The Union Cemetery of The First Presbyterian Church of Ramsey, NJ
History of the Cemetery:
(from the church website)
Union Cemetery is a religious cemetery located at 316 Darlington Ave. in Ramsey, NJ. The cemetery is owned and managed by the First Presbyterian Church in Ramsey. As a religious cemetery, the cemetery is restricted under New Jersey state law and is not open to the general public. Only members of a Christian church and their immediate relatives may be interred at the cemetery.
The historic cemetery from the road. To the left is the oldest part of the cemetery
Entering the cemetery from Darlington Avenue
The newer part of the cemetery is to the right of the driveway
I was visiting the Union Cemetery in search of veterans of the Revolutionary War and found an interesting cemetery with a deep history in Bergen County. Many first families of Bergen County are buried here and veterans not just from the Revolutionary War but the Civil War all the way up to today are buried in this active town cemetery.
The older part of the cemetery is to the left of the driveway. These tombstones are from the early 1800’s.
The older part of the cemetery dates back to before the Revolutionary War
Many of the early family plots are located here with well known names like Hopper, Christie, Ackerman and the town’s namesake, the Ramsey family, whose family plot is in the oldest section of the cemetery.
The grave of Hannah Jane Ramsey in the Ramsey family plot
Part of the Ramsey family plot
The Ramsey family plot
The Union Cemetery to find the graves of Revolutionary War veterans and found some but not all of them. The tombstones are so worn after over two hundred years that they either had disappeared or were so worn you could not read them.
The oldest section of the cemetery where many veterans both from the Revolutionary and Civil War are buried. It was hard to read many of the tombstones. Some the veterans were buried in their family plots, others with their spouses separately. The burials were concentrated in the oldest part of the cemetery. Most of the veterans have been honored with American flags.
The first tombstones I found were from Ackerman family members
I could not make out the name of this Ackerman member but I figured it was one of the brothers wife
The grave of veteran John P. Post
The Post family history:
(from the Saddle River Historical Society website)
The Post family was of Dutch descent. The first Post was a soldier, who came here to protect the new settlements along the Hudson. They soon turned to milling; the name Post is attached to several mills in Bergen and Rockland Counties. Joseph Post, born in 1775, built a mill on the west branch of the Saddle River about 1800. He also opened a tavern and store on what is now West Saddle River Road, just north of Parker Place, across from the entrance to the mill.
The graves of members of the community at that time including the grave of John P. Post
The grave of veteran William Vanderbeck
The grave of a member of the Van Blarcom family, who was married to James Ramsey
I was not too sure who this was but by the veteran’s flower I am assuming the grave of veteran John Van Blarcom
The grave of Hannah (I believe Ackerman)
The Christie family plot
The Hopper family plot
The Hopper Family history:
(from the Saddle River Historical Society website)
The Hopper family is one of the oldest of European descent in Bergen County. Andries Hopper came from the Netherlands to New Amsterdam in the 1640’s. His widow and her son Hendrick were in the Polifly area (Hackensack) by the late 1600s. There was land to be had in the unsettled areas of what became Bergen County. Hendrick’s two oldest sons, Andries and Jan settled in the HoHoKus area (part of Paramus) around 1712. The Hopper name appears on many old homes and mills on early maps of the area. It was two of Andries’ children, Abram and Jan, who settled sometime around 1730 along the Saddle River in what is now Upper Saddle River.
Formerly The Ramapo Meeting House was organized in 1785 and built in 1798
In 1713, a small group of eleven German Lutheran families settled at the “Island,” so named because of extensive marshlands surrounding high, dry land. They formed a congregation in 1715, and c. 1720 built a log church. Prior to 1739, they built a larger, frame church.
Dutch, French, English and Scottish settlers of the Reformed faith came to the Island about mid-century and attended church in Paramus, 10 miles distant. In 1785, they organized The Ramapo Dutch Reformed Congregation at Ramapough in Bergen County.
After the Revolutionary War (1776-1783), the first task of the new nation was to repair the damages of war and neglect. Neither the Lutheran nor the Reformed congregation at the Island had sufficient means to build a new church. In spite of having fought on opposing sides during the War, they agreed to jointly repair and use the old Lutheran church. The arrangement was so successful that in 1798, they agreed to build the present church together.
Construction began on June 4th, and was finished in November. The last items purchased were “one lock and two keys” on December 12, 1798. The two congregations shared the church for fifty years until 1848, when the Lutherans sold their interest and moved to Airmont, NY and established the present Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church.
As soon as its doors opened to the public in 1798, the new Ramapough Meeting House became the heart of the daily activities. Social gatherings and civic meetings were held here all week long, and personal and official notices were posted on the doors. But on the Sabbath (from sundown Saturday to sundown Sunday) the building became a sacred place.
Ramapough – or Bellgrove, as it was called at this time – had four mills, several blacksmith shops, a general store, a stagecoach stop, and U.S. Post Office, one of the earliest in New Jersey (1797). The old Kings Highway of 1703 or Ramapough Road (Island Road) was part of the ancient 150-mile Albany Post Road from Paulus Hook (Jersey City) to Albany, NY. Dobbin & Tustin, est. 1797, ran a passenger and mail stage line on this road, right past the door of the Ramapough Meeting House.
In 1798, when pews and people were smaller, the Meeting House held 385 people. (Today, it holds 250). Though the old box-type pews are gone from the sanctuary, the gallery seats above still exist. The Island Church held an important place in the railroad hamlet of Mahwah throughout the 1800s. It was known simply as the Community Church until the 1950s, when suburbanization brought many other faiths to Mahwah.
One of the earliest public schools in the area, c. 1815, was operated on the church property until 1906, when the church sold land to the Township for the Commodore Perry School. In the cemetery is a roadbed of the old Kings Highway.
The Ramapo Reformed Church is the oldest public building in Mahwah, and a repository of more than 200 years of local and regional history. It is the older of only two remaining frame Federal-period churches in Bergen County, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The modern church sign
I walked through this quiet and reserved graveyard in search of ghosts from the past. The graveyard at the Ramapo Reformed Church, like many of these former Dutch churches, are steeped in memories of the past.
The historic graveyard in the back of the church
In the unique graveyard are the places of rest of many of the first families of Bergen County, NJ who not just shaped the county, but the State of New Jersey and the United States as well.
The oldest part of the graveyard surrounds the church
While the names Haring, Christie, Blauvelt, Demarest, Ramsey, Sutherland, Fox, Hopper, Van Ripper, DeBaun, Terhune and Tice may not similar to most people, to a generation of us were the names of farming families in Bergen County.
Their farms supplied us with fresh fruits and vegetables when in season and places for us to go during Halloween and Thanksgiving for our baked goods and much needed apple cider.
The 1980’s real estate boom put an end to many of these traditions but those names still live in the memories of an older generation. We see some of these traditions still hold tight at Demarest Farms in Hillsdale where hayrides and apple cider and fritters are still part of that experience.
For this trip though, I was in search of graves of our brave veterans of the American Revolution and in the faded tombstones surrounding the church, I found most of them.
The oldest part of the graveyard wraps itself around the church or faces the road, which at one time must have been a country lane.
Some of the oldest families from the community are buried closest to the church building
The graveyard is filled with family plots of most of the first families of the area once surrounded by old fences.
The graveyard is full of families and their memories. In some parts of the graveyard, family plots are organized by generations. To so the progression of mother and father to their children and grandchildren. The history of these families is in the rows of names and the intermarriages of all these families to one another.
The Fox family plot, where one of the members of the family was a veteran of the Civil War
Peter J. Ramsey was born on 23 November 1804, in Bergen, New Jersey, United States. He married Margaret Hopper in 1828, in Hohokus Township, Bergen, New Jersey, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 5 daughters. He died on 10 May 1852, in Ramapo, Bergen, New Jersey, United States, at the age of 47, and was buried in Mahwah Township, Bergen, New Jersey, United States (Family Search.org).
Closer to the church, I discovered the graves of our brave soldiers from the Revolutionary War whom I had been searching for.
