Jersey City Planning Board Votes Unanimously to Add 43 Black Historic Sites to Master Plan
Jersey City's Planning Board recently voted unanimously to formally incorporate 43 sites tied to African American history into the historic preservation element of the city's master plan, giving them a higher level of protection. The move is expected to fill a long-standing gap in the city's documentation of Black history.
The sites come from a first-of-its-kind architectural survey completed by Hunter Research. The study systematically cataloged Jersey City's African American historic resources, covering key places in the civil rights movement and community life, including the home of the city's first Black teacher; the Hilton-Holden House at 79 Clifton Place, the city's only surviving Underground Railroad stop; St. John's Episcopal Church, a 1960s civil rights hub; and the Van Wagenen apple tree house, whose family once enslaved people.
Notably, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at Metropolitan AME Zion Church in 1968, in one of his final public appearances eight days before his assassination. Some sites already have landmark protection while others have none. Board members said the report is only a starting point, and more sites will be researched and added over time.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：泽西市范瓦格南苹果树屋，本条所涉黑人历史遗迹之一（资料图）。照片：King of Hearts／Wikimedia Commons（CC BY-SA 4.0）。The Van Wagenen apple tree house in Jersey City, one of the Black historic sites covered (file photo). Photo: King of Hearts / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
