Located inside the Boonton New Jersey Firemen’s Home, The New Jersey Firemen’s Museum is an 8000 square feet, two story museum that houses steamers, ornate hose carts and antique fire trucks from all eras.
The museum was established in May of 1985 and is home to many fire department in New Jersey’s memorabilia. It seems like everyone fire department in the State of New Jersey is represented here with old fire department pictures, patches from the fire companies, fire trucks from all eras and pictures of department fires from all over the state.
Filling the cases is antique fire equipment, badges from officers in many departments, figurines of fire equipment and ribbons from conventions of the past. There are old fire buckets from the beginnings of the fire service, horns to sound the alarms from the turn of the last century and helmets that retired chiefs from many departments donated with much honor.
Many companies donated their department pictures from fires of their past that were fought with much bravery. People forget that this job is very dangerous and we have to watch ourselves in every step.
The fire trucks are from every era from the carts that were dragged by hand to horse drawn engines to the original steam engines that were introduced with the advent of technology. All of the equipment has been carefully restored and shined to almost new. Much care has been taken to show the transition of the fire service over the years.
The tours are on your own and the admission is free. You don’t have to be a fire fighter or visiting a resident here to visit the museum. If you are a serious fire buff or have children that are really into fire fighting or being a fireman, this museum will give you all sorts of perspectives on the fire service and its development not just in New Jersey but all over the county as well.
Don’t miss the memorial to the victims of 9/11 off to the side. It is very touching and shows the support of the fire service to the members of the FDNY and their families.
9/11 is still fresh in all our minds
It is a nice afternoon out. The museum is free to the public. These pictures are just a glimpse of the collection of the NJ Firemen’s Home Museum. It is two floors of donated equipment, memorabilia, awards, dedications and department antiques that are so well preserved. If you love the history of firefighting, this is the museum for you.
I never realized until just recently that we have an art gallery on the Bergen Community College campus. I have been teaching here since 2013 and just found out about this little ‘gem’ that is tucked in the second floor of West Hall.
This wonderful little gallery can be accessed on the Main Campus of Bergen Community College and is open to the public for viewing. The Art students of Bergen Community College show their works in student shows and the Retailing students show their work outside the Gallery.
Gallery Curator Professor Tim Blunk
The Gallery is a reasonably sized space and viewing the Gallery Bergen takes a reasonable amount of time that is not over-whelming. It is a nice way to spend the afternoon when visiting the campus.
Please visit the Bergen Community College for future shows.
Gallery Bergen recently showed, “Belongings: Photographs at the Borders of Citizenship” exhibition which is showing the works of Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams and Clem Albers (1942) and Tamara Merino (2018). This exhibition pairs two sets of photographic records, two tragic experiences of people on two sides of the US border, separated by seventy-five years in America’s cultural and political struggle over who belongs and who doesn’t (Bergen Gallery Press Release).
A former exhibition was “Lines of Fire/Lines of Ice” . This exhibition is art being presented to get us to think of our effects on nature. The Gallery Bergen is presenting art that might help us change our views of ourselves in the world (Curator).
Curator’s Statement:
“It is 2019. Fires advance; glaciers retreat. Oceans rise; deserts spread. The Homo sapiens population grows exponentially; entire species of fish, mollusks, insects, amphibians and birds perish each day. Lines are being redrawn on the surface of the earth-lines that can be seen from space. Yes these same lines are often blurred or erased when viewed through the lens of ideology”-Tim Blunk, Curator.
See Performance Artist Jaanika Peerna perform the ‘Glacier Elegy’ similar to the one she did at opening night.
The Gallery is curated by Professor Tim Blunk, Director Gallery Bergen.
In April 2019, the Student Art Show is going on in the Gallery. This was where students were showing off their end of the semester projects.
Student Show at Gallery Bergen
A former show by Hackensack-based artist Lauren Bettini, whose exhibition “On the Mend” was an exploration of the female body, displaying themes of “Women’s work” through accounts of women who bear scars, both physically and emotionally. This unique installation utilizes the entirely of the gallery, literally tying together embroidery of surgical procedures are “mended” through the appearance of the physical act of sewing. The exhibition is a platform to celebrate the beauty of their altered bodies while women stand strong together to share their stories.
It is an interesting take on what we endure in life and how we sometimes hide it from society.
“On the Mend” Exhibition Summer 2019
The mounted three-dimensional castings of woman’s hands are used to symbolize a movement of women joining together, sharing their stories and helping each other heal. This platform to honor women who have survived medical surgeries, celebrates the beauty of their altered bodies and pays homage to centuries of women who have created are in the form of sewing and embroidering (Gallery Bergen Promotional packet).
The recent ‘NJSeoul: New Art from the Korean Diaspora’ that opened for the Fall of 2019. The show was a combination of paintings, pictures and visual art from five different Korean artists. The show also features video art and interesting short films.
New show from September 12th-October 31st 2019
Some information of the Exhibition on Studio Bergen
The exhibition that opened for the Fall semester 2019 is the ‘(Pro) Found Objects’, the Bergen Community College Faculty Exhibition. The exhibition features works from 19 different Professor/Artists whose work includes statuary, photos, paintings, video art and clothing construction.
