Rare Vintage Footage From The 1950S Shows You Every Part Of New Jersey From The Mountains To The Sea

Do states still make promotional films? I recently came across an incredible promotional program about New Jersey in the 1950s and it got me wondering. I found footage from the 1940s, 1930s, and even 1920s, but nothing from the last few decades. The technicolor gem I feature today was produced in 1956 for the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company to honor the great Garden State and its residents. It’s just as educational today as it was then, with the added benefit of nostalgia.

The fascinating film will take you all across the state…

voogd075/Wikimedia From our beautiful beaches (sea level) to the highest point in New Jersey (1,803 feet above sea level).

While it doesn’t cover every single one of our incredible destinations, like the beloved Palisades Amusement Park, a New Jersey staple and family favorite from 1898-1971…

Bettmann / Getty Images Plus Collection/Getty Images And an important part of nearly every New Jerseyan’s childhood…

You’ll learn fun facts while enjoying some memorable sights. Who remembers Grand Union groceries or what the Garden State Plaza used to look like?

Bettmann / Getty Images Plus Collection/Getty Images Visit Cape May, High Point, the McConkey Ferry Inn, Washington’s Headquarters at Morristown, Oxford Furnace in Warren County, the Mount Hope Mining Operation, the Atlantic City Boardwalk, Trenton factories, the Singer Sewing Machine Factory in Elizabeth, and so much more.

You’ll enjoy our view of New York City in the 1950s…

atlantic-kid/istock/Getty Images Plus Collection/Getty Images Thoroughbred horses, a variety of farms including an orchid farm in Middlesex Borough, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Fairleigh Dickinson, and Princeton Universities, Albert Einstein’s New Jersey home, Bell Labs…the list goes on and on.

If you’re home with about half an hour to spare, you won’t want to miss the film. Learn about New Jersey’s manufacturing, mining, and major industries like fishing in Sea Isle City, glassblowing in Millville, and telephone cable production across the state…my how things have changed. Share your 1950s memories and favorite parts of the film in the comments. Please note that the video is in color, unlike the photos in this article, used for reference.

voogd075/Wikimedia

From our beautiful beaches (sea level) to the highest point in New Jersey (1,803 feet above sea level).

Bettmann / Getty Images Plus Collection/Getty Images

And an important part of nearly every New Jerseyan’s childhood…

Bettmann / Getty Images Plus Collection/Getty Images

Visit Cape May, High Point, the McConkey Ferry Inn, Washington’s Headquarters at Morristown, Oxford Furnace in Warren County, the Mount Hope Mining Operation, the Atlantic City Boardwalk, Trenton factories, the Singer Sewing Machine Factory in Elizabeth, and so much more.

atlantic-kid/istock/Getty Images Plus Collection/Getty Images

Thoroughbred horses, a variety of farms including an orchid farm in Middlesex Borough, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Fairleigh Dickinson, and Princeton Universities, Albert Einstein’s New Jersey home, Bell Labs…the list goes on and on.



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