Though one of the most diverse states in the nation, New Jersey has a long way to go in identifying and preserving historic sites that reflect that diversity. When historic sites associated with underrepresented communities are not identified, they face erasure. When sites are identified, ... » Learn More about Underrepresented Histories
Black History
Cemeteries
Cemeteries are important repositories of history and culture, in addition to memorializing the deaths of individual people. Cemeteries associated with historic events such as the Civil War can be pathways into historic records. The concept of memorializing extends far beyond individual ... » Learn More about Cemeteries
Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church
Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church on Franklin Street in Cape May was built in 1888 and is an important African American Landmark in the Cape May Historic District. The building was the home of a congregation who left the Cape Island Methodist Church and moved into a former church ... » Learn More about Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church
St. Monica’s Episcopal Church (now Greater is He Ministries)
St. Monica’s Episcopal Church lies in the very center of the Spring Street neighborhood of Trenton. Spring Street was the center of Trenton’s middle class African-American community during the mid-twentieth century. According to the 2011 publication by Richard Grubb & Associates for ... » Learn More about St. Monica’s Episcopal Church (now Greater is He Ministries)
Van Dien-Ruffgarten House
UPDATE (June 2020): The Van Dien-Ruffgarten House is in imminent danger of demolition. It has been schedule to go in front of the Planning Board for demolition several times in 2020, the latest in March, but been delayed by the applicant. Recent Press: Mar 2020 Decision on demolition ... » Learn More about Van Dien-Ruffgarten House
East Broadway Historic District
DESCRIPTION: Salem, one of the earliest English settlements in the State of New Jersey, was founded in 1675 by Quaker John Fenwick. Agricultural, mercantile, and industrial enterprises fueled its development throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and into the first half of the ... » Learn More about East Broadway Historic District
Dr. James Still Office
UPDATE (June 2020): The Dr. James Still Office is now part of the Dr. James Still Historic Office Site and Education Center. The Center is a non-profit cocnerned with teaching, restoring and preserving the legacy of Dr. James Still. The non-profit operates adjacent to the historic office ... » Learn More about Dr. James Still Office
Colemantown Meeting House / Jacob’s Chapel
UPDATE: The Colemantown Foundation provides Underground Railroad Tours and Reenactments to schools and groups. Their programs are included in the Mount Laurel Schools System History curriculum. They continue to fundraise and seek volunteers to restore the buildings. In 2017, Jacob's ... » Learn More about Colemantown Meeting House / Jacob’s Chapel
Mount Peace Cemetery
DESCRIPTION: Located in Lawnside, the only African-American incorporated municipality in New Jersey, Mount Peace Cemetery was founded in 1902 as a burial ground for African Americans. Many of those interred were excluded from whites-only cemeteries or burial grounds that were affiliated with ... » Learn More about Mount Peace Cemetery
Zabriskie Tenant House
UPDATES: July 2012: The Zabriskie Tenant House was demolished. A Patch article describes the day here. 2011: Ted Manvell, a neighbor to the Zabriskie Tenant House property and the advocate who initiated efforts to save the house, has filed suit against the Paramus Planning Board, Quattro IV, ... » Learn More about Zabriskie Tenant House