This painting is by Professor Juan Leon
This painting is by artist Juan Leon
This painting is by Professor Ada Goldfeld
The opening night on November 14th 2019 featured a performance by the Music Department and a performance by the head of the Drama Department from the upcoming show “I do, I do”. Then everyone had time to look over the art before a light reception at the end of the evening.
Opening in the Spring of 2020, Gallery Bergen is featuring “Ornithology: Patterns of Flight” that features birds in flight, sound and behavior. I saw the exhibition as man’s perception of birds at play and at rest and our concept of aviation in terms to humans. How do we communicate with the natural world, if we can and how do we relate as humans to the natural world.
‘Moche-Bird Runner’ by Susan Haviland
The art was everything from visual to video and showed the artist’s interpretation of the bird world. This was my favorite piece in the show.
‘Ashes to Gold’ by Caroline Bergonzi
Each artist had a unique take on their art.
‘Deep Song’ by Susan Haviland
During the musical performance part of the opening, one of the artist’s in the exhibition teamed up with another musician and performed their concept of birds in flight. To that our Dance Department created a performance that encompassed the whole gallery.
Our Adjunct Dance Professor’s performed that night
Professor Justin Watrel at Gallery Bergen Opening
Here I am admiring the art that night. It was a wonderful exhibition. The Gallery Openings are an interesting night of art and music. The receptions are not bad either. Our Culinary Department does a nice job with appetizers and desserts.
This time lapse on YouTube is from the opening night of ‘Patterns of Flight’ at Bergen Community College
With the Gallery Bergen closed with campus being closed, Curator Tim Blunk created this YouTube video “20Big20: Quarantine and Protest” on the pandemic and racial strife:
Another exhibition that the College has is BCCAnimation:
In the era of COVID, Gallery Bergen has created new exhibitions via YouTube. This is for the new “Black Lives Matter @BCC: Photographs from the Live Protest”:
These are photos from all over the country during the Summer of 2020 protests.
Gallery Bergen recently hosted the Student Exhibition 2021 virtually:
The creative approach to Gallery Bergen in the era of COVID keeps us active.
When Gallery Bergen reopened in 2021, the first big exhibition was “The Ramapough Nation: Excavating Identity”, the art of the nation.
The exhibition featured works by local Native American artists.
The exhibition contained visual arts by local indigenous artists, panel discussions (see Facebook page) and gallery talks.
The new exhibition that recently opened in the Fall 2021 is “Zoom Out: Works from Bergen Community College Artists”, a faculty show of works from the professors from the art department.
“Zoom Out” exhibition
Works from the Opening Night:
The opening night of “Zoom Out” with works in the visual arts
The “Zoom Out” exhibition was a selection of faculty works in the visual arts, painting, graphics and sculpture. One professor created an interesting piece of video art reworking the movie “Psycho” by Alfred Hitchcock.
The video creation on the movie “Psycho”
New Works from “Zoom Out”
Work by curator and Professor Tim Blunk
In the Spring of 2022, Gallery Bergen has exhibited “Art in History: the photographers of the Great Depression”, with photos from the Depression era of the 1930’s. It was a heart-breaking display of a very dark time in our country’s history. I could see that many people don’t realize that this was only 80 years ago. It gave a view into the lives ordinary people whose lives were affected by the falling economy. Lives were upended by things like the Stock Market Crash and the Dust Bowl.
“Art in History: the photographers of the Great Depression” exhibition
The photographers were part of the WPA where people from the arts part of the government program were to keep artisans working during the Great Depression. The works are a heartbreaking reminder of how fast life can change.
I was lucky that I got to sit in on Professor Tim Blunk’s class that afternoon for the lecture on the exhibition. It is scary how much these students didn’t learn in high school about this time. What amazed me was that how much this is still going on not just all over the world but in our own state as well. I have travelled to parts of the New Jersey that remind me of these pictures.
The BCC Student Art Show 2022 was the first time in two years the students got to showcase their work in the Gallery
Asian Awareness Month in 2022 brought interesting speakers and engaging movies to Gallery Bergen.
The lectures and independent films were very interesting and brought wonderful conversations to Gallery Bergen during the celebrated month of April.
In June of 2022, I attended the opening of the “Reflection/Refraction/Manhattan: Photographs by Jin Hong Kim” exhibition at Gallery Bergen, celebrating this local Korean-American photographer/artist. Each of the works was from a section of Manhattan from the Hudson Yards to Midtown to Lower Manhattan giving a almost surrealist look at the City in the Post-COVID era. It was as if the artist asked us to look at Manhattan again from a different lense or perspective.
The new exhibition by local photographer Jinhong Kim
Each of the pictures looked as one patron said, “like something that Salvador Dali might do.” It gave buildings in Manhattan movement and asked us to look at them a second time.
The Exhibition “Pulse: Resonating Earth” by artist Poramit Thantapalit is very engaging and fascinating to walk through.
