Frederick W. Schmidt, who lived from 1865 to 1926, owned and operated the nearby Millington Quarry, which opened in 1895. He later organized the North Jersey Quarry Company, which in 1950 became Houdaille Construction Materials Incorporated, a subsidiary of Houdaille Industries Incorporated. Schmidt intended that the land he owned along the Passaic River between the two bridges and Pond Hill Road be set aside for park purposes. That additional area was made available through the generosity and cooperation of Houdaille Construction Materials, Incorporated. Both tracts were given to Bernards Township for use as a public park in perpetuity.