Fairmount Cemetery (Newark, New Jersey)
Fairmount Cemetery is a 150-acre (0.61 km) rural cemetery in the West Ward of Newark, New Jersey, in the neighborhood of Fairmount. It opened in 1855, shortly after the Newark City Council banned burials in the central city due to fears that bodies spread yellow fever. The first burial in Fairmount Cemetery was a 24-year-old man named Lewis J. Pierson. Fairmount is still accepting interments.
Along with Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Fairmount has the graves of Newark's most eminent turn of the century citizens, including Clara Maass, who gave her life in the investigation of yellow fever. A high proportion of the graves belong to German families. Fairmount Cemetery includes large trees, rolling hills, and intricately carved monuments. Featured near the old South Orange Avenue entrance is the recently restored zinc Settlers' Monument, commemorating the founders of Newark. There is also a Civil War memorial. The modern entrance to Fairmount Cemetery is on Central Avenue.
Notable burials
- Harriet Adams (1893–1982), pseudonymous author of many books in the Nancy Drew series and a few in the Hardy Boys series
- Leila Bennett (1892–1965), actress
- Peter Angelo Cavicchia (1879–1967)
- Henry Meade Doremus (1851–1921), Mayor of Newark from 1903 to 1907
- Thomas Dunn English (1819–1902), represented New Jersey's 6th congressional district from 1891 to 1895
- Christian William Feigenspan (1836–1939), president of Newark's Feigenspan Brewing Company
- James Fairman Fielder (1867–1954), Governor of New Jersey from 1913 to 1917
- William Henry Frederick Fiedler (1847–1919), represented New Jersey's 6th congressional district from 1883 to 1885
- Gwen Guthrie (1950–1999), singer-songwriter
- Fred A. Hartley Jr. (1902–1969)
- Georgiana Klingle Holmes (1841–1940), wrote poetry under the name George Klingle
- Henry Lang (1828–1897), Mayor of Newark from 1882 to 1883
- Frederick Lehlbach (1876–1937)
- Herman Lehlbach (1845–1904), represented New Jersey's 6th congressional district from 1885 to 1889
- Clara Maass (1876–1901), nurse who died as a result of volunteering for medical experiments to study yellow fever
- Le Gage Pratt (1852–1911)
- Needham Roberts (1901–1949), African-American World War I veteran who was decorated for bravery
References
- ^ "Fairmount Cemetery History". Fairmount Cemetery. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved August 26, 2007.
Fairmount Cemetery was founded in the fall of 1854. It is located between Central Avenue and South Orange Avenue, and also between South Twelfth and South Eighteenth Streets in Newark, New Jersey. It was incorporated on February 9, 1855 by a special act of the New Jersey Legislature. Fairmount Cemetery has continued as a public, not-for profit, and non-sectarian cemetery from 1855 to the present. All of its income is devoted to the care, beautification and welfare of its grounds and buildings. The first burial in Fairmount Cemetery was a 24-year-old man named Lewis J. Pierson. Today, there are approximately 150,000 burials in the cemetery.
- ^ Sarapin, Janice Kohl (2002). Old Burial Grounds of New Jersey. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0813521114.
- ^ "Fairmount Cemetery". Newark History. Retrieved August 26, 2007.
- ^ "Fairmount Cemetery, Mausoleum & Crematory". Virtual Newark NJ. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 26, 2007.
Fairmount Cemetery was opened and incorporated on February 9, 1855 as a non-sectarian, non-profit organization to serve the community. The land was reportedly purchased from the First Presbyterian Church by some of the most influential and respected citizens of Newark. 1927 saw the opening of the Fairmount Memorial Mausoleum. The Fairmount Crematory opened in 1984.
- ^ Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 56. ISBN 978-1476625997.
- ^ Thomas Dunn English profile, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 12, 2007.
- ^ William Henry Frederick Fiedler profile, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 13, 2007.
- ^ Herman Lehlbach profile, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 13, 2007.
- ^ Lewis, Charles A. (2021). "Biography, Private Needham Roberts". Military Hall of Honor. Military Hall of Honor, LLC. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
External links
- Newark History Tour of Fairmount
- Fairmount Cemetery Archived February 16, 2006, at the Wayback Machine at The Political Graveyard
- Fairmount Cemetery at Find a Grave