From the Gallery Bergen Website:
During the fall of 2022, Gallery Bergen will be transformed into an aquatic installation by Thai artist Poramit Thantapalit. His medium is trash – as in found plastic bottles, plastic bags, and other refuse that might have as easily found its way into the Hackensack River, a landfill, or the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Instead, Poramit breathes life into these materials, shaping luminous organic sculptures that undulate and pulse from the ceiling and wall. They make the viewer forget their origins in their newly aggregated forms.
There is a genre referred to as eco-art, or “trash art,” but this is something very different. “Jackson Pollock painted with house paint, but he wasn’t a house painter,” says Gallery Bergen director and curator Tim Blunk. “Poramit’s deft artistic hand and his understanding of transforming quantity into quality creates work that transcends its materials.” PULSE: Resonating Earth will be embellished with several performance events, including the scheduled opening gala on September 22 and its closing on December 8. Both will include dance performance pieces by BCC faculty member Lynn Needle and her Art of Motion Dance Theatre and Steinway pianist Carolyn Enger. The opening will include excerpts from Needle’s work, The Poseidon Project – An Aquatic Myth – a suite with live music and dance, including narrated choreographed sections, each connecting to aquatic myth, legend, and nature.
Pictures from the Exhibition:
Story from the exhibition on Land Acknowledgement.
The exhibition:
All the art displays of Poramit Thantapalit’s work in Gallery Bergen
Picture One:
Beautiful works
Picture Two:
Picture Three:
Picture Five:
Picture Six:
The colorful interactive art of Gallery Bergen in 2022 of artist Poramit Thantapalit
The Faith Ringgold: Coming to Jones Road-Her Exhibition on moving to Englewood, NJ
These were the works by the artist when she moved from Harlem to New Jersey.
The artist bio with the exhibition.
The Exhibition in Gallery Bergen
The Exhibition in Gallery Bergen
Her work based on the George Washington Bridge
Another interesting work
The Gallery Opening of “Faith Ringgold-Coming to Jones Street” at Gallery Bergen
Some of the works in the exhibition
“We come to America” by Faith Ringgold
More works in Gallery Bergen
The Theme of “Coming to Jones Road”
The new exhibition “The Cup Flows Over: Art from the Soul of Iran” starting in October 2023 and runs through the end of November 2023:
The Art from the soul of Iran.
Gallery Bergen: September 21 – November 21, 2023
(From the Gallery Bergen Website)
In Munich, Germany:
Glockenbachwerkstatt Community Center with events at the Bellevue di Monaco Cultural Center in Munich, Germany:
October 24 – December, 2023
Works from “The Cup Flows over: Art from the Soul of Iran” exhibition
Gallery Bergen announces the opening of a collaborative exhibition of contemporary Iranian artist to take place this fall in two locations – its own gallery on the campus of Bergen Community College in Paramus, NJ and the Bürgerhaus Glockenbachwerkstatt (Glockenbach Townhouse Workshop) located in Munich, Germany. The Cup Flows Over: Art from the Soul of Iran features work by prominent artists such as Berlin-based Parastou Forouhar, younger Iranian artists living and working in California and Berlin, as well as artists living in Iran. The choice of two separate venues divided between Europe and the US speaks directly to the reality of the Iranian diaspora.
Art works from the “The Cup Flows Over: Art from the Soul of Iran”
This exhibition seeks to move beyond the headlines to explore the ongoing and historic struggles of immigration and the diaspora experience, of merging with and simultaneously changing the culture of newly adopted countries. The artists make use of a variety of media including film, video, photography, fabric work and installation while invoking ancient Persian texts to describe their new realities.
Art works from “The Cup Flows Over: Art from the Soul of Iran”
The title comes from an ancient Persian ghazal by the renowned lyric poet Hafez (c. 1365):
“Last night I took my troubles to
The Magian sage whose keen eyes see
A hundred answers in the wine
Whose cup he, laughing, showed to me.
I questioned him, “When was this cup
That shows the world’s reality
Handed to you?” He said, “The day
Heaven’s vault of lapis lazuli
Was raised, and marvelous things took place
By Intellect’s divine decree,
And Moses’ miracles were made
And Sameri’s apostasy.”
He added then, “That friend they hanged
High on the looming gallows tree—
His sin was that he spoke of things
Which should be pondered secretly,
The page of truth his heart enclosed
Was annotated publicly.”
BY HAFEZ
TRANSLATED BY DICK DAVIS
Anonymous work from “The Cup Flows Over: Art from the Soul of Iran” exhibition.
In the art of Iran, reality’s cup overflows.
The curators are organizing several livestreamed events that will connect the two spaces with live music, poetry and discussion. Opening receptions and events are planned for September 21 at Gallery Bergen (US) and for the Bürgerhaus Glockenbachwerkstatt on October 24.
Art works from “The Cup flows Over: Art from the Soul of Iran”.
The paintings “Death” and “Devil’s Confrontation” by artist Raven.
