Friends of the Howe House

Friends of the Howe House is a nonprofit organization committed to preserving the historic house of James Howe, a formerly enslaved man who was freed in 1817. As one of the oldest standing buildings owned by an African American, this house tells the story of freedom and slavery, the importance of homeownership, the development of African American communities in the United States, and the role of African Americans in the growth of towns like Montclair, NJ. Our mission is to protect and uplift the James Howe House as a tangible reminder of the true history of slavery and its aftermath. Our vision is to empower New Jerseyans with the knowledge about our shared legacy as the Slave State of the North. We seek to develop programming that connects this history to the challenges of today.