Huge country home was to be built here
In 1893 journalists formed the International League of Press Clubs. Among its purposes was to tend to the needs of members who were indigent. To do so the League set a goal to erect a country home in New Jersey. The club settled on New Orange – Kenilworth today – when attracted by an offer of 109 free building lots by the New Orange Industrial Association. The parcel was located beyond the rear of some N. Michigan Ave. industries, and east of the old Rahway Valley Railroad tracks near the location of today’s sixth hole on the Galloping Hill Golf Course. Back then that part of the future Kenilworth was in a section of Union. At the time the population her was about 600 people.
Late in the morning on July 18, 1900 about 1,000 League members, family, and friends from across the country began to descend upon New Orange (Kenilworth). The visitors came on horseback and buggy along narrow dirt roads, and by train to the New Orange railroad station.
League members attended from as far away as Oregon and San Francisco. Others hailed from Washington, D.C.; New York; and Boston. Many came from New Jersey. They scouted the land. They could see the Upsala College Campus a short distance to the west. The old Cranford Chronicle reported, “The dinner was served in a monstrous tent near the proposed home.” The meal was a barbeque “in which ten lambs and four pigs were cooked under the direction Sheriff Calloway of Georgia.” Other items completed the sumptuous menu.
To help raise funds to construct the expansive country home, the League held an auction to sell off 25 of its lots. The Chronicle indicated, “These lots found ready purchasers, the first going to an Oil City [PA] journalist for $1,000.” That was a substantial sum considering the
average American’s income in 1900 was less than $9 a week (source answers.com). About 5:00 p.m. the crowd began to dissipate, leaving by the same means in which they arrived. Many found their way to an evening of continued celebration on the elaborate roof garden of the Koster and Bial Music Hall in New York City.
The country home was to have 30 rooms, each furnished by a state press club There were to be many amenities: dining hall, a pool, gardens, and more The plans estimated a construction cost of $10,000 – certainly more than a tidy sum 122 years ago. It also was touted as a vacation destination for League members. As late as 1904 the League was raising funds for its country home. The exact reason why it never came to fruition has not yet been determined.
Research provided by Walter E. Boright, Ed. D. Appreciation extended to Luke Allocco for a copy of the “Fourth Estate” newsletter. Persons with questions about this article or who have Kenilworth history to share, may contact Dr. Boright at 908-256-5200 or drbori@aol.com.
