Paulus Hook was a circular piece of upland lying east of what is now
Warren street, and consisted of sand hills, some of considerable
height. On the north was Harsimus Cove, First street; on the east the
river, on the south Communipaw Cove, South street; and to the west,
salt marsh, which was covered with water at high tide. It was sold by
the West Indian Company to Abraham Isaacsen Planck, May 1st, 1638,
for the sum of four hundred and fifty guilders, calculated at twenty
stivers to the guilder. It remained in the Planck family until August
2d, 1699, when it was sold to Cornelius Van Vorst for £300 "current
money of New York." During this time it was used as farm land until
1794, as most of it continued to be until 1804.
Early in 1764 a new Post route was established between New York and
Philadelphia, and Abraham Messier, who owned a wharf at the foot of
Cortlandt street, New York, and Michael Cornelissen made arrangements
with Cornelius Van Vorst for a landing at Paulus Hook (foot of Grand
street.) The boats were two periaugers, which made the trips across the
river "as the wind served." The Ferry Company was to keep in repair
the causeway leading out to the road to Bergen. The new Post route to
Philadelphia was by way of Bergen Point and Staten Island. Formerly
travellers from New York to the south had gone by boat to Amboy, thence
by stages to Philadelphia and other points. Just when the Post route
was changed I have been unable to ascertain, but in 1715 commissioners
were appointed to lay out a road across the meadows, intersecting the
Bergen Point road, with ferries across the Hackensack and Passaic. The
road was nearly the same as the one since known as the Newark plank
road. Mr. Thomas Brown, one of the commissioners, owned the land from
New York Bay to Newark Bay. He owned what is known as the Gautier
house, and on his land on Newark Bay side built the ferry known as
Brown's ferry. After the completion of this road and ferries the Post
route came by the mill and church road to Bergen, thence by the road
across the meadows. The stages stopped over night at Princeton.
Van Vorst laid out a small park, semi-circular in shape, at what is
now the foot of Grand street. Michael Cornelisen built a tavern just
north of Grand street, near the water, a low frame house about forty
feet in length, with a porch in front over which projected the extended
Dutch roof. In 1800 this house, used as a tavern and ferry-house,
with several spacious barns, stables and a store-house, were the only
buildings on the Hoeck. In 1769 Van Vorst laid out a race course one
mile long around the sand hills and along the edge of the upland;
this was in use, except during the war, until the founding of Jersey
City in 1804. This was the only race course in Jersey City until the
Beacon Race Course was established on the Hill in what was later Hudson
City, about 1837-38, and discontinued about 1845. It was located
southeast of where the reservoir now stands and was the scene of some
very celebrated races. It was here on August 1, 1839, that Dutchman,
trotting against time, made three miles in seven minutes, thirty-two
and a half seconds. Hiram Woodruff claimed that he could have done it
in seven minutes, twenty-seven seconds, or better; this record was not
beaten until by Huntress at Prospect Park, September 21, 1872.
The ferry was leased to several different parties. In 1771 Abraham
Messier obtained a lease for three years; this was renewed in 1774 and
as he died soon after his widow remained in charge, probably during
the war subject to military control. Soon after the war her name is
connected with the ferry, and in 1786 she petitioned for repairs to the
ferry stairs on the New York side.