The Bürgerhaus Glockenbachwerkstatt (Glockenbach Townhouse Workshop) is located in the cultural and artistic heart of Munich. The “Glocke” is a popular community center with childcare, workplaces, art studios, and a neighborhood café. It is around the corner from the Bellevue di Monaco, a residential and cultural center for refugees. The Bellevue offers diverse culture programming ranging from panel discussions on topics of migration and diversity to films from and about the home countries of their guests, to theater plays and concerts presenting artists from all over the world (Gallery Bergen Website).
Performance artist Sholeh Asgary and artist David Rothenberg performing “Shabah e Baad”.
As part of the exhibition, Iranian-American sound/performance artist Sholeh Asgary and ECM recording artist/clarinetist David Rothenberg performed on November 3rd, 2023. In the performance of ‘Shabah e Baad’ (Ghost Winds), Asgary vocalizes recordings of water bodies transcribed into notation for voice with the help of electronics and synthesizers for notes beyond human capability (Gallery Bergen press release).
Performance artist Sholeh Asgary and artist David Rothenberg performing “Shabah e Baad”.
Art works from “The Cup Flows Over: Art from the Soul of Iran”
The exhibition in February to April 2024 is “Arrivals/Departures EAST80WEST: The Bicoastal realities of Immigration”. The exhibition’s theme is based on seven contemporary artists from both the West and East coasts that are connected by US interstate 80 and how they examine the bicoastal realities of new immigrants to the United States.
The “Arrivals/Departures East80West: The Bicoastal realities of Immigration”.
The “Arrivals and Departures” exhibition gallery.
Native American art
The exhibition was fascinating in that it looked at different perspectives of how immigration has happened whether forced or not. I think back to European immigration in the 1600 and 1700’s and how this affected the Americas to what is happening today.
The Yamar Paintings
The biography of Layqo Nuna Yawar and his work.
New York scenesThe biography of Hobong Kim
The works of Hobong Kim.
Street scenes by Hobong Kim
The exhibition explored different elements of how environment changes us and shapes us.
Migrant farmers and workers
The exhibition also explores their sense of place in the scheme of life.
More work by Hobong Kim
Do we erase part of ourselves.
Who are you?
It delves into a place of self. What an interesting aspect of life. How much of yourself do you have to give up to fit in?
The exhibition makes you think about this.
The latest exhibition is by artist Jeramy Turner ‘A Cautionary Tale for Billionaire’s” that opened on January 23rd, 2025.
Jeramy Turner is an American born self-taught painter. In the beginning of 1986 as an attempt to create films, one frame at a time. They were large-scaled to emulate the screen in a movie theater. She began with the intention of using visual art as a tool of protest. Her paintings are most often depictions of capitalists’ vulnerability. Her work often features animals, as symbols of forces of resistance, and terrified bankers (Artist bio)
‘The CEOs” paintings showing the dark side of business
Gallery Bergen on the Bergen Community College campus in Paramus, NJ
The painting ‘Wage Earner’
The sign for “Wage Labor”
The painting “Deluge”
The sign for “Deluge”
The painting “Of Course We Rule”
The sign for “Of Course We Rule”
The painting “Elephant”
The sign for “Elephant”
The painting “Crash”
The sign for “Crash”
The painting “ Kapital”
The sign for “Kapital”
A view of the gallery display for the Jeramy Turner Show for “A Cautionary Tale for Billionaires”
In the Spring of 2025, Gallery Bergen had its Spring Student show and there was some interesting art to see. It was a wonderful Opening on April 24th, 2025.
The Bergen Institute for the Creative Arts (BICA), Fashion at Bergen, and Gallery Bergen:
Gallery Bergen presents its annual BCC Student Art Expo 2025 at Gallery Bergen (3rd Floor, West Hall) from April 24 through May 2. The college community and public are invited. All artistic media from BCC students and the Institute for Learning in Retirement are represented, including fashion design, painting, 2D and 3D design, animation, sculpture, and photography.
The reception featured hors d’oeuvres by the Culinary Arts program with a live music performances by BCC music graduates, Kurley Skeletons.
The Gallery Bergen Student Spring 2025
The Spring 2025 Student show
The Spring 2025 Student show
The Student Show has some unique pieces of art that can be admired and debated. Really take time to admire the students works.
Spring 2025 Student show
These were some of the standouts that I enjoyed at the show with my favorite being ‘Temple of Love’ video which I thought was very clever.
The Spring 2025 Student show
The Spring 2025 Student show
The Spring 2025 Student show
“Little Demons”, one of my favorite pieces at the show.
“Little Demons” sculpture
The “Little Demons” sculpture
The Spring 2025 Student Show
The interesting nudes
The back part of the Gallery
The back part of the museum
The Spring 2025 Student show
The “Harvey” painting
One of the most interesting works at the show was the art music video “Temple of Love”
The “Temple of Love” video
The art surrounding them”Temple of Love” video
The “Temple of Love” video”, my favorite piece of the show.
The sculpture “Vibrant Vito Guest” below the video
That evening to close out the Opening was the band ‘Kurly Skelatons’, who had graduated from Bergen Community College a few years ago.
The concert was interesting as the music contemporary and rhythmic.