The grave of John Suffern, who fought in the Revolutionary War and whose family the County of Suffern was named after
When John Suffern was born on 23 November 1741, in County Antrim, Ireland, his father, William Suffern, was 27 and his mother, Margaret Templeton, was 19. He married Mary Myers on 1 January 1766, in Burlington, New Jersey, British Colonial America. They were the parents of at least 7 sons and 4 daughters. He lived in Rockland, New York, United States in 1820 and Ramapo, Rockland, New York, United States in 1830. He died on 11 November 1836, in Suffern, Ramapo, Rockland, New York, United States, at the age of 94, and was buried in Ramapo Reformed Church Cemetery, Mahwah Township, Bergen, New Jersey, United States (Familysearch.org).
The graves of John Suffern and his wife
The Christie family plot, where John and James Christie who fought in the war were buried
When John W Christie was born on 7 May 1754, in Schraalenburgh, Bergen, New Jersey, British Colonial America, his father, William James Christie, was 33 and his mother, Catalijntje Demarest, was 32. He married Annatie Hannah Brinkerhoff about 1773, in New Barbadoes Township, Bergen, New Jersey, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 8 daughters. He died on 11 September 1815, in Bergen, New Jersey, United States, at the age of 61, and was buried in Bergenfield, Bergen, New Jersey, United States (Familysearch.org).
When James Willem Christie was born on 20 August 1744, in Bergen, New Jersey, British Colonial America, his father, William James Christie, was 24 and his mother, Catalijntje Demarest, was 22. He married Maria Banta about 1772, in Schraalenburgh, Bergen, New Jersey, British Colonial America. They were the parents of at least 5 sons and 5 daughters. He died on 23 July 1817, in Bergenfield, Bergen, New Jersey, United States, at the age of 72 (Familysearch.org).
The grave of Lawrence Sutherland another Revolutionary War Veteran
When Lawrence Sutherland was born on 12 June 1763, in Harrington Township, Bergen, New Jersey, United States, his father, James Sutherland, was 21 and his mother, Marietje, was 19. He married Elizabeth Sutherland in 1786, in New Hampstead, Rockland, New York, United States. They were the parents of at least 2 sons and 3 daughters. He died on 9 October 1846, in New Hampstead, Rockland, New York, United States, at the age of 83, and was buried in Mahwah Township, Bergen, New Jersey, United States (Familysearch.org).
The cemetery sits behind the former ‘Ladies Shopping District’ department stores
The front of the cemetery
When I was finishing my walk of the streets of Lower Chelsea, I came across this quiet and respectful cemetery in the middle of a busy neighborhood. This small graveyard was the third of series of moves that Shearith Israel made to bury their dead since the original cemetery open on the edge of what is today Chinatown.
Like its earlier counterparts, the cemetery is locked to visitors. So you can only admire it from a far. The graves date back to the early 1800’s.
The History of the cemetery:
(From the New York City Cemetery Project and Find a Grave)
This cemetery is located on 21st Street between 6th and 7th Avenues, in use 1829-1851. Shearith Israel, the first Jewish congregation in North America, was formed in 1654 by Spanish and Portuguese Jews who journeyed from Recife, Brazil, seeking refuge from the Inquisition.
The entrance to the cemetery is always locked
The sign for the cemetery
While New Amsterdam’s city fathers did not recognize freedom of worship, they respected the Jews’ right to their own consecrated burial ground. Shearith Israel purchased the cemetery plot on West 21st Street in 1829 for $2,750. It, too, was on the outskirts of the expanding city, which for sanitary reasons had prohibited interment below Grand Street after the yellow fever epidemic of 1822.
The view of the cemetery from the fence
In 1832 the congregation bought land extending the cemetery east to Sixth Avenue and south to 20th Street. Fifty years later the land was sold to Hugh O’Neal, who built a dry goods store there. Shearith Israel used the cemetery for burials until 1851.
The graves are from the early 1800’s
That year, New York City prohibited burials south of 86th Street and the establishment of any new cemeteries within city limits (Find a grave.com).
The side section of the cemetery and pathway
The view of the cemetery and its quiet respect to those buried there
The history of the Cemetery from the Congregation of Shearith Israel The Spanish & Portuguese Synagoge website:
According to rules of ritual purity, Cohanim are prohibited from coming into contact with the deceased (except for their immediate family.) This means that ordinarily Cohanim cannot participate in any of the mitzvoth related to burial. One particularly commendable priest, Mr. Lewis I. Cohen, realized that the consecration of a new and unused cemetery afforded him an opportunity to participate in a mitzvah usually off limits to Cohanim. So it was Mr. Cohen who volunteered to dig the first grave for the first burial of the new cemetery in November 1829.
Some of the notable persons laid to rest in the 21st Street cemetery were Moses Levy Maduro Peixoto and Isaac Seixas, ministers of our congregation, and Harmon Hendricks, founder of one of America’s first great industrial companies and whose descendants are still members of our congregation today. Perhaps the most influential person to be buried in the 21st Street cemetery was the great Jewish diplomat and proto-Zionist, Mordecai Manual Noah.
In 1851, the city prohibited burial in Manhattan below 86th Street. Rather than continue to look north (as Trinity Church did), the Congregation searched outside of Manhattan for its next burial ground. Together with Bnai Jeshurun and Shaarei Tefila, the congregation purchased a large plot of land in Ridgewood, Queens.
The graveyard at the church dates back to before the Revolutionary War. The graveyard has veterans from all the wars since the Revolutionary War to the current wars.
The Wyckoff Reformed Church was built with local fieldstone in 1806. The carpentry inside was done by Daniel Baldwin. The style features vernacular Early Republic, Federal architecture and the windows are done in the Gothic Revival style (Wiki).
The historic graveyard in the back of the church
The back of the graveyard that reaches further back into town
The part of the graveyard from the mid to late 1800’s. There are Civil War veterans buried here.
The back of the church from the 1800’s
The graveyard from the 1800’s
The Revolutionary War era section of the graveyard
The graves of the Revolutionary War veterans
The grave of Revolutionary War veteran Albert N. Van Voorheis
When Albert Voorhees was born on 24 July 1759, in Bergen, New Jersey, British Colonial America, his father, Albert Van Voorhees, was 54 and his mother, Cornelia H. Van Gieson, was 42. He married Rachael Hopper on 26 July 1788, in Acquackanonk Township, Passaic, New Jersey, United States. They were the parents of at least 5 sons and 6 daughters. He died on 17 October 1820, at the age of 61 (FamilySearch.com).
The grave of William P. Winter
The grave of Vanithy Van Voorheis, the wife of Albert Van Voorheis.
The historic part of graveyard right behind the church
The graves of Bridget Ackerman and Martin Myers
The graves of Jack Van Saun and his wife, a descendant of the Van Ripper farm family
The graves of the Van Ripper family
The family plots
The grave of David Stagg
The graves of Peggy Willis and Margaret and Abraham Van Voorheis
The graves of the Mickler family
The graves Abraham and Sara Ann Quackenbush
This historic church and graveyard are really interesting to walk around. It is a glimpse into the past of Bergen County, NJ and the entire State of New Jersey
I started walking the streets of Lower Chelsea after Maricel and I spent the morning wondering around Chinatown with her nephew. I swear that kid has an appetite. We went out for dumplings and roast pork buns and between them and myself nothing was left.
Dumplings is a wonderful place on Henry Street right off Catherine Street in Chinatown and for $5.00 you can get either ten large pork and chive dumplings or ten large pork buns. I opted for the pork buns on this trip.
The Pork Buns from Dumplings
These make the best lunch
We ate in the park and caught up with work. I had to thank her again for that wonderful Afternoon Tea at the Plaza the week before. It was pretty amazing being back in the Palm Court after all those years.
Then it was off the Tasty Bakery on Catherine Street for dessert. We indulged in Cream buns for dessert. Tasty Bakery is one of those very local coffee and bakery places that the older Chinese residents meet during the day and that are quickly disappearing. That’s why you have to visit for these fantastic pastries.
