Metuchen Colonial Cemetery To Receive $250K from State Budget for Preservation

EDISON, NJ - The Colonial Cemetery in Metuchen will receive $250,000 for preservation from the state budget, according to Mayor Jonathan Busch. The Metuchen-Edison Historical Society says the cemetery dates back to 1715 and contains at least 66 graves for revolutionary soldiers and patriots.

The cemetery is located on Main Street next to the Metuchen Train Station. The property is approximately one acre of land with over 500 graves and is associated with the Presbyterian Church, according to the historical society.

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In 1777, General Washington referenced Metuchen Meetinghouse, formally on the same property, in letters regarding “local skirmishes.” The historical society says the Meetinghouse was demolished in 1792.

The property belonged to the church until 1887, when the railroad bought the property along the northern edge of the cemetery as part of a track expansion project. The remains from that section were reinterred in the new Presbyterian Cemetery located on the eastern side of Main Street, according to the historical society.

During this time, the cemetery was no longer in use and the condition began to decline.  In 1974, the church donated the cemetery to Metuchen and later formed the Cemetery Committee of the Metuchen-Edison Historical Society. The committee aimed to remove old trees, install flagpoles, benches, a new staircase, and maintain the condition of the cemetery through grants and volunteer work.

“This funding is critically important as we approach the Semiquincentennial of the United States, our 250th birthday on July 4, 2026,” Mayor Busch wrote on Facebook.

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In the same post, Mayor Busch said the township will also receive $500,000 from the state budget towards the purchase of a new fire truck for the Metuchen Fire Department. He thanked the 18th District Legislators, Senator Patrick Diegnan, Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak and Assemblyman Sterley Stanley.

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