TENAFLY –There have been many magnificent homes in Tenafly through the years, and the residence that once belonged to John Hull Browning is definitely one of them. Shown above and below in photos dated to around 1905, the stately stone mansion and its park-like grounds stood on Engle Street a block south of East Clinton Avenue. The estate included 26 acres and boasted expansive gardens.
Browning (1841-1914), originally from Orange, moved to Tenafly and succeeded his late father-in-law as president of the Northern Railroad of New Jersey in 1875. He held that position until 1897, when he sold his interest in the corporation. Browning was also involved in a lucrative wholesale clothing business with his two brothers in New York City for most of his life.
In 1871, Browning married Eva B. Sisson. The couple built a second home in Tenafly in 1912, while always keeping a residence in New York City. Two years later they had one son, John Hull Browning Jr., who lived to the age of 41.
Browning served as mayor of Tenafly in 1906. A grammar school at the corner of West Clinton Avenue and Tenafly Road, the Browning School, was named in his honor (he had donated the land and money for the school’s construction). The school was in use for 70 years; the building still stands, but it has been incorporated as part of the Browning House condominiums.
Photos courtesy Images of America: Tenafly