Essex County park system celebrates 100 years of beauty and service.

Amid the very urban landscape of Newark, New Jersey, there are some sights that are distinctly non-urban: courts, horseshoe pits, baseball diamonds, and paddle boats around the meandering Branch Brook River that empties into the Passaic River. This picturesque scheme amid the bustling cityscape of Newark is Branch Brook Park, the largest park in Essex County and the first county park in the United States. And it dates back 100 years.

In the Beginning...

During the mid-1800s Newark was a developing city that contributed to the immense growth of the East Coast. During this time, Newark became one of the leading industrial centers as the area slowly turned away from agriculture. This industrial activity was the source of Newark's economic development, and entrepreneurs such as shoemakers and craftsmen emerged. By 1863 Newark had the largest saddle and harness factory in the country.

By 1860, 37% of Newark residents were foreign born. The boom of economic growth spurred hundreds of new jobs every year and attracted thousands of newcomers, many of whom were new immigrants to this country.

However, this population and industrial explosion soon caused growing pains. Newark started suffering an increase in crime and vandalism, and the city's changing pattern of land caused growing gaps between the rich and poor. New factories and plants caused severe pollution, and sewage clogged up the streets and waterways. There were no art galleries, museums, or public recreation programs. The city was beginning to lose its beauty.

Newark also needed a new source of water. And in the 1880s--under the leadership of mayor Joe E. Haynes--the city tried to build an adequate water system, as well as a new city hospital and public library. These civic-minded efforts encouraged Essex County citizens to develop a park for Newark. Even though the act of April 9, 1867, created a preliminary commission of 26 members to select and locate grounds for the purpose, nothing happened. Selection of a site for only one park--in the northern portion of the city--caused opposition from other sections. This prevented further action by both the legislature and the city authorities. Consequently, the movement did not reach the legislative stage.

On December 6, 1893, the Board of Trade of the Oranges adopted a resolution to create legislation "that will enable the growing communities in this portion of the state to provide a suitable system for parks and parkways" (Kelsey, 1905). The resolution was favored highly by the public at the time. Shortly thereafter, a suggestion was made that the Orange and Newark Boards get together and see what could be done cooperatively to put a park project into effect.

A special joint, committee of Orange and Newark was appointed and at once took up the subject of "formulating a suitable plan;" and by the time of the full committee's first meeting, April 14, 1894, a definite and complete plan had been agreed on.

Two days later a meeting was held and a sub-committee of two people was formed to prepare a bill, based on the park plan, for introduction in the legislature. Me plan stated that "a well-devised public park system for this great Essex County population not only would be of great benefit and value to every locality but of immense importance to the state as well. Every home in the entire section would be more attractive and valuable; every piece of property would share in the improvement; and the cost be largely or fully compensated in this way" (Kelsey, 1905). The entire cost of the park project could be realized eventually through tax revenues from increased property values. The parks would make Essex County more attractive. Therefore, more money would be coming in, because all property would be of higher value. People would not be purchasing just land anymore. They also would be purchasing the ambiance of a metropolitan area made beautiful by the parks and the class of people that would go along with it. The plan provided the model legislation from which stemmed the county park system movement across the United States.

Citizens Bless the Plan

Essex County citizens were quick to bless this plan. Various civic organizations passed resolutions commending it, and citizens and conservation groups in other parts of the country wrote letters favoring its adoption. A tentative bill was prepared and sent to Senator George W. Ketcham in Trenton for introduction into the Legislature. It passed quickly and easily. On May 8 it was approved by the governor. The provisions of this law provided for a temporary commission of five people for the term of two years to "consider the advisability of laying out ample open spaces for the use of the public" and "as soon as conveniently may be to make a report in writing of a comprehensive plan for laying out, acquiring, and maintaining such open spaces" (Kelsey, 1906).

On June 23, 1894, the formal announcement was made of the commission's appointment, and on March 5, 1895, Governor T. Werts of New Jersey signed legislation creating the Essex County Park Commission. Five commissioners were sworn in. Only 32 days later, Essex County approved a $2.5 million bond referendum for the purchase of park land. On July 22, the commission acquired the first 60 acres of Branch Brook Park. In that same year, the park commission also purchased land for Weequahic, East Side, Orange Parks, and Eagle Rock and South Mountain Reservations.

