YOU ARE HERE! 150 years of Mahwah Train and Town History in Film and Pictures

Now Open!

YOU ARE HERE is a trip back in time where visitors will explore the growth of Mahwah’s downtown area during the past two centuries, thanks in part to the addition of a simple railroad stop. Few realize the impact that the railroad had on the growth of local New Jersey communities. In the past 200 years, the downtown area (or town center) of Mahwah has grown from a few farms and orchards to an integral part of the town. The railroad allowed Mahwah farmers to quickly get their produce to Paterson, a daily chore that was once long and tedious. Mail arrived faster and residents were able to venture out to discover places they had only heard about. General stores, post offices, factories, sawmills and hotels would be built near the railroad stop to accommodate the influx of people coming into the area and for the convenience of transporting people, mail and freight. In a new room, built especially for this exhibit, YOU ARE HERE features rare railroad ephemera, dozens of photographs, all in a simulated outdoor setting that includes a fire hydrant, street signs and even a park bench. Then a 15-minute video allows visitors to relax and travel back in time, more than 230 years, to learn how the town center developed. The film details the growth of the town center over the decades and the development of the largest community in Bergen County. The exhibit and the film was produced by Vince Gargiulo, a Mahwah resident who also produced the Palisades Amusement Park documentary for PBS Thirteen / WNET. YOU ARE HERE will enlighten, educate and entertain as you journey back in time to discover how a town center blossoms, thanks to the railroad.