Port Jervis

This is an old town that’s coming back.”

Port Jervis resident Conner Decker

Town tidbits

Port Jervis is home to the largest local soap box derby in the world.

A “pump track” for bikers is located in Riverside Park, and it’s one of the largest of its kind on the East Coast.

The Munsee Native American tribe, a subgroup of the Lenape, set up their government seat near Port Jervis and created the term “Minisink,” still used today, to refer to the larger region as well as a nearby town.

As the bookend of Route 97, opposite Hancock, Port Jervis is the end of the line for many traveling the byway, but for our trip, it’s just the beginning.

This is where the Delaware meets the Neversink—a small city at the junction of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Stand on Tri-State Rock to be in each of the three states at once. Visit the history room of the Port Jervis Library to read all about what puts the “port” in Port Jervis: its spot on the Old Mine Road, the first 100-mile road in the U.S., and along the New York and Lake Erie Railroad. Port Jervis’ influence in this arena is clearly part of the city’s present.

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No place in Port Jervis better represents that intersection of past and present quite as classically as the Riverside Creamery, locals say. The business is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Built in 1950 and operated as an ice cream parlor for the next five years until a flood shut it down, owner Jeff Penner said the Riverside Creamery saw its reinvention in 1999. Original here means original: a neon Wurlitzer jukebox, a ‘50s-era soda fountain, a long ice cream bar made for ordering an egg creme or malt shake, original wood floors and paneling and a mural painted in 1950, showing the property as it was in 1870.

Set aside a day for Port Jervis. Check out the Hawk’s Nest, take a hike at the Watershed (see next page) and stroll through Riverside Park.

Find more to do and scope out local businesses at www.portjervisny.org.