Things to do in Bergen County!
“Found Drowned” Presented by Eric Nelsen, Sponsored by Harrington Park Historical Society
May 5 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
May 5, 2025 – General Meeting
Speaker: Eric Nelsen
Topic: “Found Drowned”
Most everyone loves a good mystery, and you won’t be disappointed when you attend a presentation by Eric Nelsen
and his findings about an “unknown woman” and her untimely demise.
In the summer of 1873, the body of an “unknown woman” was recovered from the Hudson River along the Palisades. Her identification by her fiancé a few days later would lead to racially charged accusations of “a brutal murder” in the New York City press – and by September, a trial in Hackensack. Public historian Eric Nelsen will tell how the story behind the lurid headlines of the day in fact helps reveal a rich picture of life along the Hudson.
Eric Nelsen was hired as a seasonal employee at the Palisades Interstate Park in New Jersey in 1992. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Montclair State University in 1997, and the next year became a full-time historical interpreter at the park.
He oversees the park’s historic Kearney House, where he’s helped to develop a unique “living history” program based on the house’s role as a nineteenth-century Hudson River tavern and homestead.
In the office, he supervises park publications, including the njpalisades.org website, brochures, and interpretive signs.
On days off, Eric enjoys being outdoors, getting into or onto the water, cycling, and time travel.