Gethsemane Cemetery

Gethsemane Cemetery
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Location	360-370 Liberty Street, Little Ferry, New Jersey
Coordinates	40°51′20″N 74°2′29″W / 40.85556°N 74.04139°WCoordinates: 40°51′20″N 74°2′29″W / 40.85556°N 74.04139°W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1860
NRHP Reference #	94000330[1]
NJRHP #	549[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	April 20, 1994
Designated NJRHP	February 24, 1994

The Gethsemane Cemetery, is located in Little Ferry, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States on an acre on a sandy hill just off U.S. Route 46 and Liberty Street. The cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 20, 1994.

Name

Gethsemane (Greek ΓεΘσημανἰ, Gethsēmani Hebrew:גת שמנים, Aramaic:גת שמני, Gath-Šmânê, Assyrian ܓܕܣܡܢ, Gat Šmānê, lit. "oil press") is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, most famous as the place where Jesus and his disciples prayed the night before Jesus' crucifixion.

History

The cemetery was opened in 1860 as a burial ground for nearby African-American residents. In 1901 the cemetery was turned over to seven African-American trustees and incorporated as Gethsemane Cemetery.^[3] Over 500 people were buried in less than an acre of land. The last burial occurred in 1924. Bergen County took over the maintain of the cemetery in 1985 and dedicated it as a County Historic Site. Fewer than 50 gravestones remain intact.^[4]

Notable burials

• Elizabeth Sutliff Dulfer, (d.1880) - former slave, owned second largest clay company at the time.
• Peter Billings - Civil War veteran
• Silas M. Carpenter - Civil War veteran

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Bergen County, New Jersey
• Bergen County Cemeteries

External links

• Google Street View of Gethsemane Cemetery

References

1. Staff (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Bergen County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. July 7, 2009. p. 19. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
3. "Gethsamene Cemetery". Bergen County Parks. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
4. "Black History Month". The Meadowlands Blog. Retrieved 11 August 2010.