History | Academy Heights - Academy Heights

A C A D E M Y H E I G H T S
L O C A L E

Academy Heights is located in the South-Central area of South Orange and the North-Central portion of Maplewood, NJ. It includes Columbia High School , Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church and School, Valley Street business district, and parts of South Orange's downtown.

H I S T O R I C P E R S O N A L I T I E S

Alfred C. Kinsey is Academy Heights' most culturally historic icon. In 1904 at the age of 10 years old, ACK and his family moved to Roland Avenue where he lived for ten years . After he graduated valedictorian from Columbia High School, he studied for 2 years at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, before leaving for Bowdoin College. Eventually Kinsey would attend Harvard University and then ultimately become a professor which would lead him to become renowned for his studies in sexology. Can you guess in which house on Roland Avenue he lived ?

F O U N D E R S P A R K

On March 13th, 2017 the trustees of South Orange Village voted to change the name of Memorial Park to Founders Park. This came after the urging by Academy Heights Neighbourhood Association (AHNA) that the green space needed attention drawn to its uniqueness. Unique it is; until 1971 this space was the town cemetery, which had laid in quiet abandonment since 1926 at which time a law was passed forbidding the interment of any more deceased. Many of South Orange's (and Maplewood's) founding families were buried in this park. Look for their names on the central obelisk.

H I S T O R Y &
H I S T O R I C A L M A P S

Maps located in Robinson and Mueller atlases show the evolution of Academy Heights. Originally much of the housing for South Orange was located in the areas east of the train station around 1st, 2nd and 3rd streets, and that character still exists today in areas where housing stock has survived.

The above and below maps from 1859 show that most housing stock in South Orange was located either in the north end of Academy Heights or within Seton Village. Note the JWHughes School near Valley Street and Newark (now S. Orange) Ave.

By 1874 much of Academy Heights had begun filling in with new houses.

Robinson Maps 1890

1890 - Midneighbourhood

1890

1890 - Roland Ave area.

1890

Mueller Maps 1904

By 1904 a streetcar line had been built down Valley Street. this would have begun the transformation of Academy Heights into a "streetcar suburb". Homes began to be built the length of the line, enabling residents to commute easily.
Streets at the soith end of Academy Heights begin to be constructed, and the neighbourhood encroaches into Maplewood.