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The Forgotten Souls on the Dirt Road: Lamington Black Cemetery

New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation, yet there are still pockets where silence reigns and the modern world feels miles away.

Off the beaten path in the Lamington section of Bedminster Township, there is a narrow, unpaved lane called Cowperthwaite Road. If you aren’t looking for the wrought iron fence on the hillside, you will drive right past it.

Behind those gates lies the Lamington Black Cemetery. It is the final resting place of 97 souls—many of them former slaves, freedmen, and Civil War veterans—who lived and worked in a community that eventually forgot them.

A Sanctuary in the Woods

The setting is hauntingly serene. Surrounded by a grove of pine trees and a meandering stream, the cemetery feels disconnected from time.

Within the gates, there are 97 known burials.

• 36 have names recorded on headstones or in archives.
• 61 remain unknown, their resting places marked only by plain fieldstones, small wooden crosses, or depressions in the earth.

Among the graves are at least five individuals known to have been enslaved by local landowners and manumitted (freed) in the 1820s and 1830s. It is believed that many of the nameless graves belong to other enslaved people who were buried here without coffins or documentation—a stark reminder of New Jersey’s complicated history with slavery.

“The Slave State of the North”

To understand this cemetery, you have to understand the community of Lamington.

The name comes from the Native American word Allametunk (“place of paint clay”). By the mid-19th century, it was a bustling rural village with a blacksmith, a school, and the Lamington Presbyterian Church.

However, like much of New Jersey (which was the last northern state to abolish slavery), the community was segregated. Historical records note that African American congregants at the church were relegated to a separate balcony. While they worshipped in the same building, they were buried apart.

The cemetery was officially established on June 1, 1857, when Martin Kline sold 0.34 acres to the church trustees for $55.00, though burials likely occurred there earlier.

The Civil War Connection

Two men buried here fought for the freedom of all African Americans. The cemetery is the resting place of at least two veterans of the United States Colored Troops (USCT):

• Private James H. Dyce (Company B, 24th Regiment, USCT)
• Private Henry D. Lane (Company I, 22nd Regiment, USCT)

Standing before their graves in this quiet wood is a powerful experience, considering the journey they took from this small New Jersey hamlet to the battlefields of the South and back again.

The Resurrection

For much of the 20th century, the forest tried to reclaim the site. It was overgrown, vandalized, and largely forgotten.

It was saved by the late William “Buzzy” Hundley. In the 1990s, Hundley—a local resident and historian—saw the dilapidated state of the graveyard and refused to let it disappear. He rallied volunteers, cleared the brush, and restored dignity to the site.

Thanks to his efforts, the cemetery was rededicated on October 7, 2001. Hundley personally led educational tours of the grounds until his passing in 2010. Today, the site is part of the Lamington Historic District (listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places), ensuring that these 97 souls will not be forgotten again.

If You Visit

This site is truly off the beaten path. Cowperthwaite Road is unpaved, so be prepared for a dusty drive.

Respect: This is an active memorial site. Please be respectful of the grounds and the fieldstone markers, which are easily tripped over or displaced.

Location: Cowperthwaite Road, Bedminster, NJ. (Look for the iron fence on the hill).

Access: The site is open to the public from dawn to dusk.