Teaneck, NJ Historic Burial Ground 622 Pomander Walk Road Teaneck, NJ 07666

Teaneck, NJ Historic Burial Ground 622 Pomander Walk Road Teaneck, NJ 07666

Teaneck, NJ Historical Burial Ground

622 Pomander Walk Road

Teaneck, NJ  07666

The Bergen County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs

(201) 336-7267

http://www.co.bergen.nj.us

https://www.teanecknj.gov/events/39326/

http://www.afrigeneas.com/forum-cemeteries/index.cgi/md/read/id/1803/sbj/slave-native-american-burial-in-teaneck-nj/

My review on TripAdvisor:

The historic marker for the Teaneck Historic Burial Ground for slaves in Bergen County.

Located on Pomander Walk Road near the Hackensack River, this land was in use as a burial ground by the Native Americans prior to the arrival of the European settlers. This site might have been used for hundreds of years as a burial site for the Native peoples.

African slaves, who worked the farmland of the early European settlers, like the Zabriskie’s who owned the 125 acre farm that surrounded it, were subsequently buried at this location as were some of the early settlers. In 1663, the great elder, Oratam, was the Chief Sachem for the Ackingsacks, who lived along the Hackensack River. Oratam promised to give Sarah Kiersted a parcel of land between the Hackensack River and Overpeck’s Creek called “Neck of Land”.

The location of the site on the side of the Hackensack River

The site of the graveyard in Teaneck, NJ

It consisted of 2,260 acres which included Teaneck, Bogota and Ridgefield Park. The  original patent was dated October 21, 1667. On March 25, 1685, the East Jersey Proprietors conveyed 183 acres of this patent, located on the Hackensack River in what is now Teaneck, to Albert Sabboresco (Zabriskie) of Bergen, a planter/farmer.

The Zabriskie House on Cadmus Street one block over is not open to visitors (privately owned)

The Zabriskie Homestead in Teaneck, NJ

Albert Zabriskie, his descendant and later Henry Kip, owned the enslaved African American men, who were used to work the farmland and build the early colonial sandstone houses. Even though slavery was outlawed in 1804, the last slaves were not freed until 1865 making New Jersey the last of the Northern States to abolish slavery.

The Zabriskie-Kipp Homestead in Teaneck, NJ is not open to the public. The historic Zabriskie-Kip Farmhouse (now a private residence) is located around the corner from the site on a buff on River Road facing the Hackensack River.

The site is right by a cove in the Hackensack River

To prevent the loss of this sacred ground, the ‘Coalition to Preserve Teaneck’s Native American/African Slave/Settler Cemetery’, was organized. With the Coalition’s encouragement, in 2006 Teaneck bought this open parcel of land on the banks of the Hackensack River. It can be visited during daylight hours and is designated with a Blue Historic Marker erected by the town of Teaneck, NJ.

The historic site by the Hackensack River in Teaneck, NJ.

The gravesite today along the Hackensack River

Disclaimer: This information was taken directly from the handout from the Bergen County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs. There is no fee for this site but be warned, there is not much to see. There will be plantings and a small memorial is being planned (the above plaque from the town of Teaneck, NJ).

 The burial site in Teaneck, NJ

4 thoughts on “Teaneck, NJ Historic Burial Ground 622 Pomander Walk Road Teaneck, NJ 07666”

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  4. This historic site is getting a lot of attention in the last few years and the historic plaque honoring the dead has now been put in place by the town of Teaneck, NJ. The Zabriskie House is around the corner and is not open to the public.

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