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A Look Back at the Old Mill Bathing Beach

The former Old Mill Bathing Beach in Paramus was once a well-known local recreation site situated along side the Saddle River in Paramus NJ. It consisted of a man made lake supplied with artesian wells along both sides of the lake. It was active primarily in the early to mid-20th century and closed in the 1990s. The bathing beach served as a seasonal gathering place for residents of Paramus and surrounding communities in Bergen County catering to the growing suburban family oriented population during the post World War II era. As veterans returned home and started the "baby boom," they needed local family recreation.  Situated along Paramus Road near W. Century Road on what is now Harmony Village at CareOne, a nursing home, the site featured a manmade swimming lake with sandy beaches. During its peak years, the beach included amenities typical of small-town bathing resorts of the period. In addition to its clean lake water and sandy beach there was diving boards, a snack stand, lots of shady areas under trees, picnic tables, BBQ pits, changing facilities, traditional playground slides and swings, and a large sandbox where children could dig and play safely. Shallow water along the perimiter allowed small children to wade.  A unique feature was the Dance Pavilion where a jukebox provided the hits of the day and on weekends the teens could dance to local bands. The Old Mill provided a convenient and popular alternative to more distant shore destinations, especially before widespread automobile and plane travel made longer destinations more accessible.

The name “Old Mill” reflects the area’s earlier industrial use, when water power from the nearby Saddle River supported local milling operations dating back to the colonial era. By the early 1900s, however, the site had transitioned into a leisure destination, as the repurposing of mill streams and ponds for public recreation. Jumping ahead to the final years, declining attendance due to long distance vacationing, concerns related to water quality, and safety, contributed to the beach’s decline. round the early 1990s the bathing beach had to close. The site remained abandoned for many years as it reverted back to nature as seen in pictures below. By the end of the 20th century the site was redeveloped for the CareOne nursing home. As of today, little physical evidence of the bathing beach remains behind the nursing home where a portion of the lake still holds stagnet water and some rusty fences, blue painted bricks, and even some broken pieces of picnic tables can be found in the overgrowth. One can get close to the site by walking along the Saddle River hiking trail. Pictures below taken in 2025 during a site exploration show what little remains.

While largely forgotten, the Old Mill Bathing Beach represents an important chapter in the region's history and the formation of memories it made for the Baby Boomers and their families who spent their Summers there.

In the Final Years - the 60s thru the Early 90s

These photos were all shot with a cheep consumer camera during the Summer of 1995 except where noted.

This black and white photo was taken in 1964.

This photo was taken sometime in the mid 1960s.

After the Close: the Site is Reclaimed by Nature

CONTENT TO APEAR HERE SOON - The following images were found on the web and were from several unidentified sources. **** Add link to site where there is some content *****

Exploring What Remains of the Old Mill Bathing Beach

CONTENT TO APEAR HERE SOON