Famous ‘First’ Occurrences That Happened in Hudson County, NJ

From the dawn of Dutch settlement to the Industrial Revolution to the present day, Hudson County has been the starting point and arena for innovators, influential figures, monumental events, and more. So much history has occurred here: some of it even the first of its kind in the state, country, or even the world. After covering Essex County in 2022 and Bergen County earlier this year, The Local Girl is continuing its series on “famous firsts” and exploring Hudson County. Whether buried in a century-old book or part of recent headlines, we have done the research to share with you what groundbreaking and pivotal things have occurred by residents of and in Hudson County, New Jersey. Read on to learn about Hudson County’s famous firsts.

Bayonne

1. In 1928, Devora Nadworney became the first singer heard over a radio network in the United States. Devora was born to Russian immigrants and grew up in Bayonne.
2. In 1931, the Bayonne Bridge opened as the world’s longest steel arch main span bridge. While it is no longer the longest today, it is still in the top 10.

Read More: The Stories Behind Old Hoboken Signage

Harrison

1. In 1987, Francis E. Rodgers became the longest-serving mayor in U.S. history. He was first elected Mayor of Harrison in 1946 and served for 48 years until he passed in 1995. In 1987, Francis earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records when he surpassed Mayor Erastus Corning II of Albany, New York, who died in office in 1983 after serving for over 40 years. Harrison marked the occasion by closing municipal offices in the mayor’s honor and by letting students have a day off. 

Hoboken

1. Hoboken was home to the first brewery operated by a non-indigenous person in what is now North America. Aert Van Putten, a farmer from the Netherlands, built his house and business in 1643, north of what would be later known as Castle Point. During Kieft’s War, Van Putten was killed and his buildings destroyed.
2. Hoboken is home to the world’s first commercial steam ferry operation. On October 11, 1811, Colonel John Stevens’ ship, the Juliana, began to operate as a ferry between Manhattan and Hoboken.
3. The first recorded game of baseball was in Hoboken. It took place in 1846 between the Knickerbocker Club and the New York Nine at Elysian Fields.
4. Hoboken is home to the nation’s first mechanical engineering college. Stevens Institute of Technology was founded at Castle Point in 1870, at the site of the Stevens family’s former estate.
5. The first Oreo was sold on March 6, 1912, to a grocer in Hoboken. 
6. The first Blimpie restaurant opened in 1964 at the corner of Seventh and Washington Streets in Hoboken. 
7. In 2017, City Councilman Ravi Bhalla won Hoboken’s mayoral race, making him the first Sikh mayor in state history.

Jersey City

1. In 1660, Jersey City became the site of Bergen Square, the first town square in North America.
2. The Old Bergen Church, established in 1660, is the oldest continuous religious congregation in the state. The current edifice was built in 1841.
3. Jersey City is the home of Public School No. 11, the nation’s longest-continuous school site and the site of the first free public school building in the state. A school first began operating at the site in the 1660s.
4. The oldest surviving structure in all of Hudson County was built in 1690. The Newkirk House, also called the Summit House, is located at 510 Summit Avenue. It was built by Dutch settler Mattheus Cornelissen Newkirk and owned by Newkirk for two centuries. After it was sold in 1889, it welcomed a variety of businesses, like a childcare center, a tailor shop, a tavern, and restaurants. In July 2025, the property was auctioned off for $2.4 million to an undisclosed buyer.
5. In 1839, Provident Savings Institution was chartered by the state as the first mutual savings bank in New Jersey. It was also the first bank in Jersey City and Hudson County.
6. In 1868, the Jersey City Board of Aldermen opened “Jersey City Charity Hospital” and operated it as a public medical facility. This was the first place in the state where physicians provided free medical care to city residents. It is also the first medical center in the state. 
7. In 1908, Jersey City’s water supply became the first permanent chlorinated disinfection system for drinking water in the country.
8. In 1925, Mary Teresa Norton became the first woman member of the Democratic Party elected to Congress and the first woman elected to represent New Jersey, or any state in the Northeast.
9. In 2013, Jersey City became the first municipality in New Jersey and the sixth in the country to guarantee paid sick leave.
10. In 2018, Jersey City adopted the Vision Zero initiative, becoming the first city in the state to do so.
11. In 2020, Jersey City became the first municipality in the state to create a dedicated tax to support the arts.

Hudson County

1. The first established European settlement in New Jersey was carried out by the Dutch, who settled Bergen, New Netherland. Not to be confused with the current iteration of  Bergen County, the settlement of Bergen includes what is now Bergen County and Hudson County. In 1661, Bergen formed as the first independent municipality in what is now New Jersey. Prior to this, a trading post began in the Communipaw area of current-day Jersey City around 1615, and more permanent residential settlements began in Pavonia around 1630.

Secaucus

1. In 2024, the girls’ volleyball team at Secaucus High School became the first girls’ volleyball program in New Jersey to win over 1,000 games.

See More: Famous ‘First’ Occurrences That Happened in Bergen County, New Jersey

Union City

1. In 1913, Mallomars were first sold in Union City, which was then called West Hoboken. 
2. In 1986, Bob Menendez became the mayor of Union City and the first Cuban-American mayor in the state. He is possibly the first Hispanic mayor in the state’s history.

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