At the end of the evening, there was a light reception and we enjoyed being outside on the patio over looking the golf course.
The patio view
Watching ‘The Temple of Love’ again
It was a nice crowd that evening
The Spring 2025 Student Show offered interesting art and music and equally interesting visuals. The students did a nice job.
In the Fall of 2025, Gallery Bergen featured the exhibition of Artist Gregg Bormann entitled ‘Personal Effects’. The exhibit featured work by the artist based on Hollywood works that featured the dark and macabre. The works included clips of films done in video collage and surrealist works based on film scenes.
“The full exhibition “I’m Laughing at Clouds”
“Eyes without a Face”
The reception after the opening
It was an interesting take on the movie magic of these films.
In the Fall of 2025, Gallery Bergen exhibited ‘Tesla’s de Solidaridad: Art & Connection to Guatemala ‘, an exhibition of local Guatemalan artist, mostly from Jersey City.
The promotion poster
The exhibition was a celebration of works by Guatemalan artists who live in the United States, especially in the New York City area.
The gallery opening
Works by artist Lucas Emilio Romero
Artist Lucas Emilio Romero explaining his works at the show
Work by artist Nivia Hernandez
Works by artist Juan Carlos Vail Lucas
The work ‘Ayer’
The crafts of Guatemala
A local jazz band played at the opening with lyrics in Spanish.
The Jazz band performing
Gallery Bergen
The Jazz performance at Gallery Bergen the night of the Opening of the Exhibition
Hours: The Second Saturday of every month; 10:00am-2:00 pm
Admission: Free
TripAdvisor Review:
I had visited the Westwood Heritage Society Museum during its one day opening in the month and no one was there to greet me. It seems that they closed at noon. I was able to walk around the train station’s main room and look around at all the old pictures of town, its history and the interesting facts of how the town grew
Westwood NJ Rail Station where the museum is located
The Westwood NJ Train Station is the home for the Westwood Heritage Society Museum
Many prestigious families of Bergen County, NJ have helped shape the town including members of the Demerest, Blauvelt, Wortendyke and Haring families. These early members of Bergen County Society have left their mark on the politics and construction of the current town. These names are part of the founding families of the town.
The sign in Veterans Park
There are displays of family life in town, life on the railroads, the history of how the railroad came to town, the growth of the town, residents of the town and a display on railroad conductor, Mr. Blauvelt himself.
There are many sets of pictures in the display cases and there is an on-going slide show of pictures on the main wall of the terminal showing the past and present of the town.
They let us tour the bomb shelter that is beneath the train station. This is interesting.
I recently toured the museum with my students on the second Saturday in November of 2022 and met with the members of the Westwood Heritage Society. They put all their displays out when the museum was open from 10:00am-12:00pm. There were some interesting things to see. There was the history of the businesses, schools, the fire and police department and town government. They had some interesting artifacts from Veterans of the Wars as well.
Displays of memorabilia at the museum
If you like the history of railroads into the new suburbs or are from Westwood and are interested in its history, this museum is worth coming to for the afternoon. Take time to walk along the tables and view all the artifacts. There are some interesting things to see.
The glassworks of Westwood
Some of the items from the veterans of foreign wars.
Artifacts from the railroad
The main building of the train station is always open during business hours, so you will have plenty of time to look at all the displays. If you get there on the second Saturday of the month, you might get to talk with a member of the Heritage Society. It only takes about an hour to see all the displays.
The history of the town is in all these notebooks
History:
The Westwood Museum, which is housed in the Westwood Train Station building, was established and held its ‘Grand Opening’ on Memorial Day of 2002.
The Museum serves as an exhibit gallery for the numerous artifacts of Westwood’s past and records of its history that have been acquired or compiled by the Society.
Historic Westwood, NJ
The Historic Displays that line the walls on the history of the town:
Historic homes and businesses of prominent members of the Westwood community
Historic Homes of Westwood
Historic businesses in Westwood
Prominent residents of Westwood, NJ
Historic Downtown Westwood NJ
The commercial we created for the Downtown Westwood, NJ for Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.
The Project for “It’s Wonderful in Westwood, NJ-Be a Tourist in your Own Town”:
I have visited Branch Brook Park many times over the past thirty years and during the Annual Cherry Blossom the park is especially nice. The City of Newark still has the reputation as a rough place and parts of the City I still would not like to walk around in after dark (as are all cities). Branch Book is separated from the rest of the City and sits on the border of Newark sharing the park with the town of Belleville.
The Cherry Blossoms were in peak blooming today
The Cherry Blossom Festival, which takes place every Spring with the coming of the blooming of all of the Cherry Trees which cover the whole length of the park, is always anticipated by people all over the State of New Jersey. They bloomed a little late this year due to the unseasonably cold weather this year. It was snowing up to two weeks earlier so the buds opened later this year. In come cases, the peak of the blossoms came about two weeks late.
