Pavonia

Pavonia was a Dutch colonial settlement along the western bank of the Hudson River in present-day New Jersey, established in the 17th century as part of New Netherland. It functioned as the western counterpart to Nieuw Amsterdam and comprised several riverfront farming communities administered as a single district.

Geography and communities: The Pavonia settlements stretched along the Hudson opposite Manhattan, including sites later associated with Communipaw, Harsimus, Paulus Hook, and nearby villages that would become Jersey City, Hoboken, and adjacent towns. The arrangement reflected the early Dutch pattern of farming settlements serving the needs of the larger colony.

History: Pavonia was founded in the 1630s by the Dutch West India Company as part of the colony’s expansion along the river. The area became a focal point during periods of tension with the indigenous Lenape and during the governance challenges facing New Netherland, including the mid‑17th century conflicts. In 1664, the English seized New Netherland and reorganized the territory as part of the Province of New Jersey, after which the name Pavonia gradually disappeared from official use as administrative boundaries were redrawn.

Legacy: Today, Pavonia is primarily of historical interest. It does not survive as an active political entity, but its memory persists in historical scholarship and in place-names associated with Jersey City and nearby communities. Archaeological remains and historical narratives continue to shed light on Pavonia as an early Dutch settlement along the Hudson.