Rev. Ella Hayes was among those who presided over the rededication Sunday of the Hopper Slave Cemetery in Upper Saddle River.
UPPER SADDLE RIVER -- A slave cemetery in New Jersey has been rededicated following restoration efforts after it was damaged during Superstorm Sandy.
The Record reports the Rev. Ella Hayes was among those who presided over the rededication Sunday of the Hopper Slave Cemetery in Upper Saddle River.
Hayes says the "bittersweet" rededication recognizes the contributions of African-Americans in building Bergen County.
The plot, owned by the Upper Saddle River Historical Society, contains the remains of up to 50 slaves and freed slaves.
The Rev. Robert Fretz says those buried in the graveyard worked for Dutch settlers who were among the area's largest landholders and owned an 18th-century sawmill on the Saddle River.
In 2012, Superstorm Sandy downed trees, destroying a wrought iron fence and many grave markers. Donors covered a new fence.