Cape May’s Harriet Tubman Museum also among 61 approved sites in state
CAPE MAY — Cape May and the New Jersey Historical Commission unveiled the first New Jersey Black Heritage Trail historical marker June 11 at the Franklin Street School.
The marker recognizes the school and the determination of Cape May’s Black community to provide equal educational opportunities to their children. The festivities also recognized the nearby Macedonia Baptist Church/Harriet Tubman Museum of New Jersey as an accepted site on the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail and featured reflections from former students.
Signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy on Sept. 7, 2022, the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail legislation calls for the New Jersey Historical Commission to establish a Black Heritage Trail that will “highlight Black heritage sites through historical markers and a trail-like path that connects the stories of Black life and resiliency.”
Since 2022, 61 nominated sites have been selected for the Black Heritage Trail. In addition to the Franklin Street School and the Harriet Tubman Museum of New Jersey, other sites include: the Charles J. Muth Museum of Hinchliffe Stadium, the New Jersey home of Negro Leagues baseball when African American baseball players were excluded from Major League teams; Red Bank’s T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center, home of one of the most influential American journalists and newspaper publishers of the 19th and 20th centuries; and the Dr. James Still Historic Office and Education Center, home of the “Black Doctor of the Pines” who was born to formerly enslaved freedom seekers in Washington Township.
It is intended to be a living trail inviting visitors and passersby to engage with the sites’ art and history. Each historical marker will be 30 x 42 inches with black letters against a white background with gold trim. The markers will be mounted on a 7-foot pole. A square 6×6-inch aluminum plate will be attached to most marker poles with a QR code that leads visitors to the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail website.
On select markers, including the Franklin Street School, visitors will find a 5×10-inch aluminum plate with a Virtual Museum QR code. The New Jersey Black Heritage Trail Virtual Museum invites viewers to learn more about Black history and heritage sites in New Jersey through photographs, documents and other related information.
New Jersey Black Heritage Trail sites are selected through a community-driven process. Each year, the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail reviews nominations from the public as well as staff recommendations. The final selections are approved by the New Jersey Historical Commission.
As part of the legislation, the Historical Commission will work in cooperation with other state agencies, each of which has a unique role in implementing the project. That includes the Division of Travel and Tourism, New Jersey’s leading voice for promoting the importance of tourism as essential to the state’s economy, image and overall quality of life; the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office, which is charged with preserving, protecting and promoting the state’s historic resources; and the New Jersey Black Heritage Foundation, which prioritizes broadening and diversifying statewide participation in and appreciation for Black arts, history, and culture.
Under the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail, the New Jersey Historical Commission will work in cooperation with other state agencies, such as the Historic Preservation Office, the Division of Travel and Tourism, as well as local governments, owners or operators of Black heritage sites, and others to identify a series of sites. The bill also names the New Jersey Black Cultural and Heritage Initiative Foundation as a principal collaborator, due to its mission that includes broadening, deepening and diversifying statewide participation in and appreciation for Black arts, history and culture.
