1940 Map of Weehawken

About this map

Bendix Airport and the sprawling industrial facility of Bendix Aviation dominate the central meadows in this 1930s survey of the New Jersey Meadowlands. This pre-war landscape shows the intricate drainage of the Hackensack River and Passaic River before mid-century development transformed the region. The transition from industrial corridors to marshland is stark, with the Erie RR and Pennsylvania RR cutting through the soft ground of Eight Day Swamp and Walden Swamp. To the south, the massive institutional presence of the Hudson County Penitentiary and Hudson County Hospital occupies the area near Snake Hill. Along the Hudson River, the dense urban grids of Weehawken and Union City contrast with the rail yards and the West Shore Terminal on the waterfront, reflecting the era's heavy reliance on rail-to-ferry transport.