Old Kenilworth – Neville’s Riding Academy
Submitted by Walter Boright
In 1913 Norman “Pop” Neville (1892-1948) and his wife Lillian (1887-1965) bought a home at 31 N. 8th St., demolished in recent years. Over the years they kept acquiring additional lots off the Boulevard between N. 8th and N. 11th streets up to about Washington Ave., then nothing but a creek. In the 1920s he served as a councilman. Pop Neville worked at Madison Square Garden and may have gotten the bite there for rodeo shows. By the 1930s he had enough property to open Neville’s Riding Academy, commonly Neville’s Ranch. It became a place where young and old alike, from Kenilworth and all over the region, could come and feel like they were way out west with the cowboys and cowgirls.
All seven Neville children took part in some phase of the ranch operations. They were Robert; Dudley “Barr,” who became council president; Thomas, who became police chief; James, a good prize fighter; Lester, who became school board president; Gilbert, a well-regarded horseman; and Jack. Nevilles boarded private horses, held popular rodeos, and rented out their horses to plod the long-gone bridle paths that winded their way across town. I remember paying fifty-cents to ride a horse in the corral for a half-hour and seventy-five cents for an hour. To take a horse out on the bridle path cost around $1.50 to $2.00 for a round trip.
During summertime rodeos, residents with windows open could hear the loudspeakers broadcasting, “Round and round they go” as riders raced around the ring on horseback lassoing a calf, bull-dogging a young steer, or performing other stunts. They had bucking broncos – nothing quite so exciting. Horse tricks and hurdle jumping thrilled the crowds. The Neville family ran the shows and performed many of the acts atop their own horses.
Pop Neville passed away in 1948. The sons kept the ranch going until 1958. It was sold off creating homes on N. 9th St and opening N. 10th St. to Monroe Ave. The vacant 10th Street Live Tavern was originally the Neville’s Ranch House bar and built on land that was once part of the ranch. Over the years some in the family moved to the wide-open spaces of West Jersey.
Research 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.
Photos courtesy of the Neville family
