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Department of State

New Jersey Historical Commission

The Hon. Tahesha Way, Lt. Governor and Secretary of State
Black Heritage Trail

Black Heritage Trail

Welcome to the webpage for the Black Heritage Trail!

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

 

New Jersey Black Heritage Trail 2024 Approved Nominations

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

 

New Jersey Black Heritage Trail

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.

 


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