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Hoodography: Newark x Historical Timeline
By Hoodography | February 27, 2008
1666: Connecticut Puritans who were led at the time by Robert Treat founded Newark. Treat and his party purchased property on the Passaic River from the Hackensack Indians with gunpowder, lead, axes, coats, guns, swords, kettles, blankets, knives, and beer. The name Newark came from “New Ark”, or “New Work” reflecting the new task at hand for the founders of the new community. Newark would be totally controlled by the Puritan Church and its religious leaders during this period
1733: The absolute control of the Puritan Church ended when some Episcopalian missionaries established their own church in the community.
1815: The inventor and industrialist Seth Boyden brought a new method of processing leather to Newark.
1824: Boyden discovered a way to produce malleable iron
1826: Newark’s population grew to 8,017, ten times what it was fifty years earlier
1834: Newark becomes a prosperous city with the construction of the Morris Canal. The canal connected Newark with the New Jersey hinterland, at the time a major iron and farm area. The same year railroads arrived in Newark, resulting in a flourishing shipping business, and solidifying Newark as the area’s industrial center
1870: Newark becomes the capital of leather manufacturing, responsible for 90% of the leather manufactured in the country. Newark would also dominate in the manufacturing and production of Celluloid, billiard balls, dentures, zinc electroplating, arc lamps. Newark was the first place in the United States to have public electric lamps.
1873: The Prudential Insurance Company was founded in Newark. The city would go on to dominate the insurance industry, selling more insurance than any other city in the country with the exception of Hartford, Connecticut.
1880: Newark’s population grew to 136,508
1890: Newark’s population grew to 181,830
1900: Newark’s population grew to 246,070
1910: Newark’s population grew to 347,700
1920: Newark’s population grew close to a half million. This was a very prosperous period for the city. The downtown area hosted a number of thriving businesses. Market and Broad Street was a center of retail and commerce for the entire region. The intersection of the two busy streets was called “Four Corners”. People from all over the country visited Newark, making it one of the most famous cities in the country. During the 1920’s Newark had 63 live theaters, 46 movie theaters, and a number of high-end hotels. New skyscrapers were being built every year, and with the growing population, and increased commercial activity, Newark built one of just a few underground subway systems in the country.
1948: Newark’s population reached its peak of 450,000.
1950: The Bureau of Public Roads proposed an Interstate Highway along Route 3, to the north of Newark. After several counter proposals by the New Jersey State Highway Department, the freeway now known as Interstate 280 was approved. This freeway would cut right through the heart of Newark. Other highways such as the New Jersey Turnpike, and Interstate 78 would also run through a number of Newark neighborhoods.
1950-60: During the decade of the 50’s Newark went through a dramatic transition. Due to heightened taxes, many of the businesses that thrived in the early part of the century began to relocate to other regions of the country. The city’s budget started to decline year after year. White’s were moving away from Newark in record numbers, which was made easier with the construction of the freeway, which allowed them to work in the city, and commute to the suburbs. At the same time, Newark’s black population started to increase steadily. While there were still many businesses in Newark, its residential population decreased dramatically. Public housing, and urban renewal programs, all designed to help the poor, cultivated a culture of poverty. The city that was once a prosperous, booming center of business and commerce was by the start of the 1960’s a city in political, economic, and social turmoil
1966: Newark became a predominantly black city. As one of the target cities of the “Great Migration”, blacks moved to Newark from the south in record numbers to take advantage of the opportunities other groups found in Newark’s bustling industrial complex. Unfortunately, as blacks, as well as Puerto Ricans moved into Newark, the jobs were moving out. In the late 1960’s Newark was a city with a growing black population, a decreasing white population, a number of struggling businesses, a mismanaged and in some cases corrupt government, a growing drug problem, and a socioeconomic crisis that clearly weighed the heaviest in the city’s black neighborhoods
