Bernard Charles “Bus” McGinnity was a larger than life character who left his mark on the Manor—primarily in the remnants of a speakeasy! In 1927, Bus opened his speakeasy in the basement of the Manor, under the Ballroom. In 1928, he married Lulu Hartman, a beauty queen from Long Island. Together they had a daughter, Lorraine Beverly, who was born that same year.

Bus ran the speakeasy until 1933, when Prohibition was repealed, and then moved his liquor establishment into the Ballroom after getting a “club” license from the State of New Jersey. He called his club “The Colonial Club” and decorated the walls with silhouettes of colonial figures. Over the fireplace, he painted a large picture of President George Washington. Unfortunately, Bus met a tragic end on December 22, 1936, when his body was discovered at a nearby barn by a Clifton Police Officer.

In June 2015, Lorraine McGinnity Darney donated Lulu Harman artifacts to the Kingsland Manor. Lorraine is the daughter of Lulu and Bus McGinnity. She gave us beaded purses, a cigarette case, a handkerchief, an apron, a scarf, and a compact, all of which date back to the Roaring Twenties. These items are all displayed in a curio case in the Office. Lorraine, along with her family, visited the Kingsland Manor in March 2017.