Join Friends of the Howe House at the Montclair Brewery for music, toasting the future of the Howe House, and fundraising to purchase the James Howe House and ensure that African American history in Montclair is not erased!

James Howe was the first African American man to own property in Montclair. He was manumitted by Nathanial Crane, who then left him what became known as the “Freed Slave House” in his will in 1831. James Howe, we learn from Crane’s papers, was the storyteller for the Crane family - remembering the Crane family history. It is a cruel irony that now the storyteller risks the total erasure of his own. Come and share your conviction that James Howe’s life, truth, and heritage matter. We will raise funds while offering the opportunity for connection, and learning.