The opportunity to learn more about important people, milestones and movements in Black history is never far here in New Jersey. The Garden State is full of existing landmarks that tell stories of resilience, survival and achievement in the Black community year-round, not just during Black History Month.
In one afternoon, you could walk the property of a celebrated Black historian and spend the next moment visiting a vestige of Jim Crow-era segregation.
Learning about both New Jersey’s proudest and most shameful moments in Black history is of equal importance, said Leslie Wilson, professor of history and associate dean of the college of humanities and social sciences at Montclair State University.
“I just think that we should teach history with all the flaws. No country is perfect and sometimes you learn from the mistakes that are made in the past and hopefully you don’t repeat them,” Wilson told NJ Advance Media.
“We need to have a more open notion of history and we need to share more information about the past. We shouldn’t hide things,” he said.
Take an immersive approach to educating yourself this Black History Month and plan to visit some of these significant sites in New Jersey.
Manual Training and Industrial School, Bordentown – Typical dormitory
The Bordentown School in Bordentown, Burlington County
The Bordentown School (later renamed the Manual Training and Industrial School) was a co-educational, vocational school founded in 1886 by the Rev. Walter Rice, a college-educated former slave and minister with the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church who wanted to create educational opportunities for Black youth, according to state archives. The facility, also known as the “Tuskegee of the North,” a landmark in African American education, closed in 1955 after attempts to integrate failed in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education. The site is now used by the New Jersey Department of Corrections, but a memorial for the school stands outside its grounds.
Location: North of Burlington Road and west of I-295.
This 2016 photograph shows the Medford office of Dr. James Still, known as the “black doctor of the pines,” a medical doctor and herbalist in the 1800s. It has since been restored and is open to visitors. (Tim Hawk | For NJ.com) SJNSJN
Dr. James Still Historic Site in Medford, Burlington County
In the mid-1800s, this nondescript house was the medical office of Dr. James Still, widely known as “The Black Doctor of the Pines” for his renowned knowledge of herbalism and homeopathic medicine. Still — whose brothers included famed abolitionist William Still and Peter Still, who rescued himself from slavery — was also a noted historian and Underground Railroad operative. Today his office is maintained by the Dr. James Still Historic Office Site Association, which opens for visitors the first and third Sundays of each month, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location: 210 Medford-Mt. Holly Rd., Medford
A screenshot of a livestreamed service held at Macedonia AME Church in Camden, the oldest African American church in the city. Pictured is Rev. Dr. Donald E. Brown.
Macedonia African Methodist Episcopal in Camden, Camden County
Macedonia AME (African Methodist Episcopal), established in 1832, is the oldest African American church in the city of Camden. Macedonia was a stop on the Underground Railroad and its minister, Thomas Clement Oliver, was New Jersey’s foremost stationmaster. The church served as the spiritual and civic center for the African American community in the Fettersville neighborhood, and it has continued to do so for 185 years.
Location: 261 Spruce St., Camden
The Peter Mott House in Lawnside
Peter Mott House in Lawnside, Camden County
Not only is this one of the few existing Underground Railroad stations that was owned and operated by an African American, but it was also operated in an all-black town. Lawnside was incorporated as a municipality in 1926, the only all-black community in New Jersey, and possibly in the North, to have such a status., according to the New Jersey Historical Commission. Mott was a free black farmer who also served as the pastor of Lawnside’s historic Mt. Pisgah AME Church. The homestead is one of four sites in New Jersey officially registered as an Underground Railroad Historical Sites with the National Park Service.
Location: 26 Kings Ct., Lawnside
Croft Farm in Cherry Hill, Camden County
In the mid-19th century, this Cherry Hill farm was owned by Thomas Evans and later, his son Josiah, both Quaker abolitionists and members of the New Jersey Abolition Society. According to the Haddonfield Historical Society, the farm operated as an Underground Railroad safe house under the two men. Listed on the New Jersey and National Registers since 1999, today Croft Farm is owned and operated by Cherry Hill township as a community center. The grounds of Croft Farm also have 1.6 miles of trails open from dusk to dawn.
Location: 100 Bortons Mill Rd., Cherry Hill
Outside the Harriet Tubman Museum, Friday, June 19, 2020. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comTim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for
The Harriet Tubman Museum of New Jersey in Cape May, Cape May County
Cape May played a pivotal role in the fight for abolition and was a frequent stop for civil rights hero Harriet Tubman in the early 1850s. According to biographies and historical accounts, Tubman spent time as a cook at private residences and hotels in Cape May, which helped fund her missions to guide enslaved people to freedom.
Location: 632 Lafayette St., Cape May
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Greenwich, Cumberland County
Dating back to the early 1800s, Bethel AME (African Methodist Episcopal) is one of the oldest black churches in New Jersey. According to the state’s Historical Commission, documentation shows that several members of the AME Church were UGRR operatives in Cumberland County, and it’s likely runaways were hidden at this church. This is one of four sites in New Jersey officially registered as an Underground Railroad Historical Sites with the National Park Service.
