Graveyard rich with colonial history Metuchen resident works to maintain historic grave site BY JAY BODAS Correspondent PHOTOS BY JAY BODAS From left to right: Richard Pearsall applies waterproof sealer to a gravestone at the Old Colonial Cemetery on Main Street in Metuchen. A new flagpole in the Old Colonial Cemetery on Main Street in Metuchen, installed by Boy Scout Matt Szatkowski. METUCHEN- At just under 2 acres, the deceptively small Old Colonial Cemetery off Main Street holds 1,105 graves, some of which date back to the Revolutionary War era. "We would like to one day turn it into a memorial park and put it on the National Register of Historic Places," said William Smith, co-chair of theMetuchen-Edison Historical Society's cemetery committee. "That is why we are fixing it up.We would like to put in some benches so people can gather, and hopefully allow schoolchildren to receive a tour sowe can also explainMetuchen history to them. That would bemarvelous." Smith, a Metuchen resident and former member of the borough's police department, has been working to improve the conditions at the cemetery since becoming interested in the site in 1996whileworking on a genealogy of hiswife's side of the family, theBloodgoods. "This is what led me to the cemetery, and in the process I found 10 of my wife's ancestors buried here," he said. According to Smith, the cemetery holds the graves of 59 RevolutionaryWar soldiers. "That is the [largest number] of deceased Revolutionary War soldiers buried in one small area, that I know of," he said. The first grave on the property dates back to 1731, of a John Campbell, who passed away in the same year.Campbell's headstone remains standing today in good condition.Before Campbell, the other threemost common last names appearing on headstones in the cemetery areMundy, Freeman andMartin. The cemetery has been the property of Metuchen borough since 1974, when the Presbyterian Church of Metuchen sold it for $1, Smith said. However, Smith became concerned when he found that the cemetery was in a state of disrepair, and he decided to do something about it. "It was overgrown, with a lot of headstones knocked over," he said. "We started our committee about 10 years ago to see what we could do to restore the cemetery. I thought that something needed to be done, as it is a very historic site. You have the first settlers of Metuchen buried there, including some of the borough's firstministers, aswell asmany Revolutionary War soldiers. Let's not forget these people and what they did for us. There is a lot of history here." In 1999, Smith contacted theU.S.Geological Service to conduct a survey of the property and to outline the property's perimeter. In the past fewyears, an aluminumfencewas installed around the cemetery's north side and west sides, along with a new stairway leading to the cemetery fromMain Street. In December, a cleanup was organized by theMetuchen-Edison Exchange Club, which removed leaves and broken branches from the property. Recently, a number of local Boy Scouts from Metuchen have also worked on the cemetery grounds for their Eagle Scout projects, improving the property further. Boy Scout Matt Szatkowski installed a newflagpole and planted shrubs near amonument facing the Main Street side of the cemetery. TylerMcGillis, 15, of Troop 74, also refurbished the same side, putting down a layer of newrocks at the cemetery's frontwith 40 bags of donated river stone. Richard Pearsall, 16, coated most of the cemetery's headstones with waterproof sealer to protect against water damage. "We took the old rocks off the ground and then laid down aweed blocker tarp,"McGillis said. "We then put the rocks on the weed blocker and then added the river stone that had been donated. Ethan Grossman, 17, installed a new patio, a project that took over 100man hours, and also plans to install a new sign that will refer to the no-longer-existing Metuchen meeting house,which during theColonial era was used for religious services, localmeetings, and social functions. Grossman said he thought the cemetery was important because it is "one of the few things" that represent "the beginning of Metuchen." "The cemetery represents the roots of what Metuchen was, and it is one of the oldest landmarks inMetuchen," he said. "Aside fromthat,we don't havemuch, so it heightens people's awareness about our local history." Cemetery committee co-chairDr.William Ainslie, who is now retired from his Metuchenmedical practice, agreed. "I think we have to have respect for those who came before us to have continuity in our culture,"Ainslie said. "We thought this place should be a place of honor and respect. That is why we want to encourage people to go up there, to sit and to reflect, and to honor our predecessors. We need a place for reflection in today's society." For a tour of the Old Colonial Cemetery grounds, call William Smith at (732) 549- 0905.