family home, a sandstone house originally built around 1750, still stand directly across the street from the barn.
The Wortendyke Homestead that is privately owned.
The Wortendyke Homestead across the street from the barn.
The Historical marker for the Wortendyke Homestead.
From 1735 to 1851, from before the French and Indian War until nine years before the start of the Civil War, when the farm was sold, the land was maintained by the Wortendyke family as a working farm. After 1851, the land was sold several times. From 1960 until the middle of the 1980’s, the Pascack Historical Society displayed some of their collections in the barn showing it on occasion. After restoration was completed in 1997, Bergen County opened the barn as an accessible museum and County Historic site.
The Wortendyke Barn
The site now contains the barn and landscaped property that surrounds it. The old family homestead is now a private home but you can still see it from across the street. Many of the Wortendyke family are buried in the Dutch Reformed Church up the road, so take some time to visit the cemetery when you are in the area. The whole area is just beautiful this time of the year with all the trees and flowers in bloom and the woody areas close by. The Pascack Historical Society is also right up the road so plan your day wisely.
The historic sign of the barn.
During the Summer and early Fall months, they have a nice array of outdoor concerts on the lawn outside the barn. These usually take place on the last Sunday of the Month so please check the County of Bergen Website for details.
The inside of the Wortendyke Barn
The Ceiling of the barn
The back of the barn after one of the concerts
Also visit the Reformed Church up the road and the family homestead across the street while visiting the barn. You will see more of the family history in the homestead and in the family cemetery at the Church.
Bergen Community College Field Trip-Bergecco-Parc ConsultingApril 2025
A tour with my students on the Wortendyke Barn for the Bergecco- Parc Consulting Inc. Team Project on the ‘Bergen 250’: the history of the Revolutionary War in Bergen County’.
On April 9th, 2025, my students in my International Marketing class at Bergen Community College did an extensive tour of Park Ridge, NJ to the Wortendyke Barn, the Pascack Reformed Church and the Pascack Valley Historical Society as part of this extensive marketing project.
We toured the barn and the grounds on this spectacular day with County Historian, Vivian Davis, who I am partnering with on this project. We discussed the history and architecture of the barn and of the Wortendyke family. It was a very interesting tour for all of us.
The barn in the early Spring
The Wortendyke Barn in the Spring
The grounds in the Spring
The Wortendyke Barn
Old farming equipment
Old equipment at the barn
Touring the outside of the barn and grounds with Vivian Davis, the County Historian
My class touring the inside of the barn
Our class picture after the tour of the barn and grounds
The Bergen County Division of Cultural and Historical Affairs publication is funded by a general operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a Division of the Department of State.
*Disclaimer: This information about the Wortendyke Barn Museum was taken directly from the Bergen County Division of Cultural and Historical Affairs pamphlet. The barn is a beautiful example of Dutch architecture and really should be visited in the Spring and Fall for the areas true beauty shines. Please call the above number and ask about extended hours, programming and accessibility for the disabled.-
Open: Sunday-Saturday-10:00am-4:30pm/Please check the website during the off seasons
Fee: Bergen County Resident: $4.00 Adults/$2.00 Child/$1.00 Seniors/Child under 3 Free/Non-Bergen County Resident $8.00 Adult/$5.00 Child/$2.00 Seniors-Disabled/Children under 3 and Active Military free
I went to the Bergen County Zoo for the first time in eight years and I have to say it has not changed much since I was a little kid. There have been some improvements and displays that look different but the feel of the zoo is very much the same as it was when I was eight and visiting with my cousins who lived in the area.
Still I like the appeal of the this zoo. It has a very family friendly feel about it. They still have the same entrance, gift shop and train service around the zoo. The Discovery Center has reptiles, snakes, turtles and lizards as it did before and the barnyard exhibition is still interesting. The cows, horses and goats still look at you with an inquisitive look, like they were jaded by looking at humans.
It is a great place to spend the afternoon with small children and teenagers who are interested in animals. They have also added food trucks to the entrance of the zoo for more food selections.
The Zoo History and Happenings (2022):
The Bergen County Zoo has been enjoyed by thousands of people over the years and has many fans. Every season, hundreds of families walk through the doors of the zoo to enjoy the afternoon out, visit the animals and ride the train around the park. What started as a duck pond and reserve in Van Saun Park in the 1960’s has morphed over time to the current zoo.
The entrance to the Bergen County Zoo
The 1980’s saw a tremendous change in the animal collection. The first birth of an endangered species in our zoo’s history occurred in 1982 with the birth of a Brown Lemur. Numerous species, many endangered were added including Ocelots, Red Brocket Deer, Mountain Lions and Snowy Owls among others. Births of Ocelots, Brocket Deer and Spider Monkeys occurred throughout the second half of the 80’s .
The Zoo Map
As the zoo moved through the 1990’s, many changes continued to occur. The zoo’s commitment to wildlife conservation strengthened and more endangered species were added to the collection including Andean Condors, Golden Lion Tamarins, Goeldi’s Monkeys and Galapagos Tortoises.
Andean Condors exhibit
The Golden Lion Tamarin.
