African American Burial Ground of Bedminster – The African American Burial Ground of Bedminster is located at the site of the town’s old municipal building on 130 Hillside Avenue. There was rumored to be an old slave burial ground and in 2005, the land was ready to be sold until land deeds confirmed the presence of a burial ground.
A free Black man named Robert Aaron, who became one of the first African American beekeepers in New Jersey, (See: https://njbeekeepers.org/NJBA%20History/) along with two enslaved men named Rick and Yaff, purchased the property for $3 from Aaron Mellick, Jr., who owned Rick and owned the land. Yaff was enslaved by a man named Aaron Van Dorn.
When the land deed was uncovered confirming the presence of a slave burial ground, the plan was to remove any bodies discovered during the excavation process to Lamington Black Cemetery.
In 2016, a ceremony was conducted, and a marker was erected in honor of the burial site. However, in 2019, with part of the land back up for sale, there is still debate about the land and whether it should just be sold or whether the land should be surveyed first.