"The diocese still owns St. Mark's Cemetery," said diocese property manager James Caputo. "We maintain the property every week."

Caputo described the cemetery as an 80-foot wide by 600-foot deep lot between First Presbyterian's driveway and its border with the Budget Rent-A-Truck/Delta Service Station property to its west. Across the driveway lies the 4.1 acre lot which is the Old Burial Ground where First Presbyterian has stood since 1928.

First Presbyterian's congregation voted June 6 to dissolve itself after a Sept. 25 to 26 celebration. That property will become the Bloomfield-based Presbytery of Newark to maintain, lease or redevelop.

The Old Burial Ground, however, will not be leased or redeveloped. The plot at the southwestern corner of Main Street and Scotland road has been an active cemetery since at least 1678. Findagrave.com lists 729 internees and First Presbyterian was built on the grounds between 1927 and 1928.

"Based on the records and original blueprints going back to the 1820's," said Caputo, "St. Mark's has always been a separate cemetery. It has been a part of St. Mark's Episcopal Church at 15 Main St., West Orange."

Part of the assumption that St. Mark's and Old Burial Ground are the same comes from the brick wall they share along Main Street. That wall, which starts along Scotland Road, was built sometime between 1909 and 1928.

The diocese has leased out St. Mark's Church to Lamb of God Fellowship the last four years. The 2.5-acre lot, including the rectory and 1828 sanctuary, forms St. Mark's Square with Valley Road and Northfield Avenue. St. Mark's congregation had moved on to neighboring Episcopal churches.

Comments (2)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Head Deacon Lamb of God Fellowship
written by Vincent Dahmen, June 30, 2010

Just to clarify things Lamb of God Fellowship rented St. Mark's Church from July of 2004 to June of 2009. They are no longer there. The diocese does maintain the cemetery every week with a paid landscaper and the help of several volunteers that are part of a group call "The Friends Of St. Mark's Cemetery". We do a number of cleanup tasks every week because we appreciate the value of St. Mark's Cemetery to the community as a place of remembrance and for it historical value. There are 22 confirmed civil war veterans buried there. These veterans will not lay at rest in anything less than a pristine setting. We have not achieved that yet. The Friends Of St. Mark's Cemetery will not stop their efforts until that condition has been attained.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Vincent Dahmen, August 11, 2011

Suzanne,

I am there cleaning up St. Mark's every week. People throw trash there every week. It never ends.
After the trash I take away tree limbs that have fallen. If you want to help bring a trash bag and start anywhere and keep coming back. My comment said it is not pristine yet. I won't stop until it is.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment