When it was established in 2011, the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park (PAGR) became what is known in the National Park Service (NPS) as a “partnership park,” which means the NPS is not the only manager of the park’s resources. Instead, they have community partners with whom they team up, to manage the park jointly.

As one of those partners, the Paterson Museum collaborates with the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park in a variety of ways. Chiefly, our two organizations complement each other to provide a more complete visitor experience, with the Museum providing access to the artifacts and the park providing the location where everything started. We also collaborate on a variety of projects, including exhibitions and programming which benefit both sites and the Paterson community. 

In 2022, PAGR and the Museum co-hosted a Star Party to celebrate the release of first images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Together, we co-sponsor free, outdoor Shakespeare performances every September. Museum staff have assisted the PGFNHP with summer camp and Earth Day programming. In 2017, PGFNHP arranged for locomotive experts from Steamtown National Historic Site to visit the museum and assess the condition and conservation needs of the Museum’s two locomotives. These are only a few examples of the many ways our two sites have worked together so far, and this is just the beginning! 

To learn more about the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, visit https://www.nps.gov/pagr/index.htm