New
Jersey
New Jersey is an aggressively industrial state, and has been throughout U.S. history.
As far back as 1791, when Alexander Hamilton chose the Great Falls of the Passaic
River as the site of a model factory town, industry began to shape the state.
Then, throughout the 19th century, New Jersey saw transportation feed industry,
as canals, railroads, roads, and ports were built. And on into the 20th century,
as its highway and transportation systems improved, it has continued to reign
as one of the leading industrial states in the country.
The Garden State: This nickname seems
to have originated at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia on Jersey Day,
August 24, 1876. Alfred M. Heston states in his 1926 work, Jersey Waggon Jaunts,
that "The Garden State" was used by Abraham Browning, of Camden. "In
his address Mr. Browning compared New Jersey to an immense barrel, filled with
good things to eat and open at both ends, with Pennsylvanians grabbing from one
end and the New Yorkers from the other. He called New Jersey the Garden State,
and the name has clung to it ever since."
In later years, the explanation has
evolved to reference New Jersey truck farms that provide floral and agricultural
produce to cities in the area instead of an "immense barrel." These
farms have catered, particularly, to the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan
areas. Some support the nickname with stories of the Revolutionary War and the
food provided to soldiers by the small farms of New Jersey.
Probably the most intense promotion
of this nickname for New Jersey began when the legislature voted to add the legend
"Garden State" to New Jersey license plates in 1954, in spite of the
Governor's refusal to sign the bill, in part because "New Jersey is noted
for its great strides in manufacturing, mining, commerce, construction, power,
transportation, shipping, merchandising, fishing and recreation, as well as in
agriculture. I do not believe that the average citizen of New Jersey regards his
state as more peculiarly identifiable with gardening for farming than any of its
other industries or occupations." |
