Montclair, NJ – Friends of the Howe House, the grassroots group that came together to save the James Howe House in Montclair, celebrated receiving the keys Monday to the town’s first property owned by a freed slave, James Howe.
Aminah Toler (left) and Kimberly Latortue celebrate with Friends of Howe House members.
“This has been an amazing journey,” said Kimberly Latortue, Friends of Howe House president. “This home has such significance and importance to the community of Montclair, to African Americans, to the state of New Jersey, and I think to the story of the journey of African Americans in the U.S. as well.”
Montclair African American Heritage Foundation board member and historian Betty Holloway shared some of the history the group is beginning to unlock as a result of its effort to secure the historic home, including how George Washington, on his way to meet General Lafayette, passed right by the James Howe House.
“During the Revolutionary War, this house was standing right here,” said Holloway, who added the group also learned James Howe’s son, James Henry, was a Civil War soldier.
“He was drafted here, when this was called Bloomfield at that time. He served for one year, from 1864 to 1865. That means the Howe family participated in the freedom for African Americans in this country. That’s pretty exciting to me as a historian.”
Historian Geoff Zylstra spoke of how the house is true gift, and how its historical significance is not just important locally, but nationally as well, because so many artifacts of Black history around the country have not been preserved.
“We can see that the Crane family, often considered the founding family of Montclair, was intimately tied to the Howe family, and that both of these families were important to the development of Montclair as a town,” said Zylstra. “This house has become a touchpoint.”
Montclair NAACP president Roger Terry spoke of how there were three generations of his family in Montclair.
“For this to happen in this time is every exciting, not just for my family, but for many other families who were born and raised here,” said Terry. “What a great collaborative effort.”
“We’ve heard so much about history being wiped off of books and records and things of that nature, but this is something that has to stand,” said William Scott, chair of the Montclair NAACP Housing Committee, adding how meaningful it was for it to be happening during Black History Month.
Rev. Anya Sammler-Michael of Unitarian Universalist Congregation spoke of the preservation process connected to the Howe Hosue.
“This town has honored this home for years, calling it the Freed Slave House. And there were many projects over the years to make sure that it was protected and preserved,” said Sammler-Michael. “The one thing I will never forget, is the number of times that we felt we almost lost the home, and the work that everyone put in to make sure that would not come to pass, and that this home would be honored and given its due.”
Friends of Howe House board chair Aminah Toler expressed thanks for everyone in the community who have helped along the way.
“Montclair is a community that prides itself on diversity. When you look around, you can see this is very diverse group of folks that really all have the same feeling,” said Toler.
Latortue praised the tenants who currently live in the house for their cooperation. Their lease ends in February 2024. She then spoke of plans for the house once it is vacant.
“Ideally, we would like to restore the home internally to bring it back to more of what it would have been like when James Howe was living there,” she said, adding that future plans include having students from around the state come for field trips to learn about the home’s history.
Friends of the Howe House announced the purchase of the property in December, when a sale has been finalized after a bid was accepted on the $400,000 property at 369 Claremont Avenue, which dates back to 1780.
The dramatic last-minute bid to buy the house followed months of support from across Montclair’s diverse community, with rallies, fundraising and publicity organized by locals who came together as the Friends of James Howe House.
Efforts to save the house began in October with a rally, where supporters included representation from the Montclair NAACP, Montclair African American Heritage Foundation, Montclair Mutual Aid, longtime 4th Ward councilor Dr. Renee Baskerville and Montclair History Center.
To learn more about the James Howe House and support its future, visit https://www.friendsofthehowehouse.org