Jackson Landmark Building for Sale

by Phil Stilton

JACKSON-Long before it was Art and Kathy’s Kitchen, the building where Jackson residents came to have breakfast and lunch for generations was initially part of a stagecoach stop between Trenton and Toms River.

The deli that operated here for the previous 50 years was run by Arthur and Kathleen Johnson.  The couple took over the business, which was a general store,  in the 1960’s and when it closed for good in 2016, it was one of the oldest operating businesses in town.

In the 1800’s the Cassville Tavern next door served as an inn for stagecoach travelers from areas such as Trenton and Princeton heading towards Toms River and Lakewood. It was the halfway point along the route.

Back then it was the general store, with the saloon and inn next door.  For a while, the intersection of what is West Veterans Highway and Route 571 was the downtown center of Jackson Township. When Jackson was incorporated in 1844, the first township meeting was held the second Tuesday in April of that year at what is today, the Cassville Tavern, next door to Art and Kathy’s Kitchen.


Cassville thrived during the 1800’s and through the mid-twentieth century.   Cranberries, charcoal, and poultry were the main industries around Jackson through the late 1950’s.   Jackson’s main industries began dying out in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

After World War II, Cassville remained a busy hub due to the influx of anti-Communist Russians who fled the newly formed Soviet Union. Many of these asylum seekers settled in Cassville and through the 1990’s there was a vibrant Russian community in Jackson.

Art and Kathy’s Kitchen remained the go-to spot for the locals until its closing. For over 50 years, Art and Kathy’s Kitchen served as the social hub of Cassville, but in 2014, Kathleen Johnson passed away.   Art retired in 2016.

In 2017, Arthur Johnson passed away, reunited with his beloved Kathleen.

Now, the building is being sold. It’s one of the oldest surviving buildings in Jackson Township. It is being listed by Weichert Realtors of Jackson Township and the asking price is $495,000.

View the listing here.

Photos by Jennifer Niedrach, Weichert Realtors, Jackson, MLS.

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