BY GERRI GIBNEY
SPECIAL TO NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
HARRINGTON PARK—In November 2025, the Harrington Park Historical Society received an email that stopped us in our tracks.
It came from the Stillwater Historical Society and read, in part: a Stillwater resident had come across a gravestone… After research, the Stillwater Historical Society believed it might be a long-missing stone from the Blauvelt Cemetery in Harrington Park—part of the borough’s Old Burying Ground—and asked about the possibility of returning it and ensuring it was placed properly “to honor the young (or older) lady.”
We replied immediately, asking for a photo and the name inscribed on the stone. The response came back with the words that made the story real: “In the year 1791, the 7th of July, was buried here the body of Margrietje Blauvelt, wife of Rheunis Helm, aged 84 years and 3 months.”
We could confirm it right away: the headstone is from the Old Burying Ground. The inscription was recorded in inventories by George Budke in 1916 and Herbert Ackerman in 1946. In our 2007 inventory, it was listed as missing.
The stone itself is in remarkably good condition.
A mystery in Sussex County
The Stillwater Historical Society shared what they had learned on their end. The property owners discovered the stone on their land—in a garage or shed—where it had been tucked against a wall. For years, they assumed it was an old property marker. Only recently, after a closer look and new research, they determined it was a gravestone.
The property, they added, is historic in its own right, with ownership over time ranging from the family of Joyce Kilmer’s widow to descendants of a founding family member, Casper Shaver (also recorded as Shafers), whose homestead dates to the late 1750s.
That information raises an unavoidable question: how did an 18th-century Harrington Park gravestone end up in Stillwater? We don’t yet know. But we do know the likely window. Budke recorded the stone in 1916, and Ackerman recorded it again in 1946. By our 2007 inventory, it was missing. Somewhere between 1946 and 2007, this piece of local history traveled—quietly—from Bergen County to Sussex County.
There is more to this story, and we look forward to continuing the research as we reinstall the stone in its proper place.
Homecoming
This 18th-century tombstone, belonging to the Blauvelt family, is expected to be returned in early February 2026. Its homecoming feels especially timely as communities begin planning for the nation’s 250th anniversary commemoration. New Jersey is often called “the Crossroads of the American Revolution,” and in places like Harrington Park—on small, local grounds like the Old Burying Ground—the history becomes tangible.
The Old Burying Ground contains graves of veterans of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. Many markers carry 18th-century inscriptions in Dutch. The cemetery also sits on land associated with early settlement in this region, including land granted to the Blauvelt family through the Tappan Patent of 1686.
As the caretaker of the Old Burying Ground, the Harrington Park Historical Society works to preserve these monuments and the stories they represent. The return of the Blauvelt stone is not just a recovered artifact—it is a reminder that history can disappear, and also that, with vigilance and cooperation, it can be restored.
The return of this monument also renews attention to ongoing preservation needs. The Society continues fundraising to help repair damaged headstones, including those in the Abraham Myer family plot and other Revolutionary-era markers, so they remain a fitting tribute to Harrington Park’s early residents and to those who served.
If you would like to contribute to these efforts, donations may be mailed to:
Harrington Park Historical Society
P.O. Box 105
Harrington Park, NJ 07640
About the Society
The Harrington Park Historical Society holds general meetings the fourth Thursday of every month, September–May, at Borough Hall. Meetings begin at 7:30 p.m. and include a lecture by a guest speaker. In recognition of the 250th anniversary period, this year’s programs focus on the American Revolution. Meetings are open to the public; the facility is handicap-accessible.
The Harrington Park Historical Society is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation. Website: harringtonparkhistoricalsociety.com. For more information, call Gerri Gibney at 201-913-8459.
— Gerri Gibney is president of the Harrington Park Historical Society