James Howe House Montclair, NJ – It’s a last-minute save for Friends of the Howe House, who announced Thursday that they have bought the town’s first property owned by a freed slave, James Howe. The sale has been finalized after a bid was accepted on the $400,000 property at 369 Claremont Avenue, which dates back to 1780, after the community received help from donors to buy the house. The major task of securing the house’s future now begins, with fundraising events planned to ensure loans can be paid back and the James Howe House can be kept in the community to preserve its history. The first …