In order to study the relationship of literature to place in their “Humans in their Environment” unit the AP Language and Composition classes recently took a class trip to Great Falls National Park and the Art Factory in Paterson

The students first went to Great Falls National Park, where they learned about Paterson as the first planned industrial city and brainchild of Alexander Hamilton. Their spunky tour guide discussed Hamilton’s vision of Paterson as one of the first great American industrial cities, as well as Paterson in literature and art.

The students had the opportunity to learn about the inner workings of the falls and their use in the factories, as well as the building of “raceways” and the engineering involved in harnessing such strong power.

The tour guide spoke about Williams Carlos Williams and Allen Ginsburg, both Paterson-born poets, as well as Oscar Bluemner’s “Paterson Factories at Raceway,” a painting done at the height of the labor strikes in Paterson in 1913.

The classes then went to the Art Factory. The Art Factory is one of the old industrial factories that was powered by the Passaic River near the Great Falls. It has been repurposed into a space for artists, who can rent space for studios or exhibits.

“I liked the old mills we went in,” said junior Maddie Burke. “I thought it was cool how they transformed them into a space for artists.”

There are stages for outdoor performances as well, and during the summer, every Thursday night outdoor programs run.

A meal at the local Libby’s Lunch followed. The students then took a quick tour of the Paterson Museum, where they saw exhibits about the silk factories of Old Paterson and models of the trains that used to run through the industrial cities.

“Visiting the falls gave me an insight of how Paterson used to be and this great city that it once was, which I had no idea about,” said junior Caroline Chivily. “The tour related a lot of information related to literature which was a really unique experience.”