The Historic Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery has a rich, long history, dating back to the 1700s, where it was the site of Revolutionary War skirmishes. It housed an ammo bunker during the War of 1812 (which remains on the site), and it holds the remains of thousands of soldiers from throughout history.
The Cemetery is not only a monument to history, but it’s a something of a cultural center in Jersey City, hosting several music events and parties every year. The goal of these events is to raise money for the ongoing support of the cemetery, which is being maintained and preserved by the hard work of volunteers.
Goats, it turns out, are a part of those volunteers. Every year the cemetery hosts goats during the warmer weather. The goats roam around and keep the lawn mowed and eat up invasive species, and the cemetery gets some very inexpensive labor. The kickoff to the season of the goats was held on April 30 this year, with a celebration of Earth and Arbor Days which included the arrival of baby goats, and a roster of some of Jersey City’s and the area’s finest bands.
I was only able to stay for a few hours and so I caught only a couple of bands, but it was a fantastic day of music and good spirits.
Be sure to follow the cemetery on Facebook to find out about upcoming events!
Here are some pics from this one. Bands included Twiddlin’ Thumbs, The Gully Hubbards, The Sensational Country Blues Wonders, and Wildmoon.
Tom DePaul Photography Blog 