Maplewood

 

Memorial Park  - Photo by Gracie



- Information below is derived from Maplewood’s Wikipedia entry

Community

Maplewood prides itself on being a diverse and family-friendly community. In a number of surveys it is ranked among the most desirable places to live in the United States. The township has a downtown area alternatively known as "the village" or " Maplewood Center" with its own movie theater, several upscale and mid-scale restaurants, a small supermarket, independent café, two liquor stores, and a small bookstore. The structure of the village is largely unchanged since the 1950s.

Links

·       Maplewood Online   Check out the discussion boards, Classifieds and other information about the town

·       Township of Maplewood official website

·       South Orange-Maplewood School District

·       South Orange-Maplewood School District's 2006-07 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education

·       National Center for Education Statistics data for the South Orange-Maplewood School District

·       South Orange–Maplewood Community Coalition on Race (Community organization providing information about town for prospective buyers and organizing events for current residents)

·       Maplewood, New Jersey is at coordinates 40°43'44?N 74°16'06?W? / ?40.728901, -74.268213? (Maplewood, New Jersey)Coordinates: 40°43'44?N 74°16'06?W? / ?40.728901, -74.268213? (Maplewood, New Jersey)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Education

Maplewood schools are part of the unified South Orange-Maplewood School District, together with the neighboring community of South Orange. The combined district features one public high school, Columbia High School, which serves 2,021 students.

Other schools in the district (with 2004-05 school enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are:

 

 

Elementary Schools (K-5)

Clinton Elementary School (K-5, 485 students) - Maplewood 
Jefferson Elementary School (3-5, 386 students) - Maplewood
Marshall Elemtary School (K-2) - South Orange 
Seth Boyden Elementary School (K-5, 485 students) - Maplewood 
South Mountain Elementary (2-5) - South Orange 
South Mountain Elementary Annex (K-1) - South Orange
Tuscan Elementary School (K-5, 578 students) - Maplewood  

Middle Schools (6-8)

 Maplewood Middle School (720 students) - Maplewood  

History

When surveying the area now known as Maplewood, Robert Treat found several trails used by Leni-Lenapi tribes of Algonquin Native Americans, though there was only sparse pre-European settlement. These paths form the basis for what are the town’s main thoroughfares today.

The first European settlers arrived around 1675, primarily English, Dutch, and French Puritans who had earlier settled Hempstead, Long Island, and Stamford, Connecticut, via Newark and Elizabeth. They had acquired most of today’s Essex County from the Native Americans and followed three trails that roughly correspond to South Orange Avenue, Springfield Avenue, and

Ridgewood Road  from Connecticut and Long Island, New York. These three routes resulted in three separate communities that merged into Maplewood and South Orange. 

Those who came from Newark on the trail that now corresponds to South Orange Avenue settled the area that became South Orange Village.

Six families (with last names of Smith, Brown, Pierson, Freeman, Ball, and Gildersleeve) came up today’s  Ridgewood Roadand established scattered farms around a center that became Jefferson Village, named after Thomas Jefferson. This village, which roughly corresponds to downtown Maplewood today, developed several mills and orchards. John Durand, the son of Hudson River school painter Asher Brown Durand (who was born in Maplewood in 1796), describes the place as a picturesque but slightly backwards community with close ties to Springfield. The apple harvest was apparently quite impressive and included “ Harrison” and “Canfield” varieties. By 1815, there were approximately 30 families in the village. Although the residents of the area were predominantly Presbyterian, the first house of worship was a Baptist chapel in 1812. This was in use until 1846 and fell into disrepair until 1858, when it was taken into use as a Methodist Episcopal church. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those who came up today’s Springfield Avenue settled on a hillcrest near today’s intersection between Tuscan and Springfield Avenue and established a hamlet known as North Farms. Over time, this community became known as the Hilton section. It became a stagecoach stop between Newark, Jersey City (then Paulus Hook), and Morristown and thereby a center for trade and light manufacturing. The village changed its name from North Farms to Middleville in 1830, and then to Hilton in 1880 when it was granted a post office. In 1855, Seth Boyden settled in what was then Middleville to retire but innovated a number of agricultural products, especially berries. Boyden also built and put into operation the first steam engines to service the railroad through Maplewood. The area became known for its orchards and related industries, including cider mills and distilleries of rum, but also honey and some livestock.

