“The Land Called New Jersey” is a color film that portrays 300 years of progress in New Jersey and the contributions of the citizens of the state to the history of the United States. Produced by Humble Oil & Refining Company in the early 1960s, it includes sequences on the granting and the naming of the state, on the colonial period, on early industry and transportation, and on Thomas Edison and the age of invention. The program describes the industries, educational system, cities, recreational areas, landmarks, historic sites and other features of 20th century New Jersey. It opens in 17th century England and a re-enactment at mark 01:18 of how King Charles II, who gave his brother, the Duke of York (later King James II), the region between New England and Maryland as a proprietary colony. James then granted the land between the Hudson River and the Delaware River (the land that would become New Jersey) to two friends who had remained loyal through the English Civil War: Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley of Stratton. Scenes of New Jersey’s natural wonders are interspersed with illustrations and re-enactments of the region’s pre-Colonial days — including the Steuben House (a noted example of Bergen Dutch sandstone architecture) in River Edge, shown at mark 04:40, and a cedar plank log cabin at Hancock’s Bridge, shown at mark 04:57. Eastern New Jersey eventually became the new home for settlers from New England, with much of that influence still apparent in New Jersey architecture and Colonial churches, as viewed at mark 06:27. Western New Jersey, settled by the Quakers, still shows their influence, such as homes with patterns of glazed brick.

Mark 09:09 takes the viewers into Colonial times and shows the Teaburners’ Monument in Greenwich Township, commemorating the 1774 Greenwich Tea Party. We learn some of the five major battles of the Revolutionary War fought in New Jersey, and how George Washington (famously) crossed the Delaware River and participated in the pivotal Battle of Trenton (mark 10:00). At mark 13:07 the viewer is shown Ford’s Mansion in Morristown, which served as Washington’s headquarters from December 1779 to June 1780.

Re-created scenes from post-Revolutionary War New Jersey follows, including tributes to its history as an iron producer, and at mark 19:45 learn of John Stevens’ contribution to transportation via the creation of the first steam[-powered locomotive — which took place in Hoboken in the 1800s. New Jersey soon became a railroad leader, helping smaller communities develop into more thriving locations. Perhaps the film’s greatest tribute is reserved for inventor Thomas A. Edison, introduced at mark 21:07. (It was in Menlo Park, New Jersey, in 1879 that Edison demonstrated the first successful light bulb model). As the film connects the past and the present while drawing to a close, the narrator reminds the viewer that New Jersey continues to be a leader in all aspects of research and development.