When selecting the various park sites, the commission "sought to serve the interests of the entire county to make economical purchases in quarters where parks are most needed; and to have the system represent in one portion or another all the varied scenic beauties for which Essex County is so justly celebrated" (Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs).

Landscape architects John Bogart and Nathan F. Barrett were hired as the landscapers for Branch Brook Park and other parks with Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. as a consultant. By 1898, the commission, dissatisfied with the work of Bogart and Barrett, hired Ohnsted's architectural firm headed by his sons Frederick, Jr. and John, to take over the planning and development of the Essex County park system.

Olmsted was a visionary and foresaw the day when cities would be plagued by "urban sprawl." He was convinced that the location of parks should be in crowded areas where they could be enjoyed without the need for transportation. He felt that it was important for land to be available to meet the recreational needs of the citizens before the land no longer would be available.

Olmsted's Design

The Olmsteds were active in the earliest stages of planning and developing the park system.

Some of the unique features of the Olmsted design included a concert area lawn bordering Branch Brook Lake. Also, across the lake is an octagon-shaped gazebo. Many characteristics that are uniquely Olmsted's also can be found in other Essex County parks. He liked winding roads that connected rooms of nature and created "peek-a-boo" landscapes.

Waterways had to blend naturally into the landscape. Olmsted liked to create an illusion of spaciousness through the use of open fields. He also believed in separating passageways from the general landscape for beauty and safety reasons. He stressed the need to preserve the land while also making it available for use.

One Olmsted characteristic in Essex County parks is the bordering of parks with slopes and shrubbery. At first people complained that they could not see into the parks from the streets. However, once inside the park, they quickly understood that the parks were not designed for the people in the streets but rather as a haven for the people in the park.

The following Essex County parks were designed or redesigned by Olmsted Sr. and/or his sons' firm: Branch Brook, Weeqhahic, Brookdale, Watsessing, Verona, Orange, Grover Cleveland, Belleville, West Side, Vailsburg, Yanticaw, Irvington, Glenfield, Ivy Hill, Anderson, Independence, and Riverbanks Parks. Also, South Mountain, Eagle Rock, and Mills Reservation were designed by the firm.

Further Changes

During the 1900s a greenhouse was constructed in the northern section of Branch Brook, and by 1910 a gigantic water fountain also had been constructed. It then was the largest in the world but had to be abandoned when it no longer could be maintained. During the 1930s Branch Brook benefited from the Works Progress Administration established during the Depression. In 1951 there were 44 band concerts conducted in Essex County Parks.

In 1981 Essex parks had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. This was significant, because this historical recognition always had gone to buildings.

The Essex County Park System has the distinction of being the first county park system. Today Essex County parks cover 5,647 acres and serves a county of 850,000 people. There are three golf courses, three reservations and two community centers, a zoo, and an ice skating complex. A staff of 200 maintains the system. Many of the lakes and streams are ideal for fishing; and the horticultural displays such as the Japanese flowering cherry blossoms in Branch Brook beautify the landscape.

Recently $19 million was allocated for the rehabilitation and maintenance of the parks. The changing needs of the people in the area constantly are being evaluated through community groups and surveys. Branch Brook Park had a $5 million rehabilitation program that included extensive roadwork and a dredging of its waterways. A new tennis court complex and improvements to the parks' ball fields were also part of the plan.

Branch Brook, a place of beauty and history, is proof that vision and planning can make for parks that will be used and enjoyed 100 years into the future.

References

Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs. The Land, the People, the Future. Newark, NJ: Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs. Essex County Park Commission. (1 985) Annual Reports. Newark, NJ: Essex County Park Commission. Essex County Park Commission. (1986) Annual Reports. Newark, NJ: Essex County Park Commission. Kelsey, F.W. (1905) The First Essex County Park System. Washington, DC: McGrath Publishing Company. Playground Recreation Association of America. (1 930) County Parks: A Report of a Study of County Parks in the U.S. New York: Playground Recreation Association of America. Schwartz, J. and Prosser, D. (1977) Cities of the Garden State: Essays in the Urban and Suburban History of New Jersey Dubuque, IA: Kendal/Hunt Publishing Company. Stevenson, E. (1977) Park Maker: A Life of Frederick Law Olmsted. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.