Wayne's oldest home closer to reopening
Passaic leaders apply for state exhibit funding
By: David M. Zimmer
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... Wayne's oldest home is moving closer to reopening.
.....
Passaic County commissioners on April 14 [2026] authorized an application for a $20,000 state grant to help fund a permanent exhibition inside the restored Schuyler-Colfax House on Hamburg Turnpike, county records show.
..... The funding would come through the New Jersey Historical Commission's Project Grants Program, a state-run initiative within the Department of State that supports public history projects, exhibitions and interpretive work aimed at expanding access to New Jersey's past.
....
If awarded, the grant would fund the planning and installation of the exhibit and finalize the purposing of the house, which has remained largely closed to the public in recent years due to its condition.
..... County officials took full control of the property in 2023 after Wayne officials transfered the deed. Local officials at the time described the move as the home's best chance at restoration.
..... Last year, [2025] the county secured $270,000 in funding through the Friends of Passaic County Parks of landscape improvements and site upgrades, including work aimed at accessibility and preparing the grounds for visitors. County officials also solicited public input through a survey on the site's future, including plans to develop it as a military heritage museum.
..... Believed to be the oldest building in Passaic County, the house's oldest sections dates to about 1700 and is widely attributed to Arent Schuyler, an early settler and fur trader. The property, which sits near the Rampo River and not far from Dey Mansion, later passed to Esther Schuyler and her husband. Captain William Colfax, a Revolutionary War veteran and former member of George Washington's Life Guard who served at the mansion during the war.
..... After the Revolution, the couple expanded the original stone dwelling into a larger Georgian-style residence and operated the property as a farm. Historical records show the family enslaved people at the site.
..... Their grandson, Schuyler Colfax, later became the 17th vice president of the United States.