The Cream filled buns are the best
Yum!
After walking around the East Village for a while, they left the City and I ventured up to Lower Chelsea to start the walk of the neighborhood. I walked up from Chinatown as the humidity seemed to die down today. It ended up being a bit cooler than the recent days. The weather had been so hot and humid during some of these walks.
I started the walk on this spectacular day in Madison Square Park. It was such a breathtaking sunny day and the humidity was finally starting to fall. Perfect for walking around the park admiring the gardens and fountains. Everything was in bloom and the park looked spectacular. I love this patch of green in the middle of Manhattan.
The statute of Senator William Sewart, who was famous for the purchase of Alaska ‘Stewart’s Folly’ greets you at the entrance to Madison Square Park at West 23rd Street
The park was in full bloom in the beginning of the summer and the pathways and gardens were just gorgeous.
Madison Square Park in front of Shake Shack
The fountain in the park
The flower pots around the fountain
Looking north of the park with the Empire State Building in the background
Walking along the paths inside the park
Looking west of the park in the trendy NoMAD neighborhood
The Lilly Pond in the northern side of the park
Looking south on the lawn in the middle of the park where office workers and tourists relaxed under the shade trees
Starting the walk on the cross roads of the neighborhood at West 23rd Street and Fifth Avenue
I love the way that the light reflects off the buildings at West 23rd Street
I was lucky that the weather broke. My recent Broadway was ended up being on a 91 degree day. I did not get too far that afternoon as ‘Manhattanhenge’, the alignment of the sun setting to the street grid of the West Side of Manhattan was that evening and I wanted to see it. I needed to get a good spot.
I doubled back that evening to watch ‘Manhattanhenge’, a time when the sun aligns with the buildings on the West Side and set a between the buildings. This happens two times a year and you have to pray for clear weather or else the clouds get in the way. The clouds got in the way this evening.
The start of ‘Manhattanhenge’ at 8:15pm on July 11th, 2025
The sun starting to set
The sun setting on ‘Mznhattanhenge’
Just as the sun set a cloud got in the way
A video of the final setting of the sun
After the sun set, I went back into Madison Square Park and just relaxed. It had been a long week of running around and was going to be busier over the weekend.
Madison Square Park is especially beautiful in the evening. The lights come on and then the park works its magic with all the beautiful lights, cool music from the patrons and the talking and laughter from the many people visiting on a warm New York evening.
The fountain inside the park at twilight
The Flatiron Building across from the park at night
The fountain flowing while looking north in the park
Video of the Madison Square Park fountain at night
The skyline of the park at night with the Empire State Building lit in the distance
During the warmer months, I have found Madison Square Park to be safe due to the sheer number of people in the park and the extra security the park hired. Still like any part of New York, you have to watch yourself. Don’t let your guard down just because there are people in the park. Just like any other part of New York City, have eyes in the back of your head.
I started my walk of the streets of Lower Chelsea around 1:00pm in the afternoon on a Saturday and found the City to be extremely quiet. Most of the residents must have been out of town. I started at the corner of West 22nd Street and Sixth Avenue in the middle of the old Ladies Shopping District.
The old department stores on Sixth Avenue and West 22nd Street
On the way down each block, I admired two things that stood out, the street art and the stone work that seemed to stare out you at every twist and turn on many of the buildings I passed.
The street art at the corner of Seventh Avenue and West 22ns Street
The other walk facing West 22nd Street
Walking down West 22nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues
The beautiful brownstones and brick townhouses on the block
One brownstone on this part of the street is 246 West 22nd Street with its interesting embellishments. This building is a pre-war apartment that was built in 1920(Streeteasy.com).
The unusual stonework on the building
The faces can captivate you
Face number one
Face number two
Face number three
Face number four
The next building to stand out was 262 West 22nd Street. This is another pre-war building was built in 1920 (Streeteasy.com).
Another building whose embellishments were rather unusual were outside of 264 West 22nd Street. This building was another pre-war building in the 1920’s. It has a lot of unique embellishments all over the building (Streeteasy.com).
West 22nd Street from Seventh to Ninth Avenues has several blocks of beautiful townhouses and brownstones some dating back to the mid 1880’s. The blocks look something out of a movie set.
Street art on the building at 441 West 16th Street
Street art on the building
Street art on the building
Walking under the High Line Park
Artist Eduardo Kobra painting “The Mount Rushmore of Art” above the Empire Diner at Tenth Avenue and West 22nd Street
The mural, created by Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra, “Mount Rushmore of Art”, is the artist’s memorial to some of modern art’s biggest artists including Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat (Vibe Map 2023).
Eduardo Kobra is a Brazilian born artist known for his contemporary and colorful art murals all over the world.
I continued to walk down the road and admired the beauty of each of the streets with their front gardens and plantings.
The beauty of West 22nd Street between Eighth and Seventh Avenues
More faces staring at you while you walk by
I feel like they are passing judgement as you walk by
Even the work sites are home to art work
While making my way down West 22nd Street, I passed NY Cake, a specialty store all the items cake decorating and making. The store has everything you need for both professional and amateur baking. I walked along the aisles looking at all the merchandise when I spotted an fascinating piece of art at the front entrance.
Cake Artist Collette Peters is an American born baker, artist, cake design maker and author of “Collette’s Cakes: The Art of Cake Decorating”.
I the rounded West 21st Street and walked down the street admiring all the beautiful homes and street art.
Sixth Avenue and West 23rd Street
This was in the very heart of what once the ‘Ladies Shopping Mike’, with the former Crawford-Simpson Department store
The first thing I saw as I walked down the street admiring, tucked in between the buildings was the Third Shearith Jewish Cemetery at 98-110 West 21st Street.
The Third Shearith Cemetery at 98-110 West 21St Street
When Congregation Shearith Israel was forced to close its graveyard in Greenwich Village in 1829, it established a new cemetery in an area even further away from the city center. The 21st Street cemetery served as the congregation’s burial ground until 1851, when the city banned burials below 86th Street (New York City Cemetery Project website). Their original cemetery was just off Canal Street in Chinatown and also sits behind a locked gate.
The cemetery is a quiet reminder that the City keeps progressing and builds around the past. It just shows how time marches on.
The inside of the cemetery
There is a real beauty to these small historic cemeteries. You wonder if the families understood the changes and progress in the City over the next hundred years.
The small cemetery seems surreal in this built up neighborhood
I wondered if anyone visited these folks anymore. The cemetery looks like it is taken care of but not on a regular basis.
As I continued to walk down the street more surprises popped up along the way. Along the blocks with townhouses and brownstones, there are small pocket gardens and flower beds bursting with color. Along all these streets in Chelsea, there were little surprises everywhere on buildings architecture, tucked in corners by stairs and along the staircases. There is a lot of detail you can miss if you don’t stop for a moment and just appreciate it.
The beautiful plantings and urban gardens that lined the street
Outside of C.S. Hardware at 189 Seventh Avenue there is an interesting mural
The streets in the neighborhood are really picturesque and look like they are out of a movie set. The streets are lined with beautiful brownstones and brick townhouses. Just be careful as the faces follow you around. You will find one thing about Chelsea, the faces on the buildings are all over the place and each has their own unique look about them.
The beauty of West 21st Street
Faces carved into the doorways around the neighborhood
They just seem to follow you around
Even on the sidewalks faces follow you on the walk to 11th Avenue. The eyes are always watching
I love all the carved faces in the buildings in the neighborhood. These interesting embellishments in some cases are the only decorations the buildings have so I looked out for them as I walked by. The rest of the building is rather plain but the keystone greeting you always has a look of longing.
I wasn’t sure if this was a lion or a demon
The neighborhood has three Fernando Kobra murals painted on the buildings. This is ‘I ❤️ New York’ on 212 Eighth Avenue.
The Kobra painting ‘I Love New York’
The Kobra painting of Albert Einstein ‘We ❤️ New York’
I continued my walk down West 21st Street looking at the treasure trove of outside art and architecture.
