North Bergen historian Ron Skokandich will provide background on Machpelah Cemetery during a walking tour from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 14. Learn what Machpelah and its immediate environs were like before it was a cemetery. Hudson County Genealogical & Historical Society Vice President Patrick Cullen will speak about the process of uncovering the 300+ veterans’ markers in the Freeholders Veterans Plot. Plus, attendees will visit the grave locations of some of the cemetery’s famous, not-so-famous, and (maybe) infamous residents to learn more about them.

 

Part of a North Bergen “triad” of adjacent cemeteries (Machpelah, Hoboken, and Flower Hill), the land at Machpelah Cemetery was first used for burial purposes in 1850. The cemetery was officially opened in 1853 by the Third Reformed Presbyterian Church Society of New York. Some sources suggest it later became a strictly Jewish cemetery, though that is not the case today.

 

This event will be held online as a live webinar/Zoom meeting and in person at Hudson Cemetery & Crematory/Machpelah Cemetery, 5810 Tonnelle Ave.