Friday, February 22, 2013

East Orange General Hospital

Originally built in 1926 as the new home of the Homeopathic Hospital of Essex County, it became East Orange General Hospital in 1938.




Most sources say America's "Candy Stripers" program originated as a high-school civics class project at East Orange High School in 1944, but the 1960 East Orange High yearbook says the program started at Vernon L Davey Junior High in 1944 and was transferred to East Orange High in 1954. The uniforms were sewn by the girls in the class from material provided by the teacher - a red-and-white-striped fabric known as "candy stripe". The students chose East Orange General Hospital as the home for their class project (from Adele Marie McCain, nee Huck, a student in the class).






Sunday, February 10, 2013

East Orange National Bank


Above: Essex County Trust Company (first built as The East Orange National Bank building); view is looking southeast with Main Street to left looking east, Arlington Avenue to right



Above article: 1896




Below: from a 1911 Sanborn insurance map

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Drake College


           Drake College was at the northeast corner of Central Avenue and Harrison Street. According to a 1917 educational directory, Drake College had been founded in 1883 by William E Drake. By 1911 the East Orange campus was in the Central Avenue location. There were a number of Drake Secretarial School camuses in the NY/NJ area, so the East Orange campus may not have been added until the early 20th century.





                                           Below: from 1954 East Orange High School yearbook






Above: from a 1911 map


Below: from an 1895 map when the building was still shown as a dwelling.




Commonwealth Building


The Commonwealth Building at the southeast corner of the intersection of the railroad and Main Street (Main Street is on right and view is looking east in photo above); building was designed 1887/88 and served as a city hall before 1899 and was the original home of the East Orange National Bank until the bank moved into its own building (far right in photo below) about 1897.