In 1802, Jefferson Village and North Farms were named as districts under the Township of Newark.

The three communities operated independently, each establishing their own school associations: South Orange established the Columbian school in 1814, which would form the basis for today’s Columbia High School; North Farms established the North Farms Association in 1817; and Jefferson Village the Jefferson Association in 1818. In 1867, when the State of New Jersey established public education through the School Law, the newly appointed County Superintendent merged the three associations into one school district, which was formalized in 1894 as the South Orange-Maplewood School District. James Ricalton, a teacher born in Waddington, New York of Scottish parents, set the high standard of education that persists in the school district to this day.

Maplewood was originally formed as South Orange Township, which was created on April 1, 1861, from portions of Clinton Township and what was then the Town of Orange. The name of the township was changed to Maplewood on November 7, 1922.^[6]

Theodore Roosevelt spent several summers in Maplewood visiting his uncle Cornelius V.S. Roosevelt’s home and property, known as The Hickories, covering 100 acres. This area is now partly covered by Roosevelt Road and Kermit Place.  In the early 1900s, a tree bearing an inscription by Teddy Roosevelt was cut down from the front lawn of

When the Morris and Essex Railroad from Newark was extended to the area in 1838, a land speculator by the name of John Shedden built a railroad station in Jefferson Village and named it Maplewood. This name came to comprise areas known as Hilton, Jefferson Village, and areas previously part of Springfield. In 1868, farms were divided into parcels for residential housing. The 1920s saw significant growth in new residents and structures, foreshadowing a complete suburb.  

View of Maplewood from South Mountain Reservation

 Many of the most recognizable buildings and spaces were the work of famous architects and landscape designers. Most of the schools and the Municipal Building were the work of Guilbert & Betelle. The center of town is dominated by Memorial Park, a design of the Olmsted Brothers. The Olmsted firm was also responsible for the landscaping at Ward Homestead, designed by John Russell Pope, and now known as Winchester Gardens, located on Elmwood Avenue. On the opposite side of town is another Olmsted work, South Mountain Reservation. The Maplewood Theater, where Cheryl Crawford first revived Porgy and Bess, was designed by William E. Lehman.

 Maplewood was the home town of Agnes Sligh Turnbull (1888-1982), who wrote a series of novels in the middle 20th century.^[7] Maplewood was also the home of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, the syndicate owner and one of the ghost writers of the Nancy Drew series. It is also the birthplace of the wooden golf tee, invented by William Lowell at the Maplewood Golf Club in 1921.^[8]

Ultimate Frisbee (now called simply "Ultimate") was invented in Maplewood in 1968 by students at Columbia High School. A plaque commemorating the birthplace of Ultimate Frisbee is located in the student parking lot.

It has been the site for several films, including I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Garden State, "Gracie", One True Thing, Stepmom, and The Reader.

There are approximately 226 streets covering 60 miles within Maplewood. One thoroughfare, Springfield Avenue, is a state highway (Route 124, from Irvington to Morristown), and four thoroughfares (Valley Street, Millburn Avenue, Irvington Avenue and Wyoming Avenue), are Essex County roads.

 Maplewood in autumn

Demographics

 As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 23,868 people, 8,452 households, and 6,381 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,207.1 people per square mile (2,393.6/km²). There were 8,615 housing units at an average density of 2,240.4/sq mi (864.0/km²). Estimated median house/condo value in 2005: $399,700 (it was $222,700 in 2000).^{[citation needed]}

 

The median income for a household in the township was $79,637, and the median income for a family was $92,724. The per capita income for the township was $36,794. 4.4% of the population and 3.4% of families were below the poverty line. 4.9% of those under the and 6.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line

Government

Local government

 

The Township of Maplewood operates under the Township Committee form of New Jersey municipal government, in which the five members are elected at-large to staggered three year terms. The elections are partisan.

