Sun. Nov. 17 Golf Island Neighborhood History Exhibit Revisited 1-4 PM at Durand-Hedden

Golf Island Revisited!

 Did you miss out on Durand-Hedden’s popular, ground-breaking exhibit “Exploring Golf Island” last winter? We have good news! The exhibit will reopen Sunday, November 17 from 1pm to 4pm and remain on view on program days through February 23, 2020.

Learn how this early area of Maplewood, bordered by the Maplewood Country Club golf course, the Morris and Essex rail line, and Maplewood Middle School, evolved from farmland in the 19th and early 20th centuries to today’s cohesive suburban neighborhood.

From 1861-1867 Maplewood’s first developer, New York druggist John W. Shedden, purchased 30 acres around Maple Avenue, mapped home lots, built two “cottages” and advertised them for sale. He ensured the value of his property and thereby the growth of the nascent town by buying one-acre of land close to Golf Island (near Lenox Place in the current Village) and selling it to the Morris and Essex Railroad to build a station, soon named ‘Maplewood Station’ for a notable nearby maple tree. Development began slowly, then accelerated in the early 1900s with new streets and houses and the construction of the 1903 brick Maplewood School on Baker Street.

By 1910, the neighborhood largely took on the layout we see today. In 1916, the Maplewood Field Club (later the Maplewood Country Club) acquired property to the east, previously owned by Charles DeGrasse, the builder of its more blue collar predecessor, the Maplewood Sporting Club. This began the setting of clear boundaries and preventing further development of the land surrounding Golf Island.

The exhibit will display maps, show representative houses, explain the history of the Maplewood Country Club and golf course and Maplewood Middle School, and feature histories of some developers and residents.

The event is free; donations are welcome.

Country Shopping

Check out our Country Store’s historic-themed treasures: early American games, books, and toys; facsimile documents; quill pens and ink; historic cookbooks; cookie molds; tin lanterns; vintage views of local landmarks on wooden blocks and reproductive decorative items and ceramics. There is local honey and the Original 1910 Chocolate Fudge Sauce. You’ll also discover the hard-to-find original Doors of Maplewood poster, Smile: A Pictorial History of Olympic Park 1887-1965, and the acid-free reproduction of the charming 1931 Map of Maplewood.

About Durand-Hedden House and Garden

Durand-Hedden House is dedicated to telling the history of the development of Maplewood and the surrounding area in new and engaging ways. It is located in Grasmere Park at 523 Ridgewood Road in Maplewood, also the home of the extensive herb garden maintained by the Maplewood Garden Club. For more information or to arrange group tours call 973-763-7712. You can also visit our website at durandhedden.org and find us on Facebook and Twitter.