Follow
The Berlin Cemetery was founded in 1766.
A log cabin was constructed in 1762 on land that had been a grant from King George III of England to Samuel Scull. Rev. John Brainerd, a trustee of Princeton College and missionary, took up subscriptions in the area in 1762 to raise funds for its construction.
It was used by the Presbyterian Church that welcomed all denominations. It later became a schoolhouse until the 1870s. A piece of the log cabin from the church is preserved and hangs on the wall in the Berlin Cemetery building, and the original chalkboard from the schoolhouse still exists in the building as well.
In 1884, the cemetery went into neglect and The Berlin Cemetery Association was formed to operate and maintain the grounds.
It is the final resting place of Lenape Indians and Hessian soldiers. A totem pole was built on the grounds for the Lenape Indians but it wasn’t an appropriate totem pole so it was later removed.
The cemetery is also the final resting place for those who served the country years ago and prominent people from Berlin.
One of the biggest memorials on the grounds is for Lt. Warren Stafford, Jr., who was an aviation cadet in the Air Force. On Feb. 3, 1944, the B-17 Flying Fortress crew of 10 men, including Stafford, was reported missing in action in Germany. His body was never found, and he was awarded posthumously the Purple Heart.
With less than 1,000 burials remaining on the 17 acres, the Berlin Cemetery acquired 10 more acres of land behind the cemetery’s Mausoleum and had a formal ceremony announcing the additional land in April 2016.
The cemetery is located on 40 Clementon Road, Berlin, Camden County, New Jersey.