1902: Construction began on McKinley School, which opened in Fall 1903. 1903: Union House Hotel was moved and later named the Kenilworth Inn. The Kenilworth Inn attracted famous people to the area, among them several New Jersey governors who awaited election returns there. The Inn housed in its stables the acclaimed Kensington Riding Academy, which hosted many prominent horse shows and rodeos. 1904: Some members of the New Orange Industrial Association formed a new corporation � Kenilworth Realty � and began referring to their real estate venture as �Kenilworth.� They derived the name from a literary society to which they belonged, called the Kenilworth club in honor of Sir Walter Scott�s renowned novel Kenilworth. Published in 1821, the novel relates to England�s famous Kenilworth Castle, which in 1563 was gifted by Queen Elizabeth I to her favorite suitor, Robert Dudley. The First Baptist Church was formed in 1904 under the leadership of Rev. William Hawes and incorporated in 1910. At that time, church services were held in a building on the west side of North 8th Street, just south of Washington Avenue. A new church building at 225 North 8th Street was completed and dedicated in 1972. 1905: The �New Orange� post office was renamed Kenilworth Post Office. After moving numerous times, it found a permanent home on the Boulevard in 1965. 1906: Public Service Trolley began operating. The trip from Kenilworth to Roselle Park cost 5 cents. Elmer Guy, the community�s popular trolley line operator in the early 1900s, was widely known for his good deeds and is said to be the prototype for the conductor in the renowned Toonerville Trolley comic strip. James Arthur, founder of the New Orange Park project, moved the homes he constructed in 1898 north of the Boulevard to the area on the south side of town that comprised Newark Avenue and was intended to be the Borough�s exclusive residential section. The homes were moved on greased wooden rails. Arthur created the New Orange Park Light and Water Company to serve New Orange Park. One of the two pillars that marked the entrance to the area still exists. 1907: On June 18, 1907, the Bill of Incorporation creating the Borough of Kenilworth and establishing the boundaries of Kenilworth, Cranford and Union was signed into law by N.J. Governor Stokes. In July, a provisional government was elected to run the Borough until elections were held the following November. In November, Charles C. Boyd was elected as the Borough of Kenilworth�s first mayor. 1912: The Kenilworth Fire Department was incorporated and subsequently purchased a horse-drawn hose carriage. Andrew Ogden served as the department�s first fire chief. Woodmen of the World Building, which later was called Kasbarian Hall, served as Kenilworth�s municipal building until 1962. 1914: Kenilworth�s first policeman, William Tieman, was hired. Several other officers were hired subsequently, including Alfred Vardalis, who joined the force in 1920 and later was named police chief. Construction began on the Kenilworth Methodist Church near the corner of Monroe Ave. and North 20th Street. After the congregation moved to a new building on the Boulevard in 1953, the building was occupied by the Assembly of God. Some years later it was demolished, and homes were built at the site. |
| Historical Highlights of Kenilworth, N.J. 1900 - 1914 |
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