The entrance to the Reilly Building
Has the most interesting face guarding the building
The buildings that watch you
Look at you with a look of horror
The residents creating small gardens along the blocks
I loved this stone chair outside on of the brownstones
Passing by the Guardian Angel School on 193 Tenth Avenue with High-line Park in full bloom
The church school was designed and built in 1930 by architect John Van Pelt of the Van Pelt, Hardy & Goubert firm. The building was designed in the Southern Sicilian Romanesque style and has many different religious elements in the detail of the outside of the building. You have to look at it from all directions to appreciate its beauty (Wiki).
On the corner of West 21st Street and 11th Avenue, I came across this interesting drawing on a plastic barrier. I assumed the street artist was from Jamaica.
Walking on the other side of West 21st Street on the way back showed just as many interesting views.
High line Park is in full bloom by 10th Avenue
Walking down West 21st Street near Eighth Avenue
Walking past the historic brick townhouses in the neighborhood
As I passed the school yard, I saw this work on the fence and thought it was really whimsical
As I left West 21st Street, I took another peak at the cemetery and thought about when they buried these people. It must have been wilderness at the time this cemetery was created. The first one is down in Chinatown.
I rounded West 20th Street in the late afternoon and I did notice a change in the architecture as I walked further into the neighborhood. It seemed a little more commercial though the use of the buildings seem to be changing.
Then I passed Chelsea Green Park at 140 West 20th Street
The Chelsea Green Park was an oasis from the hot weather that had been going on the week I walked the neighborhood. It seemed all the parents were trying to escape the heat as well as everyone sat under shade trees while the kids ran through the sprays of water and throwing water balloons at each other.
Chelsea Green Park sign
The parks history
This park sits on a former school and when the building was torn down, the neighborhood rallied to create this park. This much needed green space is the neighborhood focal point on these hot summer days that we experienced in the summer of 2025.
Walking by the busy park in the early afternoon
Some of the businesses are quite unique in the neighborhood. I loved the window display at ‘Purple Passion’ at 211 West 20th Street. If anything stood out was this creative set of ensembles.
The display window at Purple Passion at 211 West 20th Street
Purple Passion has become the darling of fetishists-in-the-know over the last few years almost exclusively by word of mouth. A selection of fetish “toys”, restraints and clothing more diverse than almost any other store in New York is crammed into a tiny shop now so packed with merchandise it’s difficult for more than two or three customers to be inside it at once (The NYCGoth.com website).
This interesting brownstone is a pre-war building that was built in 1920. This rather daring face protects the entrance of the building.
The front door is on guard
The blocks in the center of the neighborhood down each street from Seventh to Ninth Avenue are lined with rows of rows of tree lined streets with classic brick townhouses.
Walking down the picturesque West 20th Street
The garden boxes along the way
Flowers peaking out here and there along the walls
The residents landscaping the tree boxes along the street
A tree growing in the High Line Hotel courtyard at 180 Tenth Avenue
The Cushman Row is one of the finest examples of Greek Revival style of architecture in New York, this superbly designed row of houses has retained most of its handsome original detail. Built by Don Alonzo Cushman, parish leader and financier, in 1840 (from the Cushman Historical Marker).
Then I passed the elegant and beautiful St. Peter’s Church was in the middle of the neighborhood.
The sign for St. Peter’s Episcopal Church at 346 West 20th Street
The historic St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in the summer of 2025
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church was constructed in 1835 and was designed by architect James W. Smith in the Greek Revivial style. The design was also influenced by Clement Clarke Moore, on whose estate the land had been donated (Wiki).
As I passed the 10th Precinct at 230 West 20th Street, I looked at the 9/11 mural and realized that next year would be 25 years since that horrible day. It is amazing how fast it has gone by.
I stopped inside the Chelsea Green Park to relax for a while and it was a lot of kids running around and parents talking amongst themselves. The kids seemed occupied by both a water balloon and a squirt gun fight.
The Chelsea Green Park in the late afternoon
After a nice rest and a lot of water, I turned down West 19th Street to continue my tour.
In front of of the old Siegel-Cooper Department Store building on Sixth Avenue and West 19th Street
Walking past the townhouses along West 19th Street
The street art along the way
The beautiful gardens in front of of the homes
In the middle of the block were the Robert Fulton Houses which along with the Chelsea-Elliott Houses are both slated for demolishing later this year. That will change the completion of this neighborhood. These were opened in 1962 and were designed by architects Brown & Guenther.
Its narrow, 18-foot-width precluded the traditional stable design of a centered carriage bay flanked by a pedestrian entrance and window. The property was a three-story brick house, home to Samuel Weekes and his family who would remain through 1858 (DaytonianinManhattan.com).
I liked the sign at the top of the door way of the “A Hug from The Art World”
I took a break after all the walking at The Sleeping Cat at 160 Seventh Avenue for a quick snack/late lunch. The place was pretty crowded in the late afternoon. They ran out of the three things I wanted to try so I ordered a Chicken with Brie Club sandwich on a milk bun with a Pomegranate soda for lunch.
My lunch that afternoon
The Chicken and Brie sandwich
Yum!
For dessert I chose a Lemon Poppyseed Cake, which was delicious. You could really taste the fresh lemon juice and zest in the cake.
The inside of the unique coffee shop
I continued my tour of the neighborhood a few days later when I came back into the City for the Michigan State Alumni Picnic that Saturday. We ended the picnic at 4:00pm, so I walked from Central Park to West 18th Street after a pit stop to recharge my phone and go to the bathroom.
I wanted to finish the neighborhood before dark but could only finish the blocks from West 18th through West 17th Streets. You just can’t take good pictures after 7:00pm when the shadows hit the buildings.
Starting on West 18th Street
Some of the interesting street art you will see in the neighborhood
This series of what looks like old carriage houses lines West 18th Street just off Sixth Avenue
These buildings were designed in a round arched utilitarian style related to the German Rundbogenstil and incorporate Romanesque and Renaissance Revival details. They were built between 1864 and 1865 and were used as stables (HDC.com). They are now being used as restaurants, shops and art galleries.
A close up of one of the series of buildings at 136 West 18th Street
There were several buildings that stood out along West 18th Street and one of them was 154 West 18th Street, the Hellmutg Building now home to the Lazzoni store.
The Hellmuth Building was designed by architect Adolph Schoeller in the Art Nouveau style in 1907 and was built for William Hellmuth, who was a highly-successful manufacturer of printing and lithographic inks and varnishes (DaytonianinNYC.com)
The details of the Hellmuth Building
The carved embellishment of the building
Another building that stood out was the Art Deco style Walker Tower at 212 West 18th Street
Originally constructed in 1929 as a commercial building for the New York Telephone Company, this historic structure was designed by the renowned architect Ralph Thomas Walker, celebrated for his distinctive Art Deco style (The Walker Tower website).
The Walker Tower in full view
The art deco details to the outside of the building
The details outside of 265 West 18th Street were very unique.
While I was walking down the street, I passed the Room & Board store and saw all the embellishments on the building and wondered what they meant. It was the insignia for the old Seigel-Cooper Warehouse building.
The old Siegel-Cooper Warehouse Building is now home to the Room & Board showroom at 249 West 17th Street with entrance at West 18th Street
The Seigel-Cooper insignia can still be seen on the building
The building was designed by the architectural firm De Lemos & Cordes and opened in 1904. the architects used lusty terra cotta ornaments to distinguish the façade. Each pier culminated with winged orbs bearing a sash emblazoned with SC&Co; and the bay doors were flanked by large, intricate wreaths (DaytonianinManhattan.com).
You can find street art all over the sidewalks in this neighborhood. Just look down and many artists leave their mark.
This interesting twin building with a mansard roof was built in 1910 (Streeteasy.com). What I thought was interesting about the building is how it stands out amongst all the brick townhouses that had a plainer design. It looks like something you would see on the Upper East Side inside of this neighborhood.
As I passed the high school in the area, I came across this mural painted on the playground walls. I saw this mural on the Liberty High School for Newcomers at 250 West 18th Street. I could not get a good look at it as the playground was locked.
