Cadmus House Museum Opens Its Doors, Thanks Its Supporters

By supporting the , community members have helped preserve a different landmark in town.

Offering a glimpse into Fair Lawn's past, the Cadmus House held its first open house of the spring season on Sunday afternoon. Ray Richter, who serves on both the Cadmus board and the borough's Historic Preservation Commission, said the event was a way of thanking residents for their donations to the museum.

Money from a designated Cadmus House fund, Richter said, has gone to help with the preservation and restoration of the Dutch colonial era Naugle House, which the borough from developer David Neidani for $1.7 million.

“The special fund we had went to emergency repairs which were needed to keep the Naugle House safe,” said Richter.

Richter said that boards were placed on the windows and other necessary repairs were made to help keep the structure safe until a contractor and repairmanare officially authorized to repair the . He added that the Cadmus House organization is accepting new members to help preserve the house.

While the house has been in the confines of Fair Lawn since 1815, the Cadmus has been on Pollitt Drive since 1985. Inside are photographs and artifacts from the area long before Fair Lawn was incorporated as a borough in the 1920s.

On the first floor, the two rooms, each ornamented with a fireplace, contain photographs of homes, buildings and structures that have since been razed or are still standing.

One former resident, Peter Griffin, 62, pointed to the photographs of the old Diech Zoo that had been located on Saddle River Road.

“I remember hearing the lions roar when they woke up in the morning,” said Griffin. He said that though he lives in Totowa, he returns to Fair Lawn daily to visit his parents. “I like the museum. It is nice to see the history of Fair Lawn here.” 

On the walls of the second room, old maps are framed near old farming equipment that was donated by longtime residents. In the center of this room is a table with a book of old tax maps from the 1920s. Both and Larry Koplik, members of the board of trustees for the Cadmus House, pointed out an old trolley line that cut through the borough.

“The trolley connected Paterson with Glen Rock and ran up what is today McBride Avenue,” said Diepeveen.

On the second floor of the house are two more rooms, the first containing memorabilia from Fair Lawn’s emergency responders. The second room shows the home life of people from the past, in particular the life-like dolls in a baby carriage next to two cots. The dolls are forever smiling in an almost macabre way. However, these were what the young girls played with in decades past.

The Cadmus House was built by Thomas Cadmus in the early 1800s. Originally it was on Fair Lawn Avenue, but in 1985, in an effort to preserve it, it was moved to Pollitt Drive by the Radburn Train Station.

Thanks to the efforts of the trustees at the Cadmus House, the goal is to keep Fair Lawn’s history alive for the next century.

The Cadmus House does not keep regular hours, but is open by appointment. Other open houses are scheduled for May 15, June 26, Sept. 18, Oct. 16 and Nov. 20 from 1 to 3 p.m. The Cadmus House will also be open May 30 from 9 to 11 a.m.

For more information, visit the Cadmus House website here.