About the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail
The New Jersey Black Heritage Trail was signed into law by Governor Murphy on September 7, 2022. The legislation calls for the New Jersey Historical Commission (NJHC) to establish a Black Heritage Trail “to promote awareness and appreciation of Black history, heritage, and culture” that will “highlight Black heritage sites through historical markers and a trail-like path that connects the stories of Black life and resiliency.”
Under this program, the Historical Commission will work in cooperation with other state agencies, such as the Historic Preservation Office, the Division of Travel and Tourism, as well as local governments, owners or operators of Black heritage sites, and others to identify a series of sites. The bill also names the New Jersey Black Cultural and Heritage Initiative Foundation as a principal collaborator, due to its mission which includes broadening, deepening, and diversifying statewide participation in and appreciation for Black arts, history, and culture.
New Jersey Black Heritage Trail Sites
In March 2024, the NJHC Black Heritage Trail team received over 60 responses to their first call for nominations. After passing eligibility and historical accuracy reviews, 32 sites were brought before the New Jersey Historical Commission at their public meeting on April 19, 2024. All of the recommended sites were approved in a unanimous decision.
New Jersey Black Heritage Trail Press Release
The Black Heritage Trail Marker Nomination Process
NOMINATOR PROPOSED TITLE | COUNTY | MUNICIPALITY |
---|---|---|
Chicken Bone Beach | Atlantic | Atlantic City |
Cleveland School Sit-Ins | Bergen | Englewood |
"Bethlehem A.M.E. Church, Rev. Jeremiah Pierce, And a Civil Rights Milestone" | Burlington | Burlington |
Dr. James Still Office, Built 1855 | Burlington | Medford |
Historic Timbuctoo | Burlington | Westampton Township |
Kaighn Avenue Baptist Church | Camden | Camden |
Rev. Alexander Heritage Newton | Camden | Camden |
The Point | Camden | Haddonfield |
Historic African American Borough of Lawnside | Camden | Lawnside |
Franklin Street School | Cape May | Cape May |
Macedonia Baptist Church of Cape May New Jersey/Harriet Tubman Museum of New Jersey | Cape May | Cape May |
Bivalve, Shellpile & Maurice River | Cumberland | Port Norris |
Site of East Orange Freedom Schools, 1905-1906 | Essex | East Orange |
Montclair Young Women's Christian Association | Essex | Montclair |
Black Soldiers at Princeton Battlefield | Mercer | Princeton |
"In Graves of Their Own:" Trenton’s Black Community Preserves Its History | Mercer | Trenton |
626 Perry Street | Mercer | Trenton |
Black Soldiers at Washington Crossing | Mercer | Trenton |
Enslavement at the Falls of the Delaware in the 1720s | Mercer | Trenton |
"The Birthplace of Thomas Mundy Peterson, First African American to Vote in a US Election" | Middlesex | Metuchen |
Turf Club | Monmouth | Asbury Park |
Historic Cedar View Cemetery | Monmouth | Lincroft |
T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center | Monmouth | Red Bank |
"William J. “Count” Basie and the Count Basie Center for the Arts" | Monmouth | Red Bank |
U.S. Army Black Brain Center | Monmouth | Wall Township |
The Madison Barber Shop Protests | Morris | Madison |
Manitou Park School | Ocean | Berkeley Township |
James H. Penn: A Life of Triumph | Passaic | Passaic |
Hinchliffe Stadium | Passaic | Paterson |
Mount Zion AME Church | Sommerset | Skillman |
Caesar (1702- February 7, 1806) | Union | Plainfield |
Shady Rest Country Club: "A Place for Us" | Union | Scotch Plains |
The New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State, is now accepting applications for its inaugural, statewide Black Heritage Trail Program.
For more information including guidelines, application link, and recorded webinar follow this link Black Heritage Trail Page
Following the signing of the historic bill for the creation of the Black Heritage Trail program in New Jersey by Governor Phil Murphy in September 2022, the New Jersey Historical Commission hosted three community input meetings to receive various perspectives and visions for the framework and implementation of the program.
This video features a welcome by Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way, Esq. In addition to her role as Lieutenant Governor, Ms. Way also serves as New Jersey’s 34th Secretary of State — a position she has held since the beginning of the Murphy Administration.
As Secretary of State, Ms. Way leads one of the nation’s oldest constitutional offices and directs a department with a diverse portfolio. In her capacity as New Jersey’s top election official, she has overseen the state Division of Elections and its work in securing our democracy and ensuring broad, fair access to the right to vote. In addition to the critical work protecting what Lieutenant Governor Way calls the “fraternal twins of democracy,” she also oversees the state government offices supporting New Jersey’s vibrant arts, culture, history, and business communities, which includes the New Jersey Historical Commission.