The mural outside of the Liberty High School for Newcomers at 250 West 18th Street
A serpent embellishment outside one of the buildings
Tucked in the corners of buildings all over the neighborhood, there were all sorts of interesting and unusual street art and stone carvings and embellishments. While most of the buildings were rather plain, it was a serpent here, a dragon there and a face staring back at you from the front door keystone that gave the building something special to admire.
Some of the street artists, whether hired or tagging were very creative on the sides of buildings. I am sure that the building owners were not happy to see this but the City has its own ideas sometimes.
You have to look up or you will miss this street art on the top of one of the buildings
I have seen this artist’s work all over the neighborhood
With all the unique architecture and street art along West 18th Street, I anticipated more surprises when I rounded the corner of West 17th Street. You never know what you will see tucked here and there along these streets.
Turning the corner along West 17th Street and Sixth Avenue
The mural of ‘I Love New York’ is iconic in this neighborhood. This has been here for many years. This work of art was created by artist Nick Walker.
Artist Nick Walker is a British born artist that now lives in Manhattan. He is know for being part of the ‘stencil art’ movement that was started in the 1980’s. He is know for his large murals of contemporary art and is best known for merging freehand work with stenciled imagery (Wiki/Artsy.net).
As I started to walk down West 16th Street, I passed an old friend in the restaurant da Umberto’s at 107 West 17th Street. I have spent the last three Halloween nights enjoying dinner with other volunteers from the Halloween parade here after the parade was over. The food and service are excellent.
Da Umberto’s Restaurant is where we have our dinners after finishing our night volunteering at the Halloween Parade. I have been here for the post dinner celebration for the last four years and the food and service are wonderful (See review on TripAdvisor.com).
Our dinner at Da Umberto’s on Halloween night
The restaurant’s food and service are wonderful and I highly recommend it.
The irony was just to add to the Halloween lore, these street art bats were right next to the restaurant.
One of the most beautiful buildings on the block is the old Xavier Parochial School now the Winston Preparatory School at 126 West 17th Street. The details on the school are so beautiful and it still has the original entrances of one for Boys and one for Girl’s.
The Winston Preparatory School at 126 West 17th Street
The building at 128 West 17th Street was built around 1853 and had once served as the Xavier Parochial School and now houses the Winston Preparatory School (Wiki).
The old Boys entrance
The old Girl’s entrance
All along the buildings in Chelsea there are the interesting embellishments that stare, surprise and snarl at you. You just have to put down that cellphone and look up.
The top of the building had many snarling tigers staring out into space
Embellishment on the top of the building
The embellishments on the top of the building
Another building that stood was futuristic structure with all sorts of pot holes. This is the former Maritime Union Building that is now the Dream Hotel. It was once part of a series of three buildings that was part of the National Maritime Union. When the Union folded due to lack of membership as industry changed, the building was left empty. The building designed byBronx-born but New Orleans-based architect Albert C. Ledner in 1966 (New Yorkitecture 2015).
When I walked to the end of the block and turned back, it took a look across the street to the Robert Fulton Houses playground and saw the most creative and unusual set of plantings along the wall. I could not find on the artist on these works (but I will keep looking). These are fun!
The paintings in the Robert Fulton figure
This series of paintings was behind the water fountain along the back wall of the park.
The close up of the third painting in the series
This painting of the Chicken crossing the road “Don’t Ask” by Artist Allison Katz. It seemed to replace the Pink Panther mural of a few weeks ago.
Artist Allison Katz presents Don’t ASK. On this monumental scale, a rooster and hen are depicted in the middle of an asphalt street, seemingly bringing to life the classic anti-joke, “why did the chicken cross the road?” (High Line.org).
Artist Allison Katz is Canadian born artist who now lives in London, England. She studied Fine Arts at Concordia University in Montreal and received her MFA from Columbia University in New York. Katz’s work investigates the ways in which aesthetic practices link and absorb autobiography, information systems, graphic icons, and art history (Ago.ca).
At the very end of the road, West 17th Street turned into a cobblestone street and you do not see much of this anymore in Manhattan.
Walking back from Tenth Avenue, I saw the street art from a different angle and I could see the street art peaking out from behind the fence.
The street art in the empty lot along 20th Avenue
There was something unique about this tiny garden just off 10th Avenue
Another face staring out at me
There was another small park on this block to relax and cool off too. The Dr. Gertrude Kelly Park is another patch of green where residents were relaxing that afternoon.
It was nice to be able to sit under a shade tree and just relax. Though it was not as hot as previous days, it got warmer in the late afternoon.
The inside of Dr. Gertrude B. Kelly Park on hot afternoon
The park goes through the two blocks
On the way back to Sixth Avenue, I passed the back of the old Siegel-Cooper Department Store warehouse building that is now the Room & Board store. The same beautiful details were on both sides of the building.
The Seigel-Cooper Warehouse Building
Here and there I kept seeing such interesting street art along the walls and corners of buildings all over the neighborhood.
This interesting looking ‘PAC Man’ figure was on one of the walls of a building on the block
The last building I passed was the Rubin Museum which was closed that day. I had not been there in over a decade and remembered that it did have very interesting art. I had not realized that the museum had closed its doors in the Fall of 2024. It closed October 6th, 2024.
The Rubin Museum at 140 West 17th Street (Closed in October 2024)
The Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art (formerly Rubin Museum of Art) was founded in 2004 as a haven for Himalayan art in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City by Shelley and Donald Rubin, who are philanthropists, cultural leaders, and collectors. The opening was the culmination of 30 years of art collecting, six years of planning, and the purchase and renovation of the former Barneys department store (Rubin Museum website-Museum Closed in October 2024).
As I exited West 17th Street to finish my walk of this part of the Chelsea neighborhood, I came across this interesting piece of street art on Seventh Avenue. It always amazes me with people on what they can create.
This was on the wall of an empty store on Seventh Avenue
On my last day walking around the lower part of the neighborhood, the temperature hit 96 degrees and the humidity was worse. Since I only had to walk from Sixth to Eleventh Avenues from 15th to 16th Streets, I thought it would take about an hour. Throw in lunch and a dessert break and it was two and a half hours in the heat.
Starting the walk at the corner of West 16th Street and Sixth Avenue
The tree lined blocks between Sixth and Seventh Avenues
Here and there the small gardens pop up with lots of colorful flowers
I loved this serpent carving at the entrance of 200 West 16th Street. The building was covered with all types of creatures.
t was the first of the four distinguished developments by visionary developer Henry Mandel and was designed by esteemed architects Farrar & Watmough. Farrar & Watmough harmoniously blended the Jazz Age and Gothic Revival styles creating a building with a visually striking and architecturally significant facade adorned with variegated orange brick, limestone and terracotta (Streeteasy.com)
The serpent above the doorway at 200 West 16th Street
I had to stop for some lunch and I came across a pizzeria that had been my ‘go-to’ since I started at NYU. I always enjoyed the specials for lunch and dinner. In just a year, the prices did go up a few dollars but the pizzeria is still reasonable.
J’s Pizza at 96 Seventh Avenue at the corner of Seventh Avenue and West 16th Street
I stopped in at J’s Pizza for a quick lunch. I had not realized I had not eaten here since I had graduated from NYU in the middle of last year (did college fly by in the blink of an eye). I forgot how good their food was when I ordered my lunch. I had a slice of their Fresh Mozzarella Sicilian pizza and a Coke and it hit the spot on this hot day.
My Sicilian slice
What a great lunch and a nice break
I continued my walk down West 16th Street passing businesses and homes and noticing the changes in the neighborhood with renovations and new buildings going up. More and more this particular neighborhood is getting very desirable and the homes more expensive.
