On June 22, 1801, three African American men—one free Negro and two slaves—bought one tenth of an acre from Aaron Melick for three dollars to establish a burying ground for the Black people of the neighborhood. This was the earliest known purchase of land by slaves for burials in New Jersey. The free man was Robert Aaron, a local beekeeper, and the two enslaved men were Aaron Melick's Robert and Aaron Van Doren's Yaff. The burying ground measured one square chain, 66 inches by 66 inches, and was bounded on the west by Hillside Avenue. In the 1889 book The Story of an Old Farm, Andrew D. Melick, Jr. called the site Gods Acre.

Photo: Thomas R. D'Amico

Photo: Thomas R. D'Amico

Photo: Thomas R. D'Amico

Far Hills, New Jersey · USA