The history of African Americans in Paterson is a story of perseverance, faith, entrepreneurship, civil rights, and cultural achievement. From the colonial era through the Great Migration and into the twenty-first century, African Americans have helped shape the city’s social, political, religious, and economic development. Paterson today is home to one of New Jersey’s oldest continuously organized African American communities.

Colonial Period (1678–1804)

African Americans first arrived in the Passaic Valley during the Dutch colonial era. Enslaved Africans were brought to the Acquackanonk region in the late seventeenth century to work on Dutch farms and in households. Although slavery never reached the scale seen in the American South, it remained an important part of the local economy through the eighteenth century.

When Paterson was founded in 1792, a small number of enslaved people still lived within the township. New Jersey’s gradual emancipation law of 1804 began a slow transition away from slavery, but full abolition in the state was delayed for decades.

The First Free Black Community

By the 1830s, a small but determined free African American community had emerged in Paterson. Despite discrimination in employment, housing, and education, residents established churches, schools, and mutual aid organizations.

One of the community’s greatest achievements came in 1834, when the congregation that became First AME Zion Church was organized. It was among the earliest African American churches in New Jersey and became the spiritual, educational, and political center of Black life in Paterson.

Underground Railroad

Paterson was an important stop on the Underground Railroad.

Local abolitionists—including both Black and white residents—assisted freedom seekers traveling north. A notable Underground Railroad station operated from the Excelsior Coffee and Spice Factory on Broadway through the partnership of William Van Rensalier, a formerly enslaved man, and Josiah Huntoon. Frederick Douglass also passed through Paterson in 1859 while traveling after the Harpers Ferry raid.

Civil War

African American men from Paterson volunteered for the Union Army, serving in the United States Colored Troops. Their service helped secure Union victory while strengthening demands for equal rights during Reconstruction.

The Great Migration

Following the Civil War—and especially between about 1915 and 1970—thousands of African Americans moved from the South to Paterson during the Great Migration.

They were drawn by employment opportunities in:

• Silk mills
• Textile factories
• Rogers Locomotive Works
• Foundries
• Machine shops
• Construction
• Municipal government

Many settled in neighborhoods around River Street, Straight Street, Broadway, and later the Fourth Ward, helping create vibrant residential and commercial communities.

African American Churches

Churches became the heart of community life, providing worship, education, social services, and civil-rights leadership.

Among the most influential congregations were:

• First AME Zion Church (1834)
• Calvary Baptist Church (1886)
• St. Augustine Presbyterian Church
• St. Luke Baptist Church (organized in 1927)
• Numerous later Baptist, Pentecostal, and Holiness congregations

These churches established Sunday schools, youth organizations, choirs, scholarship programs, food ministries, and civic initiatives while nurturing generations of community leaders.

Education

African American children initially attended segregated schools.

In 1855, Paterson established its first school specifically for Black children. By 1872, African American students were admitted to public schools alongside white students, although inequality persisted in educational opportunities. The community continued to advocate for better schools, qualified teachers, and access to higher education.

Business and Professional Life

Despite discrimination, African Americans established businesses including:

• Barber shops
• Restaurants
• Grocery stores
• Funeral homes
• Medical and dental practices
• Real estate offices
• Insurance agencies

Professionals such as physicians, dentists, lawyers, educators, and ministers became pillars of the community and expanded opportunities for future generations.

Civil Rights Leadership

Paterson became an active center for civil-rights advocacy.

The city’s NAACP branch was organized in 1919. Distinguished speakers who visited Paterson included:

• W. E. B. Du Bois
• A. Philip Randolph
• Roy Wilkins
• Ella Baker
• Oscar De Priest

Local leaders fought discrimination in employment, housing, education, and public accommodations, helping shape both local and statewide civil-rights efforts.

Hinchliffe Stadium and Negro League Baseball

One of Paterson’s greatest contributions to African American history is Hinchliffe Stadium, one of the few surviving Negro League ballparks in the United States.

From the 1930s through the 1940s it hosted legendary teams including the New York Black Yankees and the New York Cubans. Hall of Fame players such as Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, and Buck Leonard competed there, making Paterson an important center of Black baseball.

Arts and Culture

African American residents enriched Paterson through:

• Gospel music
• Jazz
• Choral traditions
• Theater
• Literature
• Community newspapers
• Civic clubs
• Fraternal organizations

Musicians, educators, and historians have preserved and celebrated this heritage, including local historian Jimmy Richardson, whose oral histories document Paterson’s African American churches, newspapers, Negro League baseball, and preservation efforts.

Government and Community Leadership

Throughout the twentieth century and into the present, African Americans have served Paterson as:

• City Council members
• School Board members
• Educators
• Judges
• Police officers
• Firefighters
• Business owners
• Clergy
• Community activists

Their leadership has shaped the city’s public institutions and civic life.

Legacy

African Americans have been central to Paterson’s development for more than 300 years. Their contributions span industry, religion, education, military service, civil rights, sports, business, and the arts. Historic churches, organizations, and landmarks—including First AME Zion Church, Calvary Baptist Church, St. Luke Baptist Church, and Hinchliffe Stadium—remain enduring symbols of this rich heritage.

Recommended Research Sources

For further study, these resources are especially valuable:

• The Paterson Museum’s African American History Timeline, an extensive chronology of local people, churches, schools, and organizations.
• The Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park history and oral history collections, including interviews with historian Jimmy Richardson.
• Records of local African American churches, including First AME Zion, Calvary Baptist, and St. Luke Baptist Church.