During the first week in January, the Township Committee meets for an annual reorganization. At this meeting the Township Committee elects one of the five members to serve as Mayor for a one year term, and another to serve as Vice Mayor. The Mayor has the responsibility of Chair for the Township Committee meetings with voice and vote. The Mayor is considered the head of the municipal government.

The Township Committee is the legislative body of the municipality. It is under these powers that the Township Committee has the responsibility for passing laws that effect the Township. The Township Committee is also an executive body.

Under this form of government, the elected Township Committee sets policy and overall direction for the Township. The Township staff, under the direction of the Township Administrator, carries out Committee policy and provides day to day services. The Township Administrator serves as the chief administrative officer and is accountable to the Township Committee.^[10]

Popular culture

 

• The park scene in 1998's Stepmom is filmed in Maplecrest Park in Maplewood.

  In the 2004 film The Polar Express, Maplewood is mentioned as the place where "Steven" lives.

• Zach Braff, a Columbia High School alumnus, filmed a scene in his 2004 film, Garden State, where he and Natalie Portman drive by the front of Columbia High School.

• In the second episode of the television series House, "Paternity", a patient from Maplewood drives all the way to the fictitious city of Plainsboro in New Jersey for medical treatment because, as House puts it, he "sued half the doctors in Maplewood, and the rest are now refusing to treat [him]". ^[1]

• In the 2007 film Gracie, the plot is set in and partially filmed in Maplewood and Columbia High School. Producer Andrew Shue and actress Elisabeth Shue both attended Columbia, and the plot is loosely based on their lives during high school.  

Notable residents

 Notable current and former residents of Maplewood include:

 

• Harriet Adams (1893-1982), author of some 200 books, including nearly 50 in the Nancy Drew series.^[16]  
• Jason Alexander, actor, "Seinfeld" ^[17]
• Timothy Ball, American Revolutionary War figure and George Washington's cousin
• Seth Boyden, inventor.^[18]
• Zach Braff, actor, Scrubs, Garden State.^[19]
• Alta Cohen (1908-2003), former professional baseball player who played outfield from 1931-1933 with the Brooklyn Robins/Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds.^[20]
• Asher Brown Durand, painter.^[21]
• Christine Ebersole, actress and tony award winner is a current resident.^[22]
• Bruce Feirstein (1956-), is a screenwriter and humorist best known for his contributions to the James Bond series, and his best selling humor books, including Real Men Don't Eat Quiche.^[23]
• David Javerbaum, executive producer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.^[24]
• William G. McLoughlin (1922-1992), historian and prominent member of the history department at Brown University from 1954 to 1992. ^[25]
• Anisa Mehdi, film director and journalist.^[26]
• Paul J. Moore (1868-1938), represented New Jersey's 8th congressional district from 1927-1929.^[27]
• James Ricalton (1844-1929), teacher, photographer, inventor.^[28]
• Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. (1934-), commander of the Coalition Forces in the Gulf War of 1991.^{[citation needed]}
• Robert Sheckley (1928-2005), science fiction writer.^[29]
• George M. Wallhauser (1900-1993), represented New Jersey's 12th congressional district from 1959-1965.^[30]
• Teresa Wright (1918-2005), actress.^[31]

Sources

 

• League of Women Voters: Maplewood – More than a Train Stop, published privately
• Bates, Helen B. (ed): Maplewood Past and Present – A Miscellany, Maplewood: 1948, Princeton University Press
• Beatrice P. Herman: The Trail to the Upland Plantations, 1976, published privately

References

 

