Christmas at Kingsland Manor 2022 | Nutley, New Jersey

Kingsland Manor Is Steeped In History

Kingsland Manor is a historic home in Nutley, New Jersey. It is included in both the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and The National Register of Historic Places.

Kingsland Manor is a Dutch Colonial home dating from the 1700s, located in Nutley, New Jersey. 

Martha Stewart grew up in Nutley, and Annie Oakley lived there as an adult.

Members of the original family were in America as early as the 1600s. The Nutley property was purchased by the family in 1790.

The town of Nutley acquired the property in 1973 and has spent much time preserving the house.

The Manor has a long history involving lumber, boxing, speakeasies, and even a possible murder!

Paranormal activity has also allegedly been seen at Kingsland Manor!

According to the Manor’s website:

The Kingsland Manor was built in around 1768 as a farmhouse by two brothers, John and James Walls, for James and his wife, Mary. The Walls brothers were running a lumber mill that they acquired from a John Robinson in 1753. In 1787, Joseph Kingsland, a contractor living in New York City, was awarded a contract to install wooden curbing in the city.

They continue:

Joseph Kingsland was the grandson of Isaac Kingsland, who emigrated from Barbados to what is now Bergen County in 1668/1669. Isaac’s home in a portion of “New Barbadoes”—currently Lyndhurst—was across the Passaic River from where the lumber mill was located, and that was where Joseph was raised. When Joseph received the city contract, he needed an ample supply of hardwood and a mill to cut it.

Remembering the Walls mill and the woodlands surrounding it, he came to North Belleville (Nutley) and offered to purchase the farmhouse and lumber mill. The brothers agreed to sell to Joseph, but it took him another three years before he cleared all the liens on the property and took ownership in 1790. It took him another six years while he fulfilled his contract to the city to raise the ceilings and plaster the walls to make the home “livable” for his wife and children.

You can see more about it in this video from the New York CBS station:

The front is the back and the back is the front.

I’ll explain.

When you enter from the small street, it is really the original BACK of the house.

Christmas At Kingsland Manor

It is magnificently dressed up for the holidays!

There are several Christmas trees and other lovely decorations.

Boxing

n the early 20th century it was bought as a place to train boxers!

In 1909, a Chicago politician and lawyer named Dan McGinnity purchased the Kingsland Manor to use the building and grounds as a training site for pugilists.

Dan partnered with Bob Fitzsimmons, a professional boxer who was the sport’s first three-division world champion. “Diamond” Dan was married to Katherine Agnes, and they had a child, Bernard Charles. Bernard, nicknamed “Bus”, was educated in the Nutley School system and graduated from high school in 1919.

A Speakeasy – And Murder?

It was also used as a speakeasy during Prohibition! It may have led to murder!

That year, Bus opened a speakeasy in the basement of the Kingsland Manor. He operated the speakeasy until Prohibition ended, and when the law was repealed, he opened the “Colonial Club” in the ballroom. Unfortunately, one December night in 1936, Bus served alcohol to a couple of non-members who were state alcohol and beverages commissioners, and he lost his club license.

Under murky circumstances, his body was found outside of a barn across from the Manor with a gun lying next to him. He had been shot in the head. He was 37.

Was it a suicide? Was it murder?

The Back Is The Front, And The Front Is The Back

When you go out of the back of the house, you are really at the original FRONT of the house.

It faces the river which transported the lumber needed to build the house.

Paranormal

Fans of the paranormal are convinced that the house may be haunted! After all, an alleged murder did take place there!

Kingsland Manor is open for tours year-round.

They have “special events” such as Paranormal Evenings and Ice Cream Socials! Certain events have special fees.

You want to check out this Artifacts Virtual Tour!

Please check out Christmas at Kip’s Castle 2023 | Verona and Montclair, New Jersey!

You also wish to visit Zenas Crane Homestead, another historic house all dressed up for the holidays!

Also check out my post on The Literary Lioness about moving THIS blog to WordPress: Moving My Blog From Blogger To WordPress (and changing the permalink structure!)

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