The embellishments outside of 224 West 16th Street
This interesting pre-war building was built in 1800’s (Streeteasy.com). By the mid-1840’s Timothy Phelan and his family lived in the three story, brick-faced house at 197 West 16th Street (renumbered 319 in 1859), just west of Eighth Avenue. Twenty-five feet wide, its dignified Greek Revival design reflected influences of the emerging Italianate, notably in the understated entrance above a stone stoop (DaytonianinNYC.com)
The stonework in more detail
The end of the block is dominated by the Marine Hotel and its series of high end restaurants
The Marine Hotel with its restaurant, Tao Downtown is in front
Then I saw this very unusual street art right by the Fulton Houses
The High Line Park dominates over this part of the neighborhood with its lush plantings and its interesting display of artwork. Try to walk the distance on the walkways of this incredible urban park.
As I was walking back up the street, I noticed a whole building of faces following me along the sides of 111-114 Eleventh Avenue. You have to look really closely to see the changes by each window.
Along Eleventh Avenue I had not noticed this building at all
You have to look at each window and doorway from across the street to really appreciate the beauty of this building.
The last of art that I saw on the block was this mural for the Bond Vet business around the corner by artist Jade Purple Brown. I thought the colors were so vibrant and that it really promoted this business well.
Jade Purple Brown is a Brooklyn based artist known for her vibrant portrayals of Black women in psychedelic, dreamlike worlds (Artist bio on website).
I finally rounded West 15th and Sixth Avenue in the late afternoon and breathed a sigh of relief as it was getting so hot out.
Reaching West 15th Street and the edge of both Lower Chelsea and the Meatpacking District at the end of a hot afternoon. There was a picturesque view of old New York between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. More tree lined blocks with brick townhouses.
The Old Nee York look about the blocks in Chelsea
Here and there tucked within dome of plain brick and brownstone homes, interesting carvings and embellishments can be found.
Decorated below the windows of 229 West 15th Street, I saw these interesting carvings staring back at me.
This unique pre-war building was built in 1901 (Streeteasy.com)
Face number one staring back with an evil look
Face number two just as evil
As I walked down the street, a French flag and the colors of France when I passed La Sandwicherie Chelsea, which I found out later had two small sister restaurants. I saw these festive signs for crepes and sandwiches, I stopped in to take a peek.
I was still a little stuffed from the pizza but thought a crepe might be nice to tide me through the rest of the evening.
The front of La Sandwicherie Chelsea at 239 West 15th Street
The selling point was the sign. It did remind me of Paris
The sandwiches sounded interesting too
I stopped inside and I swear I was back in Paris again with the tiny chairs and tables and the French music. I was not thrilled that the price was higher inside but only by a dollar and the manager explained it to me. I was still in the mood for that crepe.
The inside of the restaurant brought me right back to Paris
The shelves were lined with the wonderful French potato chips I had tried at the food show
I ordered a Strawberry Crepe, which was a freshly made crepe( he even showed me the crepe batter to prove it), which was filled with strawberry jam and topped with sugar. I ordered a Pomegranate soda to have with my dessert.
The Strawberry Crepe with my soda
Yum!
Now having some more carbs and sugar to wear off, I started back down West 15th Street happy and content. The crepe brought back a lot of memories of my trip to Paris two summers ago.
I continued my walk down West 15th Street with more pairs of eyes watching me at the buildings.
What I love about this building is the extensive embellishment of faces and curvatures throughout the front of the building. Faces stare at you from all directions and passing judgement right by the front door. You have to look up and down to really appreciate this building.
There is emended detail to building
The faces staring back
Don’t pass judgement
The sister building next door at 251 West 15th Street had just as many details.
At Stonehenge Gardens, travel through the private gate and along the walkway where you will find this gem of a building setback between 14th and 15th streets. Built in 1950, this six-story building is located in the center of Manhattan’s trendiest downtown neighborhoods: Chelsea, the West Village and Union Square (From the Stonehenge website).
The private gate and gardens were locked when I was visiting the neighborhood but you could see how beautiful it was right behind the gate.
Finishing my walk down West 15th Street
The Jazz Concert that evening at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens:
After I finished the streets of Lower Chelsea, I took the subway to Brooklyn for a Jazz Concert at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. On the way to the subway, I noticed these two mosaics on the wall of the subway platform. What interesting work by Brooklyn based artist Fred Tomaselli entitled “Wild Things”. These gorgeous and colorful works flank both the upstairs and downstairs of the subway station
Artist Fred Tomaselli is an American born artist best known for his highly detailed paintings on wood panels, combining an array of unorthodox materials suspended in a thick layer of clear, epoxy resin. He studied at California State University and his studio is in Brooklyn (Wiki).
It was a quick subway ride to the gardens on the express subway and I got there in record time . It was enough time to tour the gardens before the concert. The gardens were at their peak in the middle of the summer and everything was so green.
The lawn by the Cherry Bloom Gardens
The Cherry Bloom lawn is where the concerts are held
People getting ready for the concert
Members waiting on the lawn for the concert to begin
I was sunny and warm out when I got there and just about five minutes before they were supposed to start the concert, it poured for the next twenty minutes. They end up cancelling the concert again on me. The weather played havoc that evening.
The only problem was that the moment it stopped those twenty minutes later, the sun came back and it was beautiful as the musicians were packing up. I can tell everyone hoped they would have a change of heart. They kept packing up and I decided to walk around the gardens again. There would be one more concert in the future the next week.
It did clear up after it stopped raining
The sun rose over the Japanese Gardens
So for the next hour, I just wanted to walk around and admire the flowers and the garden beds.
It ended up being a nice night and the best way to end of evening.
Even though the concert was cancelled, it still was a nice evening and I did get my share of exercise. Even as the lights turned on in the Botanic Gardens, there is still such a magic of walking along the beds and admiring the flowers and the other plantings. You should not miss the gardens during any of the seasons. There is always something to see even in the dead of winter. The true beauty though is in the late Spring and early Summer when everything is in bloom.
Open: Sunday 9:00am-12:00pm/Monday-Saturday Be Appointment
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Saddle River Reformed Church at 481 East Saddle River Road in Saddle River, NJ is also known as the “Old Stone Church”
The historic marker of the church
I visited the ‘Old Stone Church’ in Saddle River, one of the oldest churches in the state and was taken not just by the beauty of the church but by the respect the church has for the people who are buried here. There is much recognition for the contributions of the soldiers and the armed forces not just for the Revolutionary War soldiers but current ones as well.
The oldest part of the cemetery is the closest to the church
The oldest part of the cemetery contains names like Demarest, Haring, Hopper, DeBraun, Eckerson, Terhune and Zabriskie. These are the first settlers of the area whose families owned farms in Saddle River. Many of the families have family plots in the cemetery.
The Hopper family plot
The Zabriskie family plot
The Gilderston family plot
The DeBraun family plot
The oldest part of the cemetery holds so much history of the founding members of the Saddle River and Bergen County community.
The History of the Church:
(from the Saddle River Reformed Church website)
Our church, known to many as the Old Stone Church, was organized in 1784 as a daughter church of the Old Paramus Church. It is a part of the Reformed Church in America, a denomination which traces its roots to the Dutch colonists.
While there is evidence that the original church building was erected in 1789, our present sanctuary was built in 1819. An extensive renovation in 1971 – 1972 recreated the appearance of the original structure.
The Old Stone Church and the historic Revolutionary War Cemetery that is located behind it.
The History of the Cemetery:
(From the Saddle River Reformed Church website):
Our cemetery is the resting place of numerous American Revolution and Civil War Veterans. Church records indicate that the following veterans have been buried at our historic site.
The Saddle River Reformed Church Cemetery is one of the most historic in this part of the country. Our cemetery is over 230 years old and is the burial ground of nine known Veterans of the American Revolution. Tracing back to the founding of this nation, these resting places designate the cemetery as an historic spot of great significance, with a special interest to historians and antiquarians. Surrounded by mature and lush foliage, its peaceful setting by the banks of the Saddle River make for an esteemed and hallowed resting place for your loved ones.
Some of the most fascinating part of the cemetery is its historical section
With the Bergen 250-The 250th Anniversary of the Revolutionary War next year, I wanted to point out the veterans buried here from the war.