Goeldi’s Monkey Exhibit
The Galapagos Turtles
Additional areas were renovated, providing exciting opportunities for our visitors to view and learn about many new species. Major projects completed in the 1990’s area as follows:
Projects:
Mountain Lion Exhibit (completed 4/90)
North American Plains Exhibit (completed 10/92)
Master Plan (completed 06/93)
Bergen Dutch Farmyard (completed 10/94)
South American Exhibit Areas (completed 10/96)
Zoo Entry Complex (completed 08/99)
Efforts to secure alternative funding sources became fruitful in the 1990’s with over $200,000 in federal grants received. In addition, local businesses and corporations increased their support of various zoo activities through cash and in-kind contributions.
The Zoo gardens at the entrance.
Additionally a new entry complex was developed including new ticketing facilities, a new train station, gift shop and entry plaza. New and exciting special events were also developed including Holiday Lights and Zoo Boo, the most heavily attended event in zoo history. Educational programming was significantly re-developed, providing opportunities for our area residents to explore the zoo and learn about wildlife in new and innovative ways.
The Zoo Keepers Office in the front of the Zoo.
Another significant milestone for the zoo was the development of a comprehensive master plan. This planning tool was created to identify the future needs of the zoo and its visitors as well as provide an organized and orderly schedule of development.
The Discovery Zone with the reptile exhibits
The Lizard Case
The Turtle case
As the 21st Century began, zoo development continued to advance. Several major projects were undertaken including a new state-of-art Animal Care Center, an Outdoor Demonstration Area for public programming and an Education/Discovery Center. All of these projects enhance the experience of our visitors, while furthering the zoo’s mission of wildlife conservation and public education.
The Waterfall at the Zoo
The Pollinator Garden
The Sundial in the Garden
Additionally, the zoo took a major step in support of conservation by establishing an annual field conservation grant program. The program provides financial support to researchers conducting field work in North and South America. Also, the zoo’s original master plan was formally revisited and determined to be no longer effective. As a result, a new plan was developed to assist the zoo in its development strategies over the next 20 years.
The Ostrid Habitat
In 2007, we moved forward with a Coati exhibition replicating an abandoned adobe. To address the needs of our keepers, we built a holding facility in 2008 for our alligators at their exhibit, therefore eliminating annual roundup of alligators. With the decline in the economy, the zoo has directly been affected. Funds for construction of new exhibits have been put on hold and fixing existing structures is taking priority. A new Neotropical songbird exhibit opened in 2009, adding new birds to our collection.
Birds at play
A larger guanaco exhibit was built at the far end of the zoo utilizing empty pasture space in 2010. In 2011, we had some dramatic effects caused by severe weather and significant personal changes, including the resignation of our zoo director of over 30 years, a change in the board of the Friends of the Bergen County Zoo Inc. and a new director of parks. So we start another chapter in our history.
Horse Pasture and stream in the zoo
The horse grazing in the pasture
In the last five years, the zoo has had many changes. New Tamarin exhibit was constructed in 2013, two buildings constructed to replace the single outdated structure. Replacement of one of our bridges in the zoo, a wood bridge was replaced with a wider concrete bridge with decorative railings and new light posts.
The Mountain Lion exhibition
The removal of our seasonal outdoor exhibit support structure in 2015 so we can prepare for an interactive barn which will be open all year round by the end of 2017. In 2015, one of the best features we added was the new overflow parking lot. This lot will vastly improve our visitors parking experience as it replaces our old overflow parking, which was a muddy field with many walking hazards.
The Barn and the Barnyard exhibition
Farm cow gazing
One of the goats relaxing by the barn
Also, 2015 was milestone year marking 25 years as an Accredited Institution of the AZA, for a small zoo this is truly an accomplishment. In light of this, in 2016 a new Master Plan was developed with Jones & Jones and new county administration so we have a new direction for future projects.
The Elk and Bison Exhibit
This plan includes the construction of a new prairie dog exhibit and bison & elk viewing area (to open in the spring of 2017). This will provide more opportunities for schools and our education department to conduct classes related to our exhibits of eagles, prairie dogs and the bison & elk.
The Prairie Dog exhibit in 2024
(This annotated history of the Bergen County Zoo was provided by the staff of the zoo).
The Bergen County Zoo is an accredited member of The Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Beginning with November 1st, the Bergen County Zoo will be free of admission. The weather during the late fall and winter months does not allow for the majority of the animal collection to be view able to the public (see the above Animal Collection link for further details). Admission to the zoo will resume in May of 2017-forms of payment are cash and credit only. The admission fee schedule is listed below. Please note that in order to receive BC Resident rates, proof of residency is required at the admission ticket window.
Mountain Lion den
Amphitheater:
In July and August, live animal shows are held daily in our outdoor amphitheater, which is located behind the Tamarin Exhibit. Shows are free with zoo admission and seating is first-come, first-served. Daily shows with time frames can be seen as you enter the zoo.
Train/Carousel:
Cost: $1.50 (cash only)
The train and carousel operate from mid-April to mid-November (approximately). Hours are typically from 10:00am-5:00pm unless otherwise specified (weather permitted) with the last ticket being sold at 4:30pm and the last ride at 4:45pm.
The lines of people waiting for the next train ride
Schedule for the train and the carousel, for the week of June 11th-June 17th are as follows:
Train: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday
Carousel: Sunday, Tuesday (opens at 1:00pm), Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Pony Rides:
The Pony Ride concession operates from April through October. Currently, the vendor is Ironside Farms, they can be reached at (201) 835-0932.
The Sundial and Gardens
Disclaimer: this information was directly from the Bergen County Parks Site and can change at any time. Please call the zoo for more information.
Visiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical 