Paterson Museum facts for kids
An aerial-view drawing of the Rogers Locomotive Works plant in 1906
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| Established | 1925 |
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| Location | 2 Market Street Paterson, NJ 07501 |
| Type | Industry museum |
| Public transit access | Paterson station (rail) NJ Transit 365, 366, 704, 712 (bus) |
The Paterson Museum is a cool place to visit in Paterson, New Jersey. It's in Passaic County, New Jersey, in the United States. This museum opened in 1925. Its main job is to save and show off the amazing industrial history of Paterson. You can find it in the Old Great Falls Historic District.
Since 1982, the museum has been in the Thomas Rogers Building on Market Street. This building used to be part of the Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works. This company made many railroad steam locomotives in the 1800s. Before 1982, the museum was in a different building.
What Can You See at the Museum?
The Paterson Museum has many interesting old items. They have a collection of old guns and artifacts from Native American history. You can also see beautiful gemstones and even old locomotives. Many schools and groups visit to explore these historical treasures.
The museum also has a large collection of items from the early 1900s. This includes old medicines and paintings of medicine covers. They have hundreds of old medicine caps. You can also see paintings of old hospital assistants. These show what life was like in hospitals long ago.
Famous Exhibits and Inventions
One of the most famous things to see is the Fenian Ram. This was a submarine designed by John Philip Holland. He created it for a group called the Fenian Brotherhood. You can also see his earlier submarine, the Holland I. The museum also keeps a special collection about Holland's life and work.
You can find a big collection of early firearms made by the Colt's Manufacturing Company. There's also the front of a playhouse built by the famous comedian Lou Costello for his children. The museum also shows industrial equipment from the old silk-weaving factories. These factories were a big part of Paterson's economy. You can even see automated looms that were used to make silk!
Right at the museum's entrance, there's a railroad track. A live toy-model train goes around the track, which is fun to watch.
More to Explore
- John P. Holland Centre
