The Bayonne Heritage Association once again picked up the mantle of celebrating Bayonne’s diverse heritage on Sunday when they hosted the third annual Italian Heritage Festival. Thousands came out under clear blue skies and a blazing sun, celebrating with food, games and activities for children, and plenty of music long listened to, and danced to, in Italian American homes.
Some tell the tale that Bayonne attracted as many immigrant families as it did in the late 19th and early 20th centuries because it was the first stop on the Central Railroad Line after the main terminal near Ellis Island. While this may be true, the mass influx of Irish, Italians, Germans, and others that would pour into the growing United States started even further back, running in total from about 1820 until 1939.
