Fisher Road Cemetery

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Site Brief:

Founded: Early 1800's

Location: Mahwah, NJ

Additional name(s): Cynthia Hesdra burial site

Affiliate group(s):

• Mahwah Historic Preservation Commission

 

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History:

This small family burial about 40 ft x 80ft is hidden in a wooded lot in a gated townhouse community in Mahwah, NJ. The site includes the final resting place of Cynthia Hesdra (March 6, 1808-Feb. 9, 1879). Ms. Hesdra was enslaved for some period of her life, went on to become a successful entrepreneur who died with a fortune of over $100,000 ($2.4 million in today's money), and has been honored by the Toni Morrison Foundation for her role as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. A large handsome granite grave stone marked the site, but sadly it has been severed from its base and neighbors do not want it reset. It is not know for certain who else is buried here, though likely her parents, John and Jane Moore are there.

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Resource links:

• https://www.tonimorrisonsociety.org/bench.html

• https://aahsmuseum.org/dt_portfolios/hesdra-ugrr-sign/

• https://aahsofrockland.org/edward-and-cynthia-moore-hesdra/

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BCN Contact Information:

Mahwah Historic Preservation Commission

Historic@MahwahTwp.org

https://www.mahwahtwp.org/225/Historic-Preservation-Commission