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 Port Jervis, New York, is located on the scenic
upper Delaware river where the states of New York, Pennsylvania, and
New Jersey meet. Claiming a population of about 9,000, this
small city is further situated on the western border of Orange
County, one
of New York's original counties and whose founding dates back to
1683. It is said that prior to the arrival of the first
Europeans in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Port Jervis was
known as "Magagkamack," which is a Lenni-Lenape (Delaware
Indian) phrase that has been interpreted as "pumpkin
field" or "land covered in grass." It was
in the general vicinity of Port Jervis that a sub-group of the
Lenape, the Munsee, made their traditional seat of government.
Because of its location and waterways, which also includes the mouth
of the Neversink River, Port Jervis has long been a transportation
hub. Begun in 1825, the Delaware and Hudson Canal was the nation's
first million dollar private venture and it crossed Port Jervis as
did what is sometimes said to be the oldest 100 mile commercial road
in America. It is after John B. Jervis, the D & H Canal's
principal engineer, that the city is named. About a 90 minute drive
from New York City, Port Jervis was once an important railroad
center and still has one of the region's few remaining steam engine
turntables. Today, commuter rail service to points east
and south is provided by Metro-North. Transportation by
Shortline Bus is available as is easy access to Interstate 84 and
New Jersey's Route 23. Likewise, both Stewart International
Airport and the New York State Thruway can be reached by a
convenient 45 minute drive via the Interstate. New York
Route 17 (future I-86) also connects with the Interstate and lies
about a half-hour distant from Port Jervis. Although not far from
one of the world's largest metropolitan areas and within a day's
ride of Philadelphia, PA, Atlantic City, NJ, Washington, D.C.,
Boston, MA, and Montreal, Canada, Port Jervis retains its rural
quality. Attracted by the area's natural beauty, every year
hundreds of thousands of visitors canoe and raft down the Delaware
River. This same region is a popular fishing spot and is
graced with American Bald Eagles that can be observed from public
viewing areas, particularly during the winter months.
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