David DeBaun was born in Schraalenburg (Bergenfield) in 1759 to Abraham DeBaun and Bridget Ackerman. About 1770 the family moved to Hempstead in New York. David served as a private in the Second Regiment of Hay’s Militia, Captain Garret Ackerson’s Company. He married Hannah Forshay, b. 1868, d. 1836. David died in New Hempstead, NY in 1820. He was tax officer of Hempstead in 1811 and 1812; supervisor of Haverstraw 1811-1814. An enclosed plot in the Upper Saddle River Cemetery is the resting place of his entire family.
John Tallman
(from the church website)
John Tallman was a Sergeant in Hays Regiment of Militia, Orange County, NY Militia, Company of Captain Hogenkamp, William Sickles, and Aurie Smith, and is listed on the Revolutionary War pension records. He was born in Tappan, the son of Jan Tallman and Helena Gerritse Blauvelt. He married Margrietje Forseur (Forshay). He died in New Hempstead, NY in 1839.
David Eckerson
(from the church website)
David Thomas Eckerson, was born in Schraalenburgh (Bergenfield) in 1738. He married Angenetye Vanderbeek and they had a sons Thomas, Paul, Jon, David and Aurie and daughters Hannah, Mary and Angenetye. He is on the Revolutionary War rolls in Rockland County. Revolutionary War veteran Peter van Orden was an executor to his will.
Thomas Eckerson
(from the church website)
Thomas Eckerson, 1745-1818, was married to Cornelia Eckerson. They had children, Thomas Eckerson, Edward T. Eckerson, Maria Eckerson Crouter, and Jacob Eckerson. He is listed as a Private, New Jersey Regiment. He also served in the War of 1812.
Abraham Haring
(from the church website)
Abraham G. Haring was born in 1755 in Tappan, Orange, NY to Garret J. Haring and Cornelia Lent. He married Elizabeth Blauvelt. He died in 1832 in Hempstead, Rockland, NY. He served in the Revolutionary War 1775-1783, Coopers Regiment, NY Militia.
John Terhune
(from the church website)
John A. Terhune, 1753-1805, was the son of Albert A. Terhune and Elizabeth Doremus. He inherited the stone house on the sw corner of Lake Street and West Saddle River Road, known as the Terhune-Hopper house. He married Catherine Lutkins, daughter of Harman Lutkins of Paramus. He is on the SAR list.
Jacob Zabriskie
In the modern day, I wanted to point out a hero to the Bergen Country Firefighting Community and former Saddle River Fire Chief Larry Rauch and his wife, Sherry who both contributed so much to the firefighting community.
Many members of the Revolutionary, Civil, war of 1812 to WWI and II to Desert Storm are buried here. These church treats our veterans with great respect.
The cemetery sign
Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. Team Project Spring Semester 2026:
As part of our historic cemeteries and graveyard project we are working on for the Bergen 250 project for the 250th Anniversary of the Revolutionary War, my class and I toured the historic graveyard and the family plots. This is one of the oldest churches in Bergen County and in New Jersey. We came to
The Old Stone Church at 481 East Saddle River Road in Saddle River
Touring the oldest part of the graveyard
This church has the most complete set of tombstones of Revolutionary War veterans and the church website has some of the most complete information on their veterans.
Our group picture at the Old Stone Church
My class and I toured the Old Stone Church first through some of the family plots that the students were writing about and then I took them on a tour of the section of the graveyard that held most of the veterans noted above. I walked them through the many family plots around this section of the church through the class period.
The historical sign for the Union Cemetery at 151 Franklin Avenue in Wyckoff, NJ
The marker sign put up by the Wyckoff Historical Society
The walled garden just outside the cemetery in bloom
The Union Cemetery was originally the resting place of the Van Blarcom family and the right hand side of the cemetery has the Van Blarcom family plot
One of the descendants of the family, Ethel Van Blarcom Green donated money for the preservation of this family plot.
The Biography of Ethel Van Blarcom Green:
(From the Wyckoff Historical Site)
If you at all familiar with the Wyckoff Historical Society’s recent activities at Union Cemetery, you may know that the 250 year-old site was the original Van Blarcom burial site. The name can be traced to the early 1700s when the first Van Blarcom family settled in New Jersey. The oldest legible headstone dates to 1764.
What you may not know, is that Ethel Van Blarcom, a direct descendant, bestowed a significant financial contribution to the Society beginning in 1978, with her wish that her beloved family cemetery be maintained. Although she lived in California for most of her adult life, Union Cemetery obviously held a special place in her heart, and she wanted to see it survive. The Society has Ethel’s hand-written letters that confirm her generous donation. She also continued to renew her Society membership until 1984.
However, it wasn’t until 2019 that the current trustees decided it was time to use the funds for its intended use, and honor Ethel’s wishes. Several headstones were repaired, new fencing is being installed, and yearly grounds maintenance is conducted, thanks, in part, to Ethel’s generosity.
It was at this time that Society trustees, Doris Noerr, Melanie Long, and Linda Vreeland, dove into genealogy websites and Society archives to learn more about Ethel’s life and to particularly find a photograph of her.
“After several week of research, we obtained Ethel’s death certificate which led to contacting her niece Naomi who is now 92,” said Society president, Lynn Groel-Lynch. “To our delight, she had a photo of Ethel and her husband, Roy Green that we believe is her 1916 wedding photo.”
Ethel was born in Paterson in 1897 and lived to the age of 89. She and Roy moved to the Los Angeles, California area most likely around the time of her mother’s death in 1933. The couple had no children.
“We are still in the process of contacting a few descendants, and those we’ve spoken to have been happy to share what they know about Ethel,” said Melanie Long. “We also will install a plaque in her memory near where her father, Edward is buried in Union Cemetery. There are thousands of Van Blarcom names as they were the one of the prominent families in our area’s farming community, and after all these years, the Society is thrilled to finally honor the legacy of one very important Van Blarcom, Ethel Van Blarcom Green. As they say, ‘It’s never too late’”.
The current history of the Union Cemetery:
(Wyckoff Historical Society website)
The original Grange sign from the 1960s at the Franklin Avenue entrance of Union Cemetery was weathered and fragile. The Wyckoff Historical Society recently replaced the old sign with one that is also hand-lettered, and includes the Grange logo which was barely visible on the old sign. Two new posts display the new sign.
The Ackerman and Terwilliger families are buried to the left/northern side of the cemetery
The Terwilliger family plot
The resting place of James Terwilliger’s tombstone
To the right of the pathway around the cemetery to the south is the Van Blarcom family plot where on the oldest graves is that of John Van Blarcom, a veteran of the Revolutionary War.
The resting place of Revolutionary War veteran, John Van Blarcom
The original section of the Van Blarcom family plot dating back to the Revolutionary War
The later burial section of the Van Blarcom family
The resting place of Daniel and Rebecca Van Blarcom
The Terwilliger family has two sections of the family plot in the northern section of the cemetery
The Ackerman family’s plot is to the middle most northern end of the cemetery
The Mallinson/Westervelt family has the further most family plot of the cemetery
The cemetery is so peaceful and relaxing to walk around. The Wyckoff Historical Society has done a wonderful job maintaining the property. Even though it is the resting place of many family plots, it’s still a very welcoming place and you can feel it as you walk the paths. There is a respect of remembering the people of the past that can be felt here
As you walk the pathways, you visit the people who have contributed to the growth and history of Bergen County and the surrounding area. They shaped their communities from before the Revolution War to today.
My video of visiting the cemetery and the families that rest here.
The History of the Cemetery:
(From the Wyckoff Historical Society website)
The Union Cemetery on Franklin Avenue dates back to the first half of the 1700s, when Johannes Van Blarcom set aside an area of his property to become a burial place. The earliest readable stone is from 1764 and thought to mark the grave of a slave girl because there is no surname given. Johannes Van Blarcom’s daughter, who died in 1725, is alleged to be buried there also. Various community groups have volunteered to maintain the cemetery, including the Wyckoff Historical Society. In 2018, dead trees, underbrush, and poison ivy were removed.
Most are early Van Blarcom family members as the cemetery was one of the original family cemeteries.
The stone marker sign at the entrance to the family cemetery. This cemetery is the final resting place of Captain John Outwater from the local militia who fought in the Revolutionary War and his family.
