History

The Orchard Street Cemetery in Dover, Morris County,  NJ was originally founded in 1851 when a group of men determined that a cemetery was needed in the Village of Dover, then part of Randolph Township.  One member of the group, William Young, the first baker in Dover who had his store on Dickerson Street traded his “garden plot” at the end of Orchard Street to this new endeavor in return for several building lots on Orchard Street.  The plot transferred from William Young to the Association was approximately one acre in size.

On September 11, 1854 following the passage of the “Rural Cemetery Act of 1854 by the New Jersey Legislature, the Dover Cemetery Association was founded during a meeting in the Village of Dover held at School House District No. 1.  The location of this school was to the east of Morris Street and to the south of the railroad tracks.  This puts it on the opposite side of the railroad tracks from the old Stone Academy.  The papers of incorporation were dated September 14, 1854 and duly registered with the County of Morris.

A deed dated February 22, 1855 was signed by Jabez Mills and his wife Hannah selling approximately 4.5 acres of their property to the Trustees of the Dover Cemetery Association.  This deed was received and recorded on February 27, 1855 by the County of Morris.  The acquisition of this property brought the cemetery to its final boundaries and size of 5.4 acres.  It is believed based on gravestones in the cemetery that the entire property was being used as a cemetery prior to the date of the recording of the deed.  Further, some sections of the cemetery property may have been used prior to 1851 due to gravestones that predate the founding of the cemetery.  It is also known that there was an earlier Dover cemetery, the Morris Street Burying Yard located south of the train tracks along Morris Street.  It is believed that a number of the remains that were interred there were disinterred and moved to the Orchard Street Cemetery.  Many stones in Orchard Street predate the cemetery founding and it can be inferred that either there were burials in the cemetery confines before it was founded or these are reinterments from the Morris Street Burial Yard, or both.  In addition, there was later a small cemetery on Grant Street next to what was the Swedish Methodist Church.  Around the turn of the 1900's, this cemetery was closed and again, the remains within were disinterred and many were removed to Orchard Street.

Notable Burials

There are a number of notable burials in the Orchard Street Cemetery from local families, political leaders, and national figures.  

The founder of Wharton, originally named Port Oram, Robert Ford Oram Sr. is interred in the cemetery along with many members of his family.  William Fred Birch, a member of the Dover Common Council, Dover City Recorder, New Jersey State Assemblyman (1910-1912), and member from the NJ 5th District to the United States House of Representatives (1918-1919) is also buried at Orchard Street with many of his family.  Joseph Kekuku, a Hawaiian musician who was the inventer of the Steel Guitar lived in Dover for a number of years is also buried here with his wife.

The Baker Family, who along with owning mines are most well known for the Baker Opera House and Baker Theater find there final resting place in Orchard Street.  Recently, Hurd Park was added to the NJ and National Historic Registers was donated by John Ward Hurd to Dover so that his family name would never be forgotten in Dover.  John and several generations of his family find their final rest at Orchard Street.

We will be adding photos of interest to this page shortly as well as more information regarding those famous people who remain with us for eternity.