Joseph Fagan - Stories of West Orange

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2014 by Joseph Fagan

All rights reserved

First published 2014

e-book edition 2014

ISBN 978.1.62585.087.4

Library of Congress CIP data applied for.

print edition ISBN 978.1.62619.553.0

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to publicly thank West Orange mayor Robert Parisi and members of the West Orange Town Council, who bestowed on me the honorary title of official historian of West Orange Township in 2012. I am deeply grateful for this recognition because many people would be equally deserving. Mere words, however, cannot express the posthumous acknowledgment that three generations of Fagans in West Orange before me rightfully deserve for inspiring me to learn about local history. Former town historians, the late Stanley Ditzel and Abe Lando, along with many other individuals, past and present, too numerous to mention have all contributed to preserving West Orange history. I stand on broad shoulders and understand we all are carrying the torch that one day will be passed on to another generation. The enduring influences of my family roots and all these individuals have helped make this book possible.

I would like to acknowledge the staff at the West Orange Public Library for always allowing me access to their resources. I would like to thank the Downtown West Orange Alliance Board of Trustees, Chairman John McElroy and Executive Director Megan Brill for helping me to present West Orange history to the community. No acknowledgement, however, would be complete without mention of my deeply devoted wife, Debbie, and son, Joseph, whose unselfish love and constant support truly makes it all possible.

Finally, I would like to give a heartfelt thanks by the deepest measure possible to Matthew Schwartz, longtime friend Glenn Cignarella, Kathryn Healy, Beth Watner Friedman, Janet Cole and Mary Kushner, who helped me greatly in bringing the Williams family clock mentioned in back to West Orange.

This book is dedicated to the memory of former West Orange resident Dorothy Robertson mentioned in (June 29, 1912September 23, 2012), who has helped dearly in preserving West Orange history for all generations, past, present and future.

INTRODUCTION

The greatest resource of West Orange will always be its history and people. This book continues the time-honored tradition of celebrating our local heritage. Although much can be learned here, it is not intended to be a complete or chronological history of the town. West Orange is perhaps best known as the home of Thomas Edison. I have always contended that he deserves his rightful place in history, but there is so much more to West Orange than just Thomas Edison, as these stories will reflect.

This collection contains many colorful tales about West Orange that have perhaps been otherwise overlooked by history. It tells about surviving artifacts reaching back to colonial times. It sheds light on nationally known figures such as Amos Alonzo Stagg, who grew up here, and General George McClellan, who lived here. Countless books have been written on McClellans life, but not a single one can provide new insight about the night he died in West Orange. This book contains never-before-published details by the last surviving person to have lived in McClellans former house and shares a firsthand account by a person who was there the night he passed away. Liberace launched his career here, Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt first discovered a romantic interest for each other here and the legendary football coach Joe Paterno got his start because of a decision made by a former school principal in West Orange.

Stories of West Orange tells of murder, tragedy, Olympic glory, curing cancer, automobile development, overcoming slavery, Wild West justice, a lion on the loose and more. It provides a unique cross-sectional view of historical vignettes scooped out from a streaming confluence flowing down the corridor of time and offers a glimpse into a place and time our grandparents once knew, like a message in a bottle cast adrift on the ocean, hopefully one day to symbolically wash up on shore in the minds of those seeking historical discovery. Ideally, this collection of stories and pictures will equally serve a purpose today to inspire many to become more aware of our forgotten past.

My personal family history spans nearly 150 years in the community, beginning with my great-grandfather Richard Fagan, who was born about 1868 and lived in West Orange. He was followed by my grandfather James Fagan Sr., born in 1901, and my father, James Fagan Jr., born in 1921. I have always endeavored to include stories from my own family history as an added layer of texture to tell about West Orange from a local and personal perspective.

It should be noted that every individual West Orange veteran can be credited with unselfish devotion in the service of our country. Each one has a compelling story equally important as the next, and all are worthy of our attention, gratitude and respect. tells only about a few with some unique circumstances, and it is not intended to diminish the importance or sacrifices of countless other town veterans and their many contributions.

History, it can be said, is like meeting an old friend who knows who we are, tells us what we want to hear and leaves us to visit another day, politely reminding us of the best and worst of all our potential and constantly inspiring us to be what we can and should be. Some may say history is dead, but it is alive and well, and you will feel its beating pulse on the pages of this book.

History should not be considered the exclusive property of historians. Instead, it belongs to all of those who are aware of it. Hopefully, one hundred years hence, a yet unborn generation will look on this body of work and disregard the understood boundaries of time as they hear these voices of yesterday echoing forward into the future.

It is to that purpose and sense of vision to which this book is written to celebrate and preserve West Orange history because everything old will become new again to teach, guide and enlighten us on the road to our own self-discovery as a people, always mindful as worthy stewards of our communitys heritage that our proper treatment of history will one day be the final verdict on ourselves.

Chapter 1

SURVIVING ARTIFACTS PROVIDE A TANGIBLE HISTORY

The Long Journey Home

The battles of Lexington and Concord, beginning the war for American independence in April 1775, mostly confused and divided those living in the New Jersey colony. Shortly after the Continental Congress declared independence on July 4, 1776, the war came a bit closer to what is present-day West Orange, then part of the Newark settlement. British general Howe invaded nearby Long Island and New York, where the Continental army was defeated, and General George Washington retreated across New Jersey with Howe in close pursuit. This increased the Loyalist sentiment in New Jersey, as the cause for American independence seemed to begin fading away. Then on Christmas Eve 1776, Washington crossed the Delaware River and launched a surprise attack. He won strategic victories at Trenton and Princeton and gained partial control of New Jersey. With renewed confidence, Washington spent the rest of the winter at Morristown, protected behind the hills of the Orange Mountains of the Watchung Mountain Range. But key British outposts remained close by at Newark, Elizabeth and Perth Amboy.