In Seach of Newark’s Chinatown
Nov 20th, 2007 by tony
Chinatown, Mulberry St. between Lafayette and Franklin Sts. was, until the post-War deportation of thousands of Chinese, one of the most exotic and dangerous places in Newark. Broken windows and rusted iron today in the once brightly illuminated Arcade, L. off Mulberry st., suggests little of the bazaars, jade shops, and tea houses that once attracted thousands of visitors. The present chop-suey restaurants occupy sites where gourmets once feasted on Chinese delicacies and where tong warfare and unrestrained gambling reached the point of a public menace. At one time Newark’s Chinese population exceeded that of New York, and the section supported a self-styled “Mayor” whose “edicts” city politicians heeded.
In 1922, there were 3,000 Chinese living in Newark Chinatown, located behind Newark City Hall. In 1870, James Hervey brought 68 Chinese to Belleville, NJ to work in his steam laundry, they later moved to Newark. Ref: http://www.newarkchinatown.org/history
References: New Jersey a guide to its present and past - 1939 pg 334
newarkchinatown.org
Any comments?
Photo source: http://www.newarkchinatown.org/
So I took a trip to Lafayette and Mulberry streets and I found what looks to me the last building representing Chinatown in the area. The Devils Arena has taken most of the space but the Chinese restaurant stands tall though in decadence!
Visit my Chinatown picture page:
http://newark.pbwiki.com/Chinatown
Here is more evidence of a booming Chinese population in Newark, on a book published in 1906: Guarding a Great City