Location: 1092 Sheppards Mill Rd., Greenwich
East Orange Oval, circa 1940
Oval Park in East Orange, Essex County
This little-known park is a pretty big piece of New Jersey’s African-American history, once home to several Negro League baseball teams, including the nation’s first — the New York Cubans, who won the 1943 Negro Leagues World Series. The Negro National League teams played at the Orange Oval from 1940 to 1948, and the Negro American League teams played there for one year from 1949 to 1950, according to “The Negro Leagues in New Jersey’’ by Alfred M. Martin and Alfred T. Martin.
Location: 10 Eaton Pl., East Orange
Members of (HELP) Historical and Educational Lodge-Hall Preservitory, Inc. walk the Mt. Zion AME Church and Cemetery in Swedesboro, a site on the Underground Railroad. Photo by Tim Hawk Gloucester County TimesGloucester County Times
Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church in Swedesboro/Woolwich, Gloucester County
The Mount Zion AME Church, built in 1834, still has a trap door where the congregation would hide runaway slaves, according to the National Park Service. Primary-source documentation indicates that at least two members of this congregation were Underground Railroad operatives. The adjoining cemetery, which has tombstones dating back to 1861, contains the remains of some of those fugitives and African American veterans of the Civil War, according to the New Jersey Historic Trust. It is one of four sites in New Jersey officially registered as an Underground Railroad Historical Sites with the National Park Service. The church is still in use by the congregation.
Location: 172 Garwin Rd., Swedesboro
Children in Swedesboro perform a praise dance, about the underground railroad, during a Summer Camp at Richardson Avenue School in 2012. The building now serves as an unofficial community center. Photo by Tim Hawk South Jersey TimesSouth Jersey Times
Richardson Avenue School in Swedesboro, Gloucester County
Built in 1930 as a Masonic Hall, this building was leased in 1931 to establish the state’s last “separate but equal” school for African-American children. It is the only segregated school structure still standing in New Jersey. Since the school closed in 1942, the structure has served as an unofficial community center for Black residents in Swedesboro.
Location: Richardson Avenue and 2nd Street.
At right, 110 Witherspoon St., the house where Paul Robeson was born in Princeton. Taken in 2004, the building has since undergone renovation and continues to evolve.Michael Mancuso
The Paul Robeson House in Princeton, Mercer County
This site is the birthplace of Paul Robeson, famous Black actor, athlete, singer and political activist. Robeson attended a segregated public school on Green Street as a child before the family moved to Westfield, then to Somerville. Paul Robeson’s book, Here I Stand (1958), contains an account of the family’s experiences in Princeton.
Location: 110 Witherspoon St., Princeton
Archive photo from 1934 of the Hinchliffe Stadium, in Paterson. Hinchliffe Stadium is a historic Negro league baseball stadium that will now be restored through a $94 million project.Courtesy of Friends of Hinchliffe Stadium
Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, Passaic County
Hinchliffe Stadium is one of the last remaining Negro Leagues stadiums in the United States and is located within the boundaries of Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park. The only ballpark in the National Park System, Hinchliffe served as the home park for the New York Black Yankees, New York Cubans, and on occasion, the Newark Eagles. In April 2021, the city broke ground on an ambitious $94 million renovation project — which encompasses much more than refurbishment of the sports arena — to be completed in August 2022. The National Park Service is holding a Facebook live event Saturday, Feb. 27 about the stadium.
Location: Between Liberty Street and Maple Street
The Goodwin Sisters house on Market Street in Salem in 2012. South Jersey Times.South Jersey Times
Goodwin Sisters House in Salem, Salem County
From the early 1830s through the Civil War, this home on Market Street served as a beacon to enslaved African Americans escaping North, according to the New Jersey Historical Commission. This is where abolitionists Abigail and Elizabeth Goodwin, both Quaker abolitionists, led efforts to collect food, clothing, and financial donations to assist those escaping slavery along the Salem Line, as well as providing shelter in the home. In 2008, the Goodwin Sisters House was designated as the first site in New Jersey accepted into the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program.
Location: 47 Market St., Salem
The one-room African Methodist Episcopal Church also known as the Mount Zion AME Church, is now a museum focused on the life of African Americans in New Jersey. It is is one of the most historic buildings in the Sourlands. Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020.Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media
The Stoutsburg Sourland African-American Museum in Skillman, Somerset County
Located at the site of the historic 120-year-old Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Skillman, Stoutsburg Sourland African-American Museum is the only African American history museum in central New Jersey. The small museum is dedicated to telling the story of the unique culture, experiences, and contributions of the African American community of the Sourlands, a mountainous region in Somerset County. Find a list of upcoming events for Black History Month on Facebook.
Location: 189 Hollow Rd., Skillman
Golfers enjoying an outing at Shady Rest Golf and Country Club in Scotch Plains, the first African-American owned and operated country club.
Shady Rest Country Club in Scotch Plains, Union County
In 1921, a consortium of black professionals and businessmen in Scotch Plains created America’s first black-owned golf club. John Shippen, the first African-American to compete in the U.S. Open, was groundskeeper and his house on the property is open to the public for viewing. Visitors can still play a round of golf there, too.
Location: 820 Jerusalem Rd., Scotch Plains
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Jackie Roman may be reached at jroman@njadvancemedia.com and @ByJackieRoman.
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