Historian and author Walter E. Boright, Ed.D.
For many years, this home at 625 Newark Ave. was a mystery. Prominently located at the top of the Newark Ave. hill at Arthur Ter. and S. 25th St. questions arose: How old is it? Where did it come from? Answers were not forthcoming. This led to it being referred to at times as “The Mystery House.”
Numbers of old-timers were questioned. They shook their heads in puzzlement. Since the dwelling was located within what was the New Orange Park section of Kenilworth, some theorized that perhaps it was constructed by the section’s developer, early Kenilworth builder James Arthur. It was not, although his daughter, Florence Arthur Hubinger, resided there in the 1920s and 1930s. But the name James Arthur provided a clue. About 1900 he purchased much of what remained of the Faitoute family farm on the south side of town along both sides of Faitoute Ave. Might it have been owned by a member of the Faitoute family?
A document from the 1950s by William Shallcross (1887-1961) came to light somewhat recently. William was just 11 when his parents, John and Anna Shallcross, arrived in 1898 with their family. That document provided details of what Kenilworth was like in its earliest days when part of New Orange. William wrote, “On the Faitoute Farm there was one farm house, and it still stands at the southeast corner of Newark Ave. and Arthur Terrace.”
Map and census data suggest that it was the farmhouse of Aaron Higgins Faitoute who lived from 1829-1881 and may date to the 1860s, making it the third oldest house still standing in Kenilworth. Aaron’s parents were Moses (b. 1799) and Elizabeth Higgins Faitoute (b. 1800). Research and the 2015 photo of the house provided by Walter E. Boright, Ed. D., historian, and Historic Signs, Inc.
Persons with inquiries about this or other aspects of Kenilworth history may contact Dr. Boright at drbori@aol.com or 908-256-5200.