1967: The tension between the city’s black residents, and the predominately-white police force came to a head. After the report of a brutal beating of a black taxi driver by a couple of white officers spread through the city, temperatures started to flare. When it was rumored that the man who was beaten died, violence broke out all over the city. It did not take long for things to turn into a full-scale riot that would change the city of Newark forever. In the aftermath, twenty-six people were killed, 1,500 wounded, 1,600 arrested, $10 million in property was destroyed, thousands of businesses were torched or looted, including 167 groceries. Most of these businesses never reopened. The riots succeeded in scaring away the majority of the remaining white residents. The businesses that were not destroyed eventually moved away from the city. Even middle class blacks moved away from Newark, relocating in neighboring suburbs outside of the city. The Newark Riots is regarded as one of the most destructive and violent riots in American history. It is also regarded as the main reason for Newark’s rapid decline in population and economic sustainability in the decades to follow
1970: Newark’s population fell to 381,930. Kenneth Allen Gibson was elected as Newark’s first black mayor
1975: Newark was ranked one of the five worst cities in nineteen of twenty-four categories, and the very worst in nine by Harper’s Magazine. According to the article, only 70% of Newarkers owned a telephone. It was also stated that Newark stands without serious challenge as the worst city of all
1980: Newark’s population fell to 329,248. In the decade of the 1980’s, Newark was one of many cities around the country severely crippled by the crack epidemic. Crack cocaine increased the level of violence, further damaged the city’s economy, turned the housing projects into war zones, and sent thousands of black and Latino men to jail or the grave.
1990: Newark’s population fell to 275,221, almost half of what it was forty years earlier. Towards the end of the 90’s, Newark underwent a number of structural changes. All of the project buildings in the impoverished Central ward were torn down and replaced with modern single-family homes. Money from investors and other outside entities helped to further the city’s development
1997: $180 million was spent to build the New Jersey Performing Art Center. For many, the opening of this institution marked a step forward in the revitalization of the city. NJPAC was followed up with the construction of the Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium in 1999
2000: For the first time in more than 40 years, Newark’s population starts to increase. In the mid 2000’s crime fell by 58% from historic highs in the mid 1990’s, despite the high murder rate
2001: AirTrain Newark opens a monorail system that connects downtown Newark to Newark Liberty International Airport
2006: Mayor Corey Booker, the city’s 36th mayor was elected into office, marking a new change in government after 20 years under Newark’s previous Mayor Sharpe James. The James Administration had been accused of rampant corruption and the target of a number of legal investigations. The thirty-eight year old Booker has marketed himself as an agent for change in the city of Newark. Hard against crime, Mayor Booker was the target of an assassination plot by a gang leader who is currently serving time in a federal prison. Booker is also an advocate for education, and economic development. He was instrumental in making sure the Prudential Center, the official arena for the New Jersey Devils was completed. The $375 million multi-purpose 17,625-seat arena has brought thousands of jobs to Newark, and will help to generate millions of dollars for local businesses.
Present: Newark is still facing many of the problems it has faced in the past 50 years. The unemployment rate is still very high. The murder rate is one of the highest in the country for a city of its size. There is still an uneasy relationship between the Police and the citizens in poor neighborhoods. The city is very segregated, divided among racial and ethnic lines. Poverty and the lack of opportunity is still a pressing problem for many of its residence. There are many signs however that things might change in Newark in the coming years. Investors have returned to the city developing infrastructure, facilities, and institutions to help the city’s economy. The cultural and creative community is bringing attention to Newark, making it an attractive option for new residents. Newark has a new mayor that is all about change, opportunity, and socioeconomic development. In addition, Newark is only 15 minutes away from New York City, hosts one of the largest international airports in the region, is the recipient of imports from all over the world through Port Newark, and has a major railroad infrastructure that connects the city to the rest of the country. From every angle, it appears as though Newark and its population has a future that is much brighter than it’s past.
Topics: History, Hoodography |
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