The Cherry Blossom Festival at Branch Brook Park goes on for the two weeks of the blooming of the trees
It was well worth it as spread over thirty two acres of land are over 2,000 cherry trees that bud every year at slightly different times due to the different species of plants. You day will start in the park at the Visitor’s Welcome Center located in the eastern section of the park, where you will read about the history of the park and have a chance to check into the activities of the annual Festival or just relax and go to the bathroom. The Visitor’s Center has just been renovated and is a nice starting point to walk around the park during the festival. There is a lot of public parking in this area and your car will be safe with all the people walking around.
The park was awash with colors
Walking among the paths of blossoming Cherry Trees is quite spectacular. It is Mother Nature showing here best with all sorts of hues of light and dark pink. It is something to walk around the trees as the petals in some cases rain down on you. Because the Festival is such a tradition with visitors some even wear their kimono’s or their wedding gowns in the park for pictures.
Walking along the stream that runs through the park
The park is in the process of a decade long renovation after years of neglect. The Branch Brook Park Alliance in partnership with Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, is working to restore the park’s historic design and adapt it to today’s lively use. Our park holds claim to many firsts: America’s first county park opened to the public; first to be listed on both the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places and the first to surpass Washington DC in the number and variety of cherry trees (Branch Brook Park Alliance).
Cherry Blossom Festival in Branch Brook Park Newark, NY 2010
Completed projects set the stage for the park’s full restoration. The County has refurbished historic bridges, renovated the Cherry Blossom Welcome Center and created the Cherry Tree Memorial Grove to promote the “Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure”. Extensive plantings of cherry trees, soon to number 4,000, complement the park’s 78 other tree varieties. Restoration of historic sites include the Octagon Shelter and park entrance ways (Branch Brook Park Alliance).
The views by the steam were especially beautiful in 2023
In 2022, the warmer weather that has been coming in earlier in the month keeps moving the blooming up a few weeks. The cherry blossoms seem to be flowering in the three main areas I visited, Newark, Brooklyn and Washington DC came out almost two weeks earlier than usual. With all the rains that we have had in the last three weeks have also done a number on the trees. Most lost their petals earlier than their planned festivals so even in DC they had their cherry blossom festival without cherry blossoms. When I came home from that celebration, even Newark was looking bare compared to my quick trip last weekend when you could not even enter the park. I think more people in these COVID days want to communicate with nature more than ever.
People were taking pictures by this spot for their weddings and parties
The Branch Brook Park lawn later in the day
When I visited the park in 2023, the place was mobbed with people. The Cherry Blossoms were at their full peak on April 8th, 2023 and I had never seen them this brilliant before. They were gorgeous and such colors of pink, white deep pink and the brilliant yellows from other flowering trees really complimented one another. Walking along the paths through this part of the park was a delight to the eyes.
The brilliance of the flowering trees
The only problem I saw was the visitors behavior towards the trees. People were climbing on the trees, pulling on the branches and tearing off the cherry blossoms. Either it is all the tourism classes that I am taking at NYU or I just am really noticing how obnoxious people are getting. There was so little respect towards nature. People were disrupting the very thing everyone came to see.
The Cherry Blossom Festival signs lined the park
Still I had a wonderful time and it was nice day to walk around and enjoy Branch Brook Park. It was just disappointing when the skies got cloudy and it got a little cooler. That did not stop people from lining the paths, walking their dogs and just enjoying the day out. I have never seen the park this vibrant before!
There was a nice crowd this afternoon at the park
I was able to sneak out of the park for lunch and go to Pizzatown Pizzeria in Newark for lunch. This old pizzeria has been around since about the 1960’s and has the most amazing cheese pizza. I got for a slice when I am visiting the park. The restaurant is a holdover when this was still an Italian enclave (it is now more Spanish) but still popular with the locals.
Pizzatown Pizzeria & Restaurant at 883 Mount Pleasant Avenue in Newark, NJ
The place is really full of character and the best part is that the pizza is delicious! I always enjoy coming here for lunch or a snack. I had a slice of Sicilian pizza ($3.50) and a Coke and at $4.50 is was a reasonable lunch. This in comparison with the food trucks in the park which are much more expensive. I highly recommend it.
The Sicilian slice at Pizzatown in Newark, NJ
The inside of the restaurant is so old that is looks retro
I like the painting on the restaurant. It’s classic.
It was a nice lunch and it gave me the energy to continue walking the length of the park further than I had before. Talk about getting some get pictures. As it got later, the crowds thinned out a bit more so there was more room to take some great shots.
It was a wonderful afternoon!
Branch Brook Park in its prime
The History of Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ:
The Cherry Blossom Display at Essex County Branch Brook Park:
In 1928, Caroline Bamberger Fuld, after seeing the cherry trees in the Nation’s Capital, offered a gift of 2000 trees for Essex County Branch Brook Park. To showcase the park’s newly acquired Extension, the renowned Olmsted Brothers landscape architectural firm created a planting design using dark evergreen trees as a backdrop for the mix of white and pink cherry blossoms from varieties such as Higan, Yoshino and Kwanzan (Branch Brook Alliance).
