The Weehawken Time Machine is the web site of the Township of Weehawken, New Jersey's Historical Commission and is dedicated to preserving and sharing the rich history of our town.

Weehawken is best known as the place where Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr met for their fateful duel, but the town also has a history as a Hudson River port, a major railroad hub, and even a huge amusement park.

The WHC's offices and display space are Êin a rehabbed 1890 brick building which was once the Weehawken Town Hall and Police Headquarters, located at 309 Park Avenue. Hours are by appointment only.

Please email info@weehawkenhistory.org with questions, to arrange a visit, or if you have Weehawken related materials that you would like us to include on the Time Machine.

We hope that you will enjoy your visit to the Time Machine!

Site Menu * Enter the Time Machine * Where is Weehawken? About Weehawken Township Web Site Buy the Weehawken Book Buy the Hamilton Burr Medallion

Visit our Collections!

Did you know that the Time Machine includes topical collections of items? Visit our Collections Page (also available from the navigation menu at the top of the screen as "Browse Collections" for an up to date list. Check back often as we'll be adding new collections in the future.
News and events

July 11, 2019: 215th Anniversary Commemoration of the Hamilton-Burr Duel: Weehawken, NJ

The 215th anniversary commemoration includes the traditional gathering at the Hamilton Memorial Bust near Hamilton Park, followed by a keynote speech at the Elks Club on Dr. David Hosack, the doctor in attendance at the Hamilton-Burr Duel.

These events are presented by the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society, the Township of Weehawken, the Weehawken Historical Commission, the St. Andrews Society, and AmericanEden.org.

Hamilton Memorial Gathering
July 11, 2019 - 6:00 to 6:30 PM
Hamilton Memorial - Hamilton Avenue, Weehawken, NJ

The annual gathering at the Hamilton Memorial overlooking the Weehawken Dueling Grounds to commemorate the 215th anniversary of the fatal duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. This year's program features Richard Porter, 2nd Vice President & Historian of the St. Andrews Society of the State of New York, who will share about the first monument erected on the site, placed there in 1806 by the St. Andrews Society. The St. Andrews Society in New York included both Alexander Hamilton and Dr. David Hosack among its early members.

Richard Porter has had successful careers in higher education, museum administratiion, and gallery management. He is a proud member of the SAG-AFTRA and Actors' Equity unions, and currently works as an actor, voice actor and vocalist. He provided the "Voice" of Alexander Hamilton's Statue in Central Park.

What the Doctor Saw at the Hamilton Burr Duel
July 11, 2019 - 7:30 to 9:00 PM
Weehawken Elk Lodge - 2 50th Street - Weehawken, NJ

Victoria Johnson's new book American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic, is a 2018 National Book Award Finalist in nonfiction, the 2018 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in biography, and a 2019 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in history. Bring your copy of American Eden to be signed at the end of the talk. Author and historian Victoria Johnson will present on Dr. David Hosack for the 250th anniversary of his birth. Her talk will also focus on his relationship with the Hamilton and Burr families and what it must have been like for him to accompany his two friends across the Hudson.