Thanks for all the input and suggestions. We'll look into all of them. I fear however there won't be time. The new City Planner has indicated she's going to give approvals this Thursday night for the developer to go ahead and put in the building before finding out if there are bodies buried there.
Mr. Boggiano, thank you for your personal note. I'm glad to hear you have a strong interest in Bergen Square history. You're right that it's rich. It'd be a shame to have a part of it lost and disrespected, don't you think?
One of the old maps shows the burial ground started at Vroom St and extended to the Southern curb of Glenwood Ave. All the surrounding land was sold off and developed except for this little piece of it. That's mighty interesting to me given how valuable land is in the Square. By the way, the rest of the skeleton is still there, right on the neighbors property!
Do you have any suggestions how we can get the City to make the developer complete the research before approvals are given to build? We can really use some immediate help.

Bet you could reach out to people involved with the NYC African Burial Ground. I don't know who but I know there was a long process and many activists involved.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/26/art ... .html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

I only heard about the Pine St/Johnston burial ground and a search yielded these old websites:
http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbrows ... 5l/Xwdl8Tkkov2A&user=&pw=

http://www.njcu.edu/programs/jchistor ... /underground_railroad.htm

Maybe contact njcu or the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy?

It was. I guess I didn't understand your answer. Do you know anyone who wants to help?

Quote:
I know.
I thought perhaps Mr. Boggiano's interest might extend beyond the Harsimus cemetery.
I thought your post was a plea for help.
Silly me.

Thanks, that's all interesting and I'm really glad Mr. Boggiano has a strong interest in his City's history. Our present Councilwoman, Nidia Lopez, does also and has been helping reclaim a skull that was found adjacent to this site. This land I write about isn't near the cemetery you write about. This land used to be part of the Speers Cemetery on Vroom St, on land that the Dutch West Indies Co deeded to Matty De Mott, the Blacksmith.

Last election when Rich Boggiano was running for At-Large he posted on this site some comments about our history that had to do with preserving the catacombs in the Harsimus Cemetery and the excavation of a ship that had been found while digging in the downtown area. I'll try to dig up (!) the link.
He displayed more interest in and knowledge of our archaeological history than anyone I had ever heard in our local government, and I found that a surprising pleasure. It was one of the reasons that I voted for him.
If you are lucky, he may soon be representing Ward C, and you may have a sympathetic ear.

I don't know how to link to the post, but if you do a search for "catacombs" you will find this thread.
In Rich's Words:

3. History. Jersey City has a historical legacy that rivals any city in the United States. Unfortunately, we live in the shadow of NYC and our politicians have never been willing to promote the city's rich historical past to attract tourists. Instead, they let the rest of the world form their opinion of Jersey City and New Jersey from TV shows like The Sopranos and The Jersey Shore. Two quick examples:

In 1974 I was on the JCPD motorcycle squad. Rain had washed out part of the cliff on the back side of Harsimus Cemetery off Newark Ave and exposed a catacomb from the 1600s that the Dutch had dug into the Palisades when they originally settled Jersey City. A group of teenagers found the catacomb and went in and found bodies that the Dutch had placed there hundreds of years ago. The bodies had been encased in lead to prevent disease but were otherwise exposed to air. Teens being teens, they broke open one of the lead encasements and found a very well preserved body of a blond haired girl that was more than 300 years old. Not long after, the city and JCPD were notified. I actually drove my police motorcycle into the entrance of the catacomb when I first arrived. What did our city do? Did anyone try to save this amazing piece of history? Well, the city promptly dug a hole by the railroad tracks (below the turnpike) and dumped the body there. They then called a cement truck and sealed off the entrance to the catacomb. It's so tragic it's nearly unbelievable. The catacombs are still there though, sealed behind concrete waiting for a time when we have an administration that realizes their true value.

Around 1990 PSE&G was digging downtown and found a fully intact ship from the 1700s buried about 20 feet below street level at the intersection of Bay and Warren Streets. When Jersey City was first settled, Hoboken was an island and most of downtown was marshland. The ship may have sank accidentally or may have been used as infill by the residents at the time. Even though Jersey City is normally ignored because it lives in the shadow of NYC, this event was big enough that news stations came over and did a report on the amazing discovery. Jersey City being Jersey City though, we couldn't let a priceless piece of history stand in the way of burying a new gas line. About 24 hours later, a backhoe ripped the entire ship out of the ground and PSE&G went on about its business. A couple of years ago there was a similar find in NYC. Needless to say archeologists and historians were called in to conduct a proper excavation of the site.

Some people may say that worrying about history when we have a bad economy and crime and corruption is a fools errand. Any city that cares so little about its own past is doomed to irrelevance. Look at Hoboken. They have two dubious claims to fame: Frank Sinatra and Baseball. They let everyone know about both incessantly. Twenty years ago no one outside of Hudson County would recognize the name Hoboken. Today someone halfway across the US is more likely to have heard of Hoboken than Jersey City. The bottom line is that we're missing out on millions of dollars in tourism revenue each year because of this shortsightedness. The good news is that much of our history is still intact and waiting for the right administration to come along and take advantage of it.

Rich

Local lore says there are slaves buried in the rear lot of Speers Cemetery in Old Bergen Square(Ward C). A developer has applied to put up a three family there. It's ridiculous the City's Zoning Board Of Adjustment would allow this to happen without the developer completing archeological research before approvals are given. What if there are slaves buried there? Will the developer be able to dump the bones in the back of a dump truck and cart them away? Why does Healy think he will win Ward F he is doing nothing to stop this?