The entrance to Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ
After a 2004 inventory showed 1.000 cherry trees remaining, an ongoing initiative to replace and expand the collection was undertaken by Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. and the Branch Brook Alliance. By 2016, the number of cherry trees was expanded to over 5,000. Cherry trees in 27 varieties now adorn all sections of the park, from the Southern Division at Clifton Avenue in Newark to the park’s Extension at Washington Avenue in Belleville (Branch Brook Park Alliance).
The History of Branch Brook Park (Branch Brook Park Alliance):
1862: The land we know now as Branch was then the property of the Newark Aqueduct Board. Much of that land was commandeered in July of 1862, at the outbreak of the Civil War; known as Camp Frelinghuysen, it was used as a training ground for New Jersey volunteers. Between 1862 and 1864, six regiments encamped there before fighting in every important battle from Antietam to Appomatox.
1867: The New Jersey State Legislature authorized a Newark Park Commission, with a mandate to locate grounds for a municipal park. Fredrick Law Olmsted, the famed landscape architect and designer of Central Park in New York, visited Newark and Essex County and recommended a site encompassing what is now Branch Brook Park, Olmsted and his partner, Calvert Vaux, envisioned Branch Brook Park to be a “grand central park” for the City of Newark. They understood that American cities of the 19th Century were growing quickly and changing rapidly. The parks they designed embodied their view that all people, regardless of their position in society, were entitled to fresh air, quiet places and the beauty that only nature can provide.
The colors were amazing in April of 2023
1889: The Newark Common Council donated 60 acres of the Aqueduct Board property surrounding the circular holding reservoir to “park use”. Known as Reservoir Park, the land was left undeveloped. Much of the surrounding neighborhoods were crowded with bleak, unhealthy tenements. To the north lay a dismal march known as Old Blue Jay Swamp.
1895: The Essex County Park Commission was formed to enable the creation of a county-wide park system, the first in the nation. The City of Newark transferred Reservoir Park, which would become the nucleus of Branch Brook Park to the Commission at ta cost of $350,687. The surrounding properties were acquired by the County while donations of land from prominent Newark families extend the park northward. The Ballantine Family donated 32 acres of their property and another 50 acres were given by Z.M. Keene, William A. Righter and the Messrs. Heller. John Bogart and Nathan Barrett were chosen to provide plans and advise on the development of the park. Their design was gardenesque in style, dominated by the geometrically patterned gardens and numerous architectural elements including arbors, viaducts, gazebos and shelters that shaped the park’s Southern Division.
The drive in the entrance of the park
1896: Demolition and grading began following Bogart and Barrett’s plans.
1898: Dissatisfied with Bogart and Barrett’s work, the Commission hired the Olmsted Brothers firm; John Charles Olmsted and Fredrick Law Olmsted Jr. were Fredrick Law Olmsted Sr’s nephew/stepson and son. While their work continued that naturalistic style of landscape design championed by their father, in Branch Brook Park, they were required to incorporate the elements of Bogart and Barrett’s plan that had already been constructed. This led to the Olmsted firm’s design concept consisting of three divisions: the Southern, from Sussex Avenue to Park Avenue, incorporating the elaborate ‘gardenesque’ elements from Bogart and Barrett’ the middle from Park Avenue to Bloomfield Avenue, which would be a transitional zone, mixing the exotic with the indigenous and as the culmination, the Northern Division, the largest and most naturalistic area of the park.
The views were spectacular in April of 2023
1900: The first Chrysanthemum Show was held in the newly constructed greenhouse in the Northern Division. This annual event brought thousands to the park every fall until 1969.
1903: The United Singing Societies donated the bust of composer Felix Mendelssohn they won in Baltimore, MD at that year’s ‘saengerfest’, the annual, nationwide German singing competition that generated excitement comparable to today’s Super Bowl.
1906: The gran boathouse, designed by the firm of Rossiter and Wright, was added to the southern end of the lake, replacing an earlier structure.
The crowds were large in April 2023
1916: The Essex County Park System build its Administration Building on the parkland that had been set aside to provide a view from Concourse Hill. Designed by New Jersey native Harold Van Buren Magonigle, the exterior has eight different shades of coarse-textured terra brick and expensive terra cotta reliefs especially notable around the main entrance. Under the wide overhang of the tile roof are colorful, allegorical decorations executed by Mrs. Edith Magonigle.
1924: Industrialist and philanthropist Harmon W. Hendricks, owner of a copper rolling mill on the Second River, donated his family home and the adjoining 23 acres to the north of Branch Brook Park. An additional 94 acres were acquired by the county to link Hendricks Field Golf Course and Belleville Park in an unbroken swath of green. This land included what was the first landing site for the U.S. Postal Service where bi-winged airplanes landed on a short field with bales of hay rimming the end of the runway to prevent accidents.
One of the side paths in April 2023
1927: Caroline Bamberger Fuld donates 2,000 Japanese flowering cherry trees to a display in Newark that would rival that in Washington DC. The Olmsted Brothers’ firm laid out the trees naturalistically on the tiered slopes along the narrow valley of the Second River, evoking the way the trees would be seen in Japan and distinguishing Branch Brook Park’s display from all others. Eventually the collection would grow to more than 3,000 trees.
