April 13, 2013, Yahoo! News, AP "NJ city seeks to capitalize on its 'twin landmarks'" by Samantha Henry.
I'd never heard of either of these places mentioned in the article, both of which are significant to te history of the United States.
The article was mainly about Paterson, New Jersey's1932 Hinchcliffe Stadium which is deteriorating from years of neglect. This place was once the home field of three Negro League teams: the New York Black Yankees, New York Cubans and the Newark Eagles. Such notables as Satchel Page and Larry Doby donned uniforms and a total of eleven Major League Hall of Famers who played there are enshrines at Cooperstown.
The art deco styled stadium was designated a National Landmark in March.
The other landmark is the 77-foot waterfall at the nearby Great Falls whose power helped fuel the Industrial Revolution. Some two billion gallons of water pass over the falls every day, making it the second biggest waterfall east of the Mississippi (Niagara Falls being the other one) .It became a National Park recently.
Paterson is a once powerful city struggling with crime and finances these days. Back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries the city's textile mills turned out so much, it became known as "The Silk City." There is great hope that these twin landmarks will help recoup some of that prosperity.
Hinchcliffe Stadium is owned by the city's school system which shut it down in 1975 due to finances
Today, Paterson is 60% Latino and 30% black. It is estimated that it will take $2 million to bring the stadium back to its former glory. The financially strapped city recently voted to put $1.5 million in the effort.
Here's Hoping for a Return for Hinchcliffe Stadium, Especially after the Recent "42" Movie. --Cooter
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