If you are interested in the history of your SOMa NJ home and community, Maplewood Memorial Library has many ways in which to aid historical research.
Through generous grants made possible by the Maplewood Open Space Trust Fund for Historic Preservation, and a project grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State, the Maplewood Memorial Library Digital Archive has several five information-rich archives from which to research:
- Real Estate Sales Records and Photos of Maplewood NJ Homes from the 1920s to the 1980s.
- News-Record of Maplewood and South Orange from 1915 to Present
- City Directories from 1888 to 1970
- Columbia High School Yearbooks from 1915 to Present
RESEARCH NOTE No.1
While you can use the search function remotely to search the News-Record and Yearbook, you’ll need to go to the Library to get your hands on the results.
RESEARCH NOTE No.2
Real Estate Sales Records and Photos of Maplewood NJ Homes are completely viewable and downloadable remotely – no need to go to the library in person.
RESEARCH NOTE No.3
The Thompson Archives are a pictorial history of Maplewood NJ in two volumes. These photos were compiled by George Knox Thompson until his death in 1946. His Daughter, Gladys Thompson, completed her father’s work and donated both volumes to the Maplewood Memorial Library. Interestingly enough, George and Gladys lived in our home at No. 139 Maplewood Avenue!
The archives are not digitized, but are available for review – one volume is available at the main branch and the other at the Hilton Branch.
