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A Look Back at the Old Mill Bathing Beach

A One Day Vacation Spot Close to Home

The former Old Mill Bathing Beach in Paramus was once a well-known local recreation site situated alongside the Saddle River in Paramus, NJ. It featured a manmade lake supplied by artesian wells along both sides. Active primarily from the early to mid-20th century, the beach closed in the 1990s. It served as a seasonal gathering place for residents of Paramus and surrounding Bergen County communities, catering to the growing suburban, family-oriented population of the post–World War II era. As veterans returned home and the “baby boom” began, the demand for local family recreation increased. It is rumored that the beach originally operated as a membership-only club before later opening to the general public for an admission fee.

Located along Paramus Road near W. Century Road, on the site of what is now Harmony Village at CareOne, a nursing home, the facility featured a manmade swimming lake with sandy beaches. During its peak years, it offered amenities typical of small-town bathing resorts of the period. In addition to clean lake water and a sandy shoreline, visitors enjoyed diving boards, a snack stand, shaded areas beneath trees, picnic tables, barbecue pits, changing facilities, traditional playground equipment such as slides and swings, and a large sandbox where children could dig and play safely. Shallow water around the perimeter allowed younger children to wade comfortably. A distinctive feature was the Dance Pavilion, where a jukebox played popular music of the day and, on weekends, teenagers gathered to dance to live local bands.

The Old Mill provided a convenient and popular alternative to more distant shore destinations, particularly before widespread automobile ownership and air travel made longer trips more accessible. Though now largely forgotten, Old Mill Bathing Beach represents an important chapter in Bergen County’s history. Visitors were known to travel from neighboring counties and even New York City to spend a summer day in the country, creating lasting memories with family and friends.

A Name that Reflects the Site's Industrial Past

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 mill streams and ponds were repurposed for public recreation. In 1932, the site was developed into the Old Mill Bathing Beach. It is rumored that it originally operated as a private membership club before later opening to the general public for an admission fee.

The End of an Era

Declining attendance—driven by the rise of long-distance vacation travel, concerns about water quality and safety, and the presence of increasingly rowdy crowds—contributed to the beach’s eventual decline. The Old Mill closed at the end of the 1998 season. The site remained abandoned for many years, gradually reverting to nature, as seen in the photographs later on in this article. By the end of the 20th century, the property had been redeveloped as the CareOne nursing home.

Today, little physical evidence of the bathing beach remains. Behind the nursing home, a portion of the former lake now holds stagnant water, and traces of the past — rusted fencing, blue-painted bricks, and fragments of picnic tables — can be found hidden in the overgrowth. Explorers can approach the area by walking along the Saddle River hiking trail.

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Documenting the Past, Exploring What Remains Today

Below are photographs taken during the mid-1990s, shortly before the beach’s closure; a few date back to the 1960s. In the years following its abandonment, urban explorers visited the site and documented what remained. Links to their findings are provided below. Additional images — capturing what little survives today — can be found in a separate article on the next page, featuring photographs taken during a Fall 2025 exploration.  Jump to exploration article on the next page.

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

As the Old Mill was nearing it's demise, many area residents caught the last swim and day in the sun. They barbqued at the shaded tables and danced to the music in the pavilion. Children got to play for the last time in the children's sand box and play on the swings and sliding boards. As the lifeguard blew the whistle the last time, the gates closed for ever.

These photos were all shot with a cheep consumer camera during the Summer of 1995 except where noted. Despite their poor quality, they apear all over the internet as perhaps the only record of the days of operation. Shot by Jim Brown.

A sectioned off area provided a sand box for digging and constructing in the sand.

Even with a point-and-shoot camera and photo prints before digital photography you could do panarams by manually splicing images together. Years later I digitally shot the pastup boards into the digital images you see here.

What a beautiful view. Out in the center of the lake was an island platform with ladders where the hardier people swam out to.

At bottom is seen a cutoff valve for one of many filtered water outlets.

Near the shallow children's wading area was playground equipment.

There was a deep section with several diving boards at various heights, one about two stories high.

A smaller sandbox allow infants to play safely near parents at the tables.

Picnic tables and fire grills were scattered about under the trees. The small blue structure is one of the two pump houses. On eather side of it were pipes that sat along the ground to collect under ground water from the many artesian wells. Children would stand barefoot on the cool pipes which felt good after walking in the hot sand.

The sandy beach circled around the entire lake except, of-course, at the diving boards.

Not only could you bring your own food and have a cook-out, but the Snack Bar was also an option. There you not only could get hamburgers and hotdogs, but get your beach toys and suntan lotion. The jukebox was there too and had remote speakers over at the dance pavilion.

Here is where the teenagers hung out to play volleyball and dance to the hit tunes of the day. Two small bathrooms on the side ment you did not have to walk all the way to the bath house up front. Notice the signature windmill up top.

The dance pavilion was large with lots of space to kick up your heels or cuddle up to a slow one with your sweetheart on the dance floor. On many weekends, local bands came to rock 'n' roll.

Tall slides into the water had water flowing down them to help you go faster and not get stuck half way.

This is the bathhouse. Four horn speakers on the roof blared out announcements.

On this side of the bathhouse behind the tree is where you paid and entered.

We believe the owners lived in that house up front.

The sand box ara allowed children to dig and build in the sand. In the foreground, a large fenced in shallow area allowed younger children to play safely.

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

After its close in the 1990s the site was abandoned and was reclaimed by nature. The snack bar, dance pavilion, bath house, picnic tables, and sandy beach were overtaken with weeds, trees, and grafitti. The lake, once crystal clear, dried up and stagnate water remained. Follow the links below to see many pictures on the web taken by urban explorers of the sad state of this once happy plac.    

http://abnf.co/NJ-old_mill_bathing_beach,_paramus_nj.htm

http://abnf.co/NJ-old_mill_beach.htm

Exploring What Remains of the Old Mill Bathing Beach

On the next page, a photo essay follows an exploration of the abandoned portion of the site that was once the Old Mill Bathing Beach by Jim Brown with photos by Jon Koons. CLICK HERE.