How Did West Montrose Streets Get Named?

Mountain House Road, along with Montrose Avenue, provides direct access from North Ridgewood Road to Mountain Station. Mountain House Road is named for the Mountain House Spa, which was near Mountain House Road at the corner of North Ridgewood Road and Glenside Road. The spa and hotel was owned by John T. Lord, owner of Lord & Taylor, and was built in 1830. It could accommodate 150 guests. Millionaires from New York would come to Mountain Station—then called Montrose Station—and take a shuttle to the spa. Many wealthy people moved to South Orange because of the spa and built mansions, many of which still exist today. The spa burned down in 1890, resulting in the creation of the South Orange Volunteer Fire Department. 

 

When you go to Recreation Department events, you take Mead Street, which was named for Edwin H. Mead. In fact, the original Baird Center was in Mead’s barn house, when it was the private South Orange Field Club. It burned down in 1895, the year of Mead’s death. Born in 1822 in Pittsfield, Mass., Mead held several jobs in New York City. He bought 10 acres of land on Ridgewood Road and Vose Avenue and named his estate Springlawn. He was involved in local organizations such as the South Orange Field Club, similar to today’s Lawn & Field Club. He became president and treasurer of the Pennsylvania Coal Company and was also a village president of South Orange. He owned land at the top of West End Road near South Mountain School, plus land between West End Road and Thornden Street. Mead had a son named Winthrop who owned a repair shop on South Ridgewood Road. His name is the origin of the name of Winthrop Terrace, which would have bisected his property. 

 

Going from Meadowland Park into Orange and West Orange is Clark Street. Once again, it is named for a village president, Daniel T. Clark. However, not much more is known about Clark, though he had a relation to the New Jersey Historical Society.

Meeker Street is also located near Meadowland Park. The Meeker family had homes all over Essex County. Jeremiah Meeker married twice, and his second wife was 40 years younger than him; when he remarried at age 82, he was one of the town’s oldest citizens. Meeker had once been in the fish business and had lived at the corner of Prospect and Third streets. In 1894, a massive electrical storm took place on the eastern seaboard, wreaking havoc from Maine to Florida. Meeker’s barn on Valley Street burned to the ground in the storm, and a valuable cow was lost.