|
Map 4D
Boulevard |
| The Map 4D quadrant, titled
"Boulevard," covers the area of the Rahway Valley Railroad between
the Boulevard south to where the Garden State Parkway, in later
years, overpassed the railroad, between railroad mileposts 1.37
and 1.69. This segment was part of the original construction
done by the New York & New Orange Railroad from 1897 to 1898.
This segment also contained the original "Big Four" factories, the
original four plants to locate in New Orange. This area
evolved and later became quite industrious, housing such industrial concerns as
Protexol, Papyrus Paper, Reduction & Refining, and Volco
Brass, to name several. This area is now home to the A&P
Supermarket, the Kenilworth Inn, and a car wash.
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THE "BIG
FOUR" |
|
 |
|
The "Big
Four" at the corner of Boulevard and Market
Street. Collection of Don
Maxton. |
| The
original "Big Four" factories to locate in New Orange were:
Ricca Manufacturing
Company which manufactured
musical instruements, Charles E. Wright Manufacturing
Company which manufactured bandsaws, New
Orange Decorative Leather Company
which repurposed scrap leather
into chair backs, and the American Circular Loom
Company
which produced coatings for electrical wiring.
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1898 to
1906 |
| From 1898
to 1906 several changes occurred to the original four factories in
New Orange, located in what we are called the Map
4D quadrant. By the end of 1902 the Ricca Manufacturing
Company
had vacated its plant and the
American
Veneer Company had moved into Ricca's
former location. American Veneer later was devastated by a fire on
December 29, 1912 which destroyed the entire building and all of its
contents. The New
Orange Decorative Leather Company
became insolvent and left its building in c.1904. That factory
building was then occupied by an unnamed machine shop in c.1905.
Then, from 1906 onwards the National Air Cell
Company occupied the building. Monarch Roofing
Company came to this section in 1902 but vacated its spot,
alongside American Circular Loom Company
, by 1905. Circular
Loom later annexed Monarch's building to its complex.
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MAP FROM THE 1906 ATLAS
OF UNION COUNTY |
 |
| Map of
the Map 4D quadrant area from the 1906 atlas of Union County,
showing Charles E. Wright Mfg. Co., American Veneer Co., National
Air Cell Co., and American Circular Loom Co. (after it annexed the
plant of Monarch Roofing the year prior). Also shown, from the Map
4C quadrant are Kenilworth Station and the runaround. Roads on this
map, such as Market Street, Galloping Hill Road, and the Boulevard
are known to be extant. All other roads on this map cannot be
substantiated, they were planned and some were only ever partially
constructed. |
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|
1922 |
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AERIAL VIEW FROM
1930 |
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 |
|
Aerial view of
the area southeast of the Boulevard from 1930. Courtesy
of the NJDEP. |
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