2. The Hoboken Historical Museum is located in a former Bethlehem Steel facility
The Hoboken Historical Museum, just a short walk from the Hudson River, is located in a former Bethlehem Steel facility colloquially known as “the Shipyard.” The waterfront property was previously the site of the W&A Fletcher Brotherhood shipyard, which then became the home of Bethlehem Steel. While serving as a shipyard, workers would build and troop transport ships for World War II. The hull of ships would come into the yard, and shipbuilders would add ornate woodwork and artisan interiors. Over 20,000 people worked at the shipyard around the time of World War II. A video by the Hoboken Historical Museum from 2001 includes accounts of shipyard workers who kept the industry going.
With the cutback of government contracts in the 1960s, the facility started to decline. As the waterfront lost its significance to other deep-water ports like Port Newark-Elizabeth, many waterfront properties sat vacant, some of which were repurposed, others of which were destroyed to make way for new residential and commercial buildings. The Machine Shop, the oldest building on the Hoboken waterfront and the last building that was part of the shipyard, dates back to 1890 and has been preserved over the years.