1. ^ USGS GNIS: Township of Maplewood, Geographic Names Information System, accessed January 4, 2008.
2. ^ ^{a b} Census data for Maplewood township, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 27, 2007.
3. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
6. ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 128 re Maplewood, p. 132 re South Orange Township.
7. ^ Waggoner, Walter H. "AGNES TURNBULL, NOVELIST, 93, DIES", The New York Times, February 2, 1982. Accessed October 24, 2007. "Agnes Sligh Turnbull, a popular and prolific novelist and shortstory writer, died Sunday at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, N.J. She was 93 years old and had lived in Maplewood, N.J., for 60 years."
8. ^ Scottish Golf History: Derivation of Golf Tee, accessed December 13, 2006.
9. ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
10. ^ Township Committee Form of Government, Township of Maplewood. Accessed January 7, 2007.
11. ^ Township Committee Members, Township of Maplewood. Accessed January 17, 2008.
12. ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 60. Accessed August 30, 2006.
13. ^ Legislative Roster: 2008-2009 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed June 6, 2008.
14. ^ About the Governor, New Jersey. Accessed June 6, 2008.
15. ^ Too Many Fire Engines in New Jersey May Help Corzine Cut Taxes, Bloomberg L.P., November 1, 2006.
16. ^ Chira, Susan. "HARRIET ADAMS DIES; NANCY DREW AUTHOR WROTE 200 NOVELS", The New York Times, March 29, 1982. Accessed October 7, 2007. "Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, who wrote nearly 200 children's books including many of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series, died Saturday evening. She was 89 years old, and lived in Pottersville and Maplewood, N.J."
17. ^ 'BYE' GEORGE | Bye Bye Birdie (TV Movie - 1995) | Television News | TV | Entertainment Weekly | 1
18. ^ Seth Boyden Statue, accessed December 19, 2006.
19. ^ "Why America loves Zach Braff", Los Angeles Daily News by Bob Strauss, September 12, 2006. "But the fact Braff didn't enter the family business might have something to do with growing up in Maplewood, New JerseyN.J., and attending Columbia High School there. "
20. ^ "Oldest Brooklyn Dodgers' alumnus dies", The San Diego Union-Tribune, March 12, 2003. Accessed March 27, 2008.
21. ^ New Jersey Landscape Artists, accessed December 19, 2006.
22. ^ Channeling the Grey Ghosts: Christine Ebersole chats about—and with—Little Edie Beale., New York Magazine, Fall 2006 Preview Guide, accessed December 13, 2006.
23. ^ Lovenheim, Barbara. "'REAL MAN' LIMNS SINGLES LIFE", The New York Times, October 5, 1986. Accessed December 1, 2007. "Born in Maplewood, N.J., he began writing parodies in the eighth grade, but he didn't know what to do with his wit."
24. ^ Meoli, Daria. "That’s Entertainment", New Jersey Monthly, October 2005. Accessed December 26. "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart is still the best fake newscast on TV, thanks to Lawrenceville native Stewart and head writer and Maplewood native David Javerbaum."
25. ^ Daniels, Lee A. "W. G. McLoughlin, Professor of History At Brown, Dies at 70", The New York Times, January 6, 1993. Accessed March 6, 2008.
26. ^ Curtiss, Richard H. Dr. Mohammad T. Mehdi (1928-1998), Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, April 1998. Accessed August 27, 2007. "Subsequently they had three daughters, Anisa, who now lives in Maplewood, New Jersey, Janan Chandler of Mississauga, Ontario, and Laila Hilfinger of Seattle."
27. ^ Paul John Moore biography, United States Congress. Accessed July 11, 2007.
28. ^ Davie, Valerie. "World Traveler, Explorer, Photographer", Maplewood Matters. Accessed December 14, 2007.
29. ^ Jonas, Gerald. "Robert Sheckley, 77, Writer of Satirical Science Fiction, Is Dead", The New York Times, December 10, 2005. Accessed November 20, 2007. "Born in Brooklyn and raised in Maplewood, N.J., Robert Sheckley joined the Army in 1946 after graduating from high school, and served in Korea."
30. ^ George Marvin Wallhauser, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed December 13, 2007.
31. ^ Thomas, Bob. "Teresa Wright "Pride of the Yankees" co-star dies", copy of item from Associated Press, March 8, 2005. Accessed May 15, 2007. "Wright was born in New York City on Oct. 27, 1918, and grew up in Maplewood, N.J., where she showed promise in theatricals at Columbia High School."