1928: The Morris Canal that ran from Jersey City to the Delaware River and formed the park’s western boundary was abandoned and became the Newark City Subway. Now Newark Light Rail, there are six stops along the park that provide easy access by mass transit.
1940: The Rossiter and Wright boathouse was deemed unsafe and dismantled. A smaller building replaced the grand structure.
1956: More than 3,000 people attended the Fall Chrysanthemum Shoe in the greenhouses.
The crowds along the pathways at Branch Brook Park
1967: Riots broke out in Newark and devastated the community. Many buildings were burned, boarded up and sections of the city were deserted. The National Guard was called in to maintain order and bivouacs in Branch Brook Park, where Civil War volunteers mustered 100 years earlier.
1974: Community members rallied to save their beloved park and the Friends of Branch Brook Park was formed.
1976: The Newark Cherry Blossom Festival was established.
1980: Branch Brook Park was placed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.
1981: The Park was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
1986: The Boathouse was destroyed by fire and replaced by a concrete block structure.
One of my favorite shots of the park in 2023
1999: Branch Brook Park Alliance (BBPA) was formed.
2002: BBPA hired Rhodeside & Harwell (RHI), nationally recognized landscape architects, to produce a Cultural Landscape Report, Treatment and Management Plan, to serve as a blueprint for the park’s restoration.
2003: The lake edge near the boat house in the Southern District was replanted to recreate the original Olmstead plan; this pilot project was designed by RHI and funded by BBPA.
2004: A tree inventory was conducted by BBPA as part of the Cultural Landscape Report and revealed that less than 1,000 cherry trees remained from the original gift of 2,000 trees and subsequent plantings.
2005: Responding to community interest, the first farmers’ market took place, along with other activities to help reactivate the park.
2006: BBPA, together with the Essex County, the North Ward Center and the Newark Boys and Girls Clubs developed the Middle Division ball fields, now home to 7,500 ballplayers annually.
A grant from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund enabled the first planting of what would total more than 3,000 new cherry trees over the next four years.
2007: The Ball fields in the Extension were redesigned and upgraded while the surrounding landscape is restored. The Cherry Tree Demonstration Project showed what a fully restored collection should look like with extensive companion plantings and appropriate hardscaping.
2008: The Octagon Shelter was reconstructed. The Waterway Rehabilitation Feasibility Study was completed, setting forth a path for the restoration of one of the park’s most salient features.
2009: Prudential Global Volunteer Day drew more than 300 participants from diverse sectors of the community. A Maintenance Plan for the park was completed and implementation begun at six volunteer days.
2010: Design work was completed for project that will transform western lake edge in the Southern Division. The rehabilitation of the Octagon Field House in the Middle Division was completed.
The Cherry Blossom Festival in Branch Brook Park, Newark, NJ 2010
(The History of Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ by the Branch Brook Park Alliance)
Disclaimer: This information was taken from the Branch Brook Park Alliance and I give them full credit for their work. Don’t miss the Cherry Blossom Festival each Spring April/May depending on the weather.
Branch Brook Park in 2025:
I had a chance after work on afternoon when the Cherry trees were in peak form. The park was quiet on a Thursday afternoon and was perfect time to walk around and see the beautiful trees.
I walked along the paths on a gloomy afternoon where the rain always threatened us the whole time but I would not have wanted to miss this display.
The paths along the stream at Branch Brook Park
The start of the Cherry Blossom Festival in 2025
Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom trees at peak in Spring 2025
The banners line the roads in the park for the festival and walking tours in 2025
The Cherry trees on a gloomy day
The Cherry Blossoms path
The beauty of the trees in 2025
The river that runs through the park
The water rushing through the park
The flowering plants in the park
The bridge in the park
The flowering trees by the river
The paths along the river on a gloomy day
The flowering bushes along the river in 2025
The flowering trees around the river
Entering the core of the park
The County’s Cherry Blossom festival in 2025
The beautiful trees along the paths
The flowering canopy
The flowering Cherry Trees in peak form
The flowering trees in the park
The core of the park in bloom
The pathway through the core of the park
The pathway in the park in full bloom
Entering the Visitors Center
The Cherry Blossom Visitors Center in the park
The unusual trees in Branch Brook Park
I even had time to really walk through this section of Newark and look at some of the old and beautiful mansions that dot this part of the park. With a little TLC, these houses will be spectacular again.
Walking through the Branch Brook Park neighborhood
The beautiful old mansions in the neighborhood
The walk back to the car
The pathway back along the river
It was so beautiful on a gloomy day
The walk back through the park
Even on a gloomy day the park was spectacular
Getting back to the car before it started to rain hard that afternoon
After the tour of Branch Brook Park in 2015, it was time for some lunch and I visited Rutt’s Hut at 417 River Road in Clifton, NJ.
I was in the mood for one of their Cheeseburgers and their Onion Rings
The cheeseburger was perfectly cooked
They give you a nice sized portion of Onion Rings
The burger hit the spot on a gloomy day
Going to the park on any type of day is spectacular. It is best when it is sunny and warm out. Still it is one of the most impressive displays of Cherry Blossoms in the country.
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