Gethsemane Cementary

Opened in 1860, Gethsemane Cemetery is a one-acre cemetery for African-Americans who lived in Hackensack in the late 1800s-early 1900s.

The most famous person is Elizabeth Dulfer who established a successful clay and brickmaking business along the Hackensack River prior to the Civil War. The 1884 burial of Samuel Bass led to the Negro Burial Act that prohibited segregated cemeteries. The county purchased and restored the site in 1985.

Although fewer than 50 gravestones are left, 27 with inscriptions, the burials of more than 500 people have been documented. It is known that African American tradition places great importance on burial. But the presence or lack of gravestones at Gethsemane does not necessarily reflect the economic or social status of the deceased or their families.