From Maplewood Memorial Library:
In the 1990s, when local realtor Jacqueline Kuett Faupel (1925-2012) retired, she donated her wealth of files to the Maplewood Library.
These files, dating from the 1920s through the 1980s, contained sales listings and photographs of nearly every residence in Maplewood.
The Maplewood Real Estate files soon became one of the library’s most popular information resources. Local homeowners used them to learn about the history of their homes, reviewing descriptions, prices, and photos of their houses over the course of many decades. They were frequently consulted by local historians.
Now this treasure trove of local history is available on the Internet as part of the library’s rapidly growing digital archive. Thanks to an Essex County Local History Grant and the bequest of Milena Pribramska, the files were recently digitized, and can be viewed online from your home computer or mobile device, as well as at the library. The archive is arranged by street, and then by house number, making the listings easy to view and print out.
Maplewood Library’s Digital Archive was established in 2013 when the library digitized its hundred-year collection of the News-Record of Maplewood and South Orange, making it possible to view and search the local newspaper online for the first time. This archive continues to grow each year, and can be searched only within the library buildings.
The library offers many other valuable local history resources, including city directories, real estate maps from the early years of the 20th century, and the Maplewood File, which includes clippings, brochures, and other historical materials dating back to the 1800s.
The Hilton Branch houses the Robert H. Grasmere Local History Center, overseen by the Durand Hedden House and Garden Association. Collections, which include documents, photos, maps and two-dimensional memorabilia, may be viewed by appointment.
The Real Estate file and other digital archives can be accessed from the library’s website (www.maplewoodlibrary.org) under the heading ‘Digital Archives’.
Like to look up your house? Here’s the link:
https://www.digifind-it.com/maplewoodlibrarydigitalarchive/realestate.php
For more information on how to research the history of your South Orange and Maplewood home, visit here.