The memorial to Captain Outwater in the center of the cemetery dedicated to his contributions to Revolutionary War
Captain John Outwater during the Revolutionary War
When John J. Outwater was born on 9 February 1780, in Hackensack, Bergen, New Jersey, United States, his father, Captain John Outwater, was 33 and his mother, Hendrickje Dirck Lozier, was 34. He married Cathalina Van Bussum on 1 February 1813, in Old First Reformed Church, Passaic, Passaic, New Jersey, United States.
They were the parents of at least 4 sons. He died on 25 September 1842, in Wilson, Wilson, Niagara, New York, United States, at the age of 62, and was buried in Glenwood, Lewiston, Lewiston, Niagara, New York, United States.
The original entrance to the cemetery must have been on Moonachie Avenue in the distant past.
The original graves of Captain John Outwater and his wife, Louise Lozier
Across from their graves is the memorial to the family
Various members of the Outwater family including parents, brothers and sisters and children are buried here.
The grave of Jacob Outwater and his family
The tombstone of Jacob Outwater
The grave of Jacob’s son who died as an infant
The graves of George Outwater and his wife, Ann Van Note
I think this is the grave of George Outwater’s first wife, Mary
Buried outside the family plot is the grave of Henry Cordes
The Outwater family cemetery sits on a small hill overlooking a Quick Check store and gasoline station. Talk about modern progress.
I took a quick tour of the cemetery:
My video of the Outwater Family Cemetery and the grave of Captain John Outwater of Revolutionary War fame.
The Hopper Farm Family Cemetery is a reminder of what happens when time passes you by and the world changes around you. I went in search for the grave of Andrew Hopper, a veteran of the Revolutionary War. I could not find it.
This historic cemetery is hidden from the road behind two large homes on a tiny hill in the back woods. The only way to access the cemetery is to walk down the utility road off the main road, walk through the woods and walk up through the bush to back of two families back yards.
You can tell by the rotting fallen fence that this cemetery was once enclosed but the fence has since fallen and the cemetery in disarray. Still there is a quiet elegance to it.
The cemetery is in desperate need of clean up and repair as tombstones are broken, fallen and discolored.
Some of the family tombstones have fallen. Still you can see members of the Hopper and Demarest families buried here.
Members of the Vanderbryck family Maryann and Rachel
The grave of David Hopper
The grave of Susan Storms, wife of one of the family members buried here.
The grave of Peter Bogart, a member of the extended family
One of the broken tombstones that I could not read
Another tombstone in loving memory of a name I could not read
The broken stone of Fredrick Storms grave
The family cemetery sits quiet and neglected in the woods. Most of the tombstones broken and discolored and hard to read.
I took one last look as I walked down the hill and said a prayer to these forgotten people. One what must have once been the family farm sits a development of extremely large and well maintained McMansions. This is the irony of this once prominent family.
The family buried at this cemetery:
(Bergen County Genealogical Society website)
Copied July 4, 1913, By John Neafie New York City.
1. Abraham Verbryck, d. Jan. 8, 1843 ae. 63-11-8. 2. John P. Ackerman, d. Feb. 24-1829 ae. 34-1-4. 3. Rachel, wife of John P. Ackerman, d. Oct. 4,1844 ae. 49-11-22. 4. Martha Ann, d. Apr. 6, 1835 ae. 1 yr. 8 da. 5. Martha Ann, d. Feb. 5, 1837 ae. 2 mos. 7 da. 6. Rachel Ann, d. July 12,1838 ae. 6 mos. Children of Abraham and Susan Hopper. 7. Peter G. Bogert d. 5 Dec. 1859 ae. 76-6-16. 8. Mary his wife d. 5 April 1866 ae. 72-6-21. 9. David Berthoif d. 8 Jan. 1851 ae. 85-2-29. 10. Catharine Storms his wife d. 19 June 1864 ae. 87-2-5. 11. Peter, son of Stephen D. and Eliza Berthoif, d. 19 Nov.1843 ae. 1-7-2. 12. Elizer L. Ramsey (My Mother), wife of Stephen D. Bertholf d. 18 Dec. 1876 ae. 56-7-5. 13. Stephen S. Berthoif (Brother), d. 28 Oct. 1875 ae. 21-11-17.(same stone as above.) 14. Frederick Storms d. 20 Feb. 1826 in 54th yr. 15. Alice, widow of above, d. 6 Jan. 1859, ae. 81-6-25. 16. John, son of Frederick and Alice Storms d. 29 Apr. 1852 ae. 37-7-10. 17. Susan B. Storms, wf. of Stites Miller d. at San Francisco, Cal. 16 Dec. 1863 ae. 60 y. 18. Eliza, wf. of Philip Vantassel d. 10 Sept. 1830 ae. 29 y.21 d. 19. Samuel V. Codington b. 19 Jan. 1824 d. 30 Oct. 1834. 20. Mary Ann Verbryck, wf. of William Codington b. 9 Sept.1802 d. 17 Feb. 1835. 21. Samuel Verbryck b. 15 Nov. 1780 d. 16 June 1847. 22. Rachel his wife b. 5 Aug. 1778 d. 13 Dec. 1864. 23. Conrod Lines d. 20 Dec. 1839 ae. 66-2-8 (footstone C. L.) 24. Garret G., son of Philip and Jane Hopper, d. 17 Apr. 1833 ae. 15 mos. 25. Rachel Bogert d. 22 Oct. 1793 ae. 70 y. 22 d. widow of Lucas Bogert. 26. Rachel dau. of Lucas Bogert d. 21 Feb. 1791 ae. 30-10-4. 27. Lucas Bogert d. 2 Sept. 1777 ae. 57 y. 4 m. 28. Maria Mandevil, wf. of Steven Bartolf, b. 26 May 1736 d.22 Feb. 1813 ae. 76-8-27. 29. Aaron G. son of Patrick and Sarah M. Cronk d. 25 Nov.1861 ae. 6 m. 29 d.
The Sautjes Tave Begraven Ground Cemetery is an example of an early Dutch Cemetery of some of the first Colonists in Bergen County with some families arriving in the early 1600’s .
The entrance to the Sautjes Tave Begraven Ground Cemetery in Demarest, NJ
The historic sign at the entrance placed by the David Demarest Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
The inside of the historic cemetery
These early families once owned farms under royal patents of hundreds of acres and these would be passed down from generation to generation. These small family cemeteries were once located on the edge of family land that have since been replaced by modern suburbs. This is now in the middle of a traffic circle surrounded by homes. The cemetery is a wonderful shape and is nicely landscaped.
The cemetery from the south side
Generations of a Bogarts, Blauvelts, Haring, Demarest, Du Bois, Van Scivan and other prominent families all inter married into each family were buried here.
The Bogart-Bauvelt family plot
The Bogart-Blauvelt family plot
The Demarest family plot
The Demarest-Haring family plot
The Ann Marie Demarest grave
The Cornelius Demarest grave site, a Revolutionary War veteran
Patriot Douwe Talema, who was killed by the Tories during the Revolutionary War
The Daniel Van Scivan grave, another Revolutionary War veteran
The Haring Family plot
The Haring family plot
The James Haring grave
The Sophia Haring grave
The Du Bois family plot
The Cemetery view from the southern corner
My video of Touring the Cemetery and its historic roots:
My tour of the cemetery
Leaving the cemetery you can see the landscaping offers these families privacy in both life and death.
After the tour of the cemetery, I explored Downtown Demarest, NJ and discovered a beautiful little town with small local stores and a beautiful set of parks surround the streams and the train station just off the downtown.
The town of Demarest Veteran’s display
The town of Demarest has its own rich beauty and you can see this by visiting its Downtown area and its parks.
The breathtaking Duck Pond Park attracted a lot of painters who set their easels by the banks of the streams.
The Duck Pond is really beautiful
They also have a really nice railroad terminal that is now a senior center
The historic Demarest Railroad Station
This wonderful community has so many wonderful attributes.
mywalkinmanhattan 