Locust Hill Cemetery set to become Trenton's first Black history museum
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) -- In Trenton, a once-forgotten burial ground holding the graves of Black people is getting some much-needed attention.
Tucked behind an East Trenton neighborhood lies a grassy fenced-off field where 200 African Americans were buried at Locust Hill Cemetery in the 1860s, among them are at least 10 Civil War veterans.
"In New Jersey, segregation used to be not only in life, but also in death," Algernon Ward Jr., the Locust Hill Project Director, said.
Ward Jr. said decades later, in the 1880s, legislation was passed to end segregated burials.
"What that led to was the decline of the segregated cemetery because no one was being buried there," Ward Jr. said.
The Locust Hill Project has worked to turn this once-forgotten, junk-filled and blighted property into a site of remembrance, thanks to a $400,000 appropriation from the state.
"We've rescued them from obscurity, from the mists of the past and we're bringing them up to the light of day now," Ward Jr. said.
Ward Jr. said an environmental report and multiple studies were done to trace back the history of the property.
"Sure enough, when they did that, six feet down, in a perfect row, all of these graves," Ward Jr. said.
Some in the community, like Gregory Keel, grew up never knowing of the property's significance until his employer, Amazon, donated $10,000 to the project to help with clean-up efforts.
"Learning about this project a year and a half ago was eye-opening, but it was also exciting. Being from the area, it's awesome to hear that something like this is in the Trenton community," Keel said.
Ward Jr. said they have big plans for the property, including restoring headstones and turning this building into the first Black history museum in Trenton.
"The downstairs will be an exhibit space where we can do stories. There's going to be a genealogy center where people can come and do their family history," Ward Jr. said.
This is just the beginning for this cemetery. The project director said they need an additional $350,000 to complete the project. They hope to be able to open up the cemetery and museum by this time next summer.
