Old Swiming Area?
Moved here about seven or eight years ago, and in my wanderings I've seen, and been curious about, the old swimming area behind doctor's park.
How long ago was this used? I assume there was some sort of dam in place at one time?
The_Bishop That was last used in the early 70s if my memory is correct,I can remember going swimming there.There was a dam up river a few hundred yards,it was just removed a few years ago.There was also a dam down river right next to the Pump House restaurant,which was also removed a few years ago.I can also remember when the river was just under the bottom of that concrete platform !
Dam The Sandbar (that's what we called it) Went swimming there once or twice in the 60's. I remember going to Saxton Falls a few times as well. A long time ago.
thehazguy Sandbar. We took swimming lessons there in the 60s. We had to stop using in early 70s due to water pollution.
lea22 
Makin' Jam FYI --- for any modern water body, even if clean, I would not swim immediately post a good rain. There's so much street run off nowadays that you need to let this wash away after a rain. Even have issues down stream from major run offs in the Great Lakes and Ocean.
mistergoogle There were dams all along the river, downstream from the cemetary, by the Pump House,upstream at the Grove, and a loose rock dam at the Indian Field. Used to like the Indian field because not too many people went there.
Donw2 The Sandbar was a great place. Water pollution took its toll. Industries up the river dumped wastes into the stream. After swimming there ear infections and other sicknesses were very common. It was fun while it lasted.
HtownForum 
puden The main reason for closing the Sandbar was to justify building the town pool. Come on people raise your hands, who got sick @ the Sandbar, who got sick @ the town pool?
Politics at the time.
Ignatz The river was closed to swimming a couple years before the pool opened. The pool was not even thought about when the river closed!
SportI swam in the river from 1956 to the closing and never got sick. A lot of families put up pools after Seber's and the Sand bar closed. Would never never go to the town pool. Nasty place.
auntiel I remember going there all the time growing up, the platform still in the river is the old dock that we swam out to and jumped off. There was also a rope swing a bit further down river. Believe it closed, not fact mind you, due to liability of possible injury and the water levels were dropping making even more unsafe. Remember all the roller rinks that were around then closed back in the 70's, think that was also a victim of the high insurances.
Water level in the river back then was just below where the concrete arced. Kids used to swim under dock and be able to have heads out of water. Good times, there was even a small snack bar there, the concrete slab in still on lawn.
Kinda scary to think how much the water table has receded in the area, there are couple other areas where have noticed dried up ponds or streams. The removal of the dams had nothing to due with the drop in water table, was already way down, hopefully it will help keep the river flowing smoothly and from dropping too much more, if you walk down by river you can see where river bed used to be.
Nice that they have been doing some work to the park.
wendola 
PBM I remember my age when the Town Pool opened, it was 1973. Went in there for the first time, right up the high dive ladder, and dove off. Didn't have my glasses on! Couldn't see how much that would hurt my head.
The Sand Bar closed a couple of years before that, I would guess 70 or 71 but can't recall for sure, too young then. To this day the smell of Coppertone reminds me of the Sand Bar.
In the interim some very generous people in town made their private pools available so kids could have swimming lessons. I remember going to lessons in a pool behind a large home on Willow Grove St.
hktownie @htownie..I took swimming lessons there also. I think it was the Burd' s house.
happycamper The Hackettstown Pool will celebrate 40 years this year. It opened in August of 1974--- it was built that spring and early summer.
On a big side-note, Mr. Art Shedon (who was on The Recreation Commission then- and until 2013) got 2/3 of the funding needed from the state and federal government by traveling to Trenton countless times on his own hook. The Pool has been a big success for the Town and has always run "in the Black". It's revenues have built the entire pool field complex, the playground, the field lights, dugouts etc. ALL of this has been done for 40 years with a $0.00 budget --- zero tax dollars.
The river was absolutely polluted. The Town did not have city sewer in many areas until the early to mid 70's. One only need to look upstream of the Sand Bar to find possible sources of pollution.
How can I get a picture of the people swimming at the Sand Bar before it closed. I saw it in the paper a couple of wks ago, but the paper got thrown away. I would like it for my collection & would appreciate being able to find it. Don't remember what paper it was in.
Phyllis Russell 
The-Bishop:
If you are on Facebook click onto: U know Ur from Hackettstown If.
There you will find many interesting facts and stories from us long time citizens of the area. Recently there was one on the Sandbar and it's memories. Enjoy reading the stories!
Magpie If someone has a picture showing where the snack bar was, I would appreciate it. I took a walk around the park last spring but couldn't locate the concrete slab mentioned.
Josh hi Josh. They put the new exercise equipment right on top of that slab. Its on the grassy area right by the concrete dock. You can see a telephone pole next to it that was cut in half when they removed the power lines.
If you detect between the exercise equipment and the water, I expect there will be many coins.
Took Red Cross swimming lessons under Chot Morrison ,about 1940 ,got about an hour of group instruction,which was fortunately followed by personal instruction and water polo by whom was soon known as Dr,Steve Stanowicz. The BIG test,swim to the "duggie" and back from the SandBar !! (Forever thankful to STEVE and his personal attention)
Geedo Just ran across this. We vacationed in Hackettstown in the late 40's and early 50's and we swam there. We could actually walk out to the ladder on tip toe, don't remember my exact age but probably around 8yrs old then we jumped off the deep side. There was also a bath house and swing sets on shore. Big picnic area. Some fond memories. We rented a house on the main street, we went by years later and there was a Dairy Queen there. The house behind the DQ looked familiar so it might have been moved back on the property as I remember a huge back yard and a big field behind it with apple trees. Remember it pretty well but its been 60+ years.
John McGary There used to be a diving board on that cement structure :-)
My siblings and I swam there all the time in the late 60’s! It was so much fun. There was also a floating platform you could swim to which was about 20 yards or so the right of the cement platform. We’d play hide and seek under that and around the cement structure.
No one ever got hurt :-)
Linda Carey The Sandbar dock also at one time a tower on top of it you could climb up and jump off.
Bob Kunkel Does anyone here remember finding fossils along the Musconetcong River at the Sandbar beach? That was a good place to find them. We used to search for Indian artifacts at the Indian Fields swimming hole too.
"Chot Morrison",with assistance of the late Dr.Steve Stanowitz held swim lessons for an hour each afternoon for a give time many summers.
I never got far with Chot ,but Steve took me under his follow up,by getting he and I involved in water polo against a group other kids. I SOON learned to swim !!!
This was about 1939/1940. The real test was to swim downriver to the "Duggie",(location of the afore mentioned . rope
swing) and then return against THE Current
You there upon felt like a real swimmer !!
Who said there were no "GOOD OLD DAYS "??
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