1955 Map of Weehawken

About this map

Industrial corridors and dense urban centers dominate this mid-century landscape along the Hackensack River and Hudson River. In the mid-1950s, the Meadowlands were still defined by expansive wetlands like Eight Day Swamp and Walden Swamp, even as massive infrastructure projects like the New Jersey Turnpike and the approaches to the Lincoln Tunnel and Holland Tunnel carved through the terrain. The map captures a moment of intense rail activity at the Secaucus Yards and the Days Pt West Shore Terminal, serving a region packed with parochial institutions such as St Michaels Monastery and Holy Rosary Academy. Small settlements like Babbitt and New Durham appear alongside larger hubs like Jersey City and Hoboken, revealing the tight-knit residential and industrial grid before the era of late-century redevelopment.