Passaic County Interpretive Plan
Passaic County, New Jersey
Since late 2018, Hunter Research has been working closely with the Passaic County Department of Cultural & Historic Affairs and the Friends of Passaic County Parks to develop a county-wide interpretive plan. The need for this plan was identified in 2014 as part of the County’s Heritage Tourism Plan and funding was afterward secured from the New Jersey Historic Trust. The goal is to allow the County and its partners from various historic sites and organizations to work together toward common guidelines for collaborative initiatives and the establishment of a countywide exhibit program. The plan offers ways to present the county’s multi-faceted history to residents and visitors in ways that relate to key historic themes and storylines. As part of the planning process, Hunter Research made site visits to more than three dozen historic sites, museums, parks and galleries to assess visitor readiness and current interpretive programs. Our firm also conducted interviews with key staff to collect data and discuss ways various sites might work together to coordinate their stories, programs and messages. Passaic County has a diverse range of sites managed by federal, state, municipal, non-profit and private entities. Preliminary findings were presented and discussed at a stakeholder workshop. The final work product is a planning document that recommends historical themes, exhibits and programs for future development, as well as an organizational structure and resources for sustaining the effort.