About 60 Trentonians, Boy Scouts, community leaders and neighbors removed a literal mountain of debris from the historic Locust Hill Cemetery in Trenton last month on April 17. Now the effort continues with a second stage of the project.

This Saturday, May 8 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., the restoration of the Locust Hill Cemetery continues with a clean up day sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Trenton. The Part II of the series will further the initiative to renovate the abandoned area; paying respect to the troops buried at the site.

Established about 1850, Locust Hill is Trenton’s largest existing African-American cemetery. It holds the remains of residents re-interred there from the East Hanover Street Burial Ground, dating back to 1779, as well as a number of Civil War veterans. The Cemetery was abandoned and became the site of a garage in the early 20th Century.

Thanks to the efforts of the 6th Regiment United States Colored Troops Reenactors, led by Algernon Ward, this important piece of history is once again recognized and on its way to restoration. The Kiwanis Club of Trenton is proud to tag along this initiative and support this team effort.

In addition to the manual labor a number of community members chipped in during the restoration process, the Trenton Superior Officers Association and the Trenton Police Officers’ Benevolent Association have committed to a donation of $1,500 towards the project.

The community will continue to transform the area into a greenway first designed for the City by the Olmstead firm in the early 1900’s, now to be implemented as part of the Locust Hill Cemetery revitalization. Volunteers are needed to clear areas believed to contain gravesites so that ground penetrating radar can be utilized. Join the initiative this Saturday.

For more information, please call Mike McCormick at (609) 208-9991.

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