Students restore dignity, respect through upkeep of cemetery

By Tara Smith Special Contributor

On an embankment just yards away from Foothill Road in Bridgewater, marked and weathered gravestones dot a triangular plot of land that serves as the site of the Prince Rodgers Cemetery, a final resting place of former slaves.

Once deemed an abandoned site, the cemetery sat untouched for more than 100 years until its restoration and dedication in 2021. Now, the site is maintained by the Prince Rodgers Foundation, with the seasonal help of students from Immaculata High School, Somerville, who visit the site throughout the year to help upkeep the cemetery grounds.

“Service is a big part of our student life at Immaculata and it’s a core part of how we identify ourselves as a school community,” said Principal Ed Webber, a 1999 graduate of the school. “So, while it was no surprise to me when I learned that our students would be helping to maintain the grounds of the Prince Rodgers Cemetery, it did prompt a meaningful discussion about a necessary topic.”

Named for Prince Rodgers, who was born enslaved on Sept. 29, 1815, in Bridgewater, the cemetery was dedicated, 206 years to the day, on Rodgers’ birthday in the hopes of preserving his legacy for generations to come. The son of parents who were kidnapped from Africa, Rodgers was the first generation African man to be born in New Jersey of African parents.

Following the passing of New Jersey’s Gradual Abolition of Slavery law in 1804, which allowed for children of enslaved Blacks born after July 4, 1804, to be freed only after they attained the age of 21 years for women and 25 for men, Rodgers was freed on his 25th birthday. He later married Judith Ann Vanderveer and fathered six children, before his death in 1889.

His legacy lives on through his descendants, many of whom still reside in Somerset County, and through the various locations that bear his name, such as an avenue that cuts through his hometown and a baseball complex and park.

“Our students’ service at the cemetery is as much about raking leaves and pulling weeds, as it is about understanding Rodgers’ story and the stories of so many others who, like him, endured the horrors of slavery,” Webber said. “As a school, we have a responsibility to teach our students how to embrace history, no matter how troubling it may be; and, as a Catholic school, we have the added responsibility of reminding our students that each of us is equally made in the image and likeness of God, all worthy of inherent dignity and respect, and it’s in that vein that we are called to serve others.”

Tara Smith serves as Director of Marketing and Communications for Immaculata High School, Somerville.