22 / matters magazine / spring 2018 S lightly more than 100 years ago, a millionaire New Jersey bachelor had a remarkable idea that would create a Maplewood landmark and attract se- nior citizens from around the world, who come to live his vision, literally. Today, that landmark, the Ward Homestead, is known as Winchester Gardens, and is run by Springpoint Senior Living, the largest non- profit senior living organization in New Jersey with a 100+ year history of its own. But the back story of how all this happened starts in 1912 with Marcus Lawrence Ward, Jr. of Newark. Heir to an enormous fortune with no heirs of his own, Ward was inspired to create a home for “aged and respectable” bachelors and widowers who were no longer able to support themselves. At 68, Ward himself was a senior citizen at a time when life ex- pectancy hovered around the 50-year mark for ordi- nary American men. But he was no ordinary man. Born in Newark in 1846, Ward made his vast fortune in the soap and candle manufacturing busi- ness of his prominent New Jersey family. During the Civil War, his father had been Governor of New Jer- sey and later, a member of Congress. It’s no surprise that the Ward’s elegant home on Washington Street (where the Newark Museum now stands) attracted the rich and famous of the day. And no doubt that early social life, coupled with his stanch Republican father’s emphasis on civic duty, guided Ward’s pen when he sat down in 1912 to write his will. He committed his entire fortune (some $5 mil- lion, valued at more than $100 million today) to building and maintaining the estate that would be- come the Ward Homestead. It was to be elegant, comfortable, and culturally rich, designed by a major architect and built by the finest craftsmen. Most notable, the Ward Home- stead would be open free of charge to its “aged and respectable guests, who through misfortune have lost the means they once had for their support.” "Aged and Respectable" Winchester Gardens 90 years later BY ROSE BENNETT GILBERT