Phillipsburg to Honor “Unknown Black Child” with Memorial at Historic Cemetery

To mark the conclusion of Black History Month, the Town of Phillipsburg will hold a ceremony this Saturday to memorialize a young life that has remained anonymous for nearly 200 years.

The event, scheduled for February 28 at 11 a.m., honors an unknown Black child who was the first person buried at the site that would become the Phillipsburg Cemetery.

According to archival records, the child died in 1844 after having “fallen into a sandpit and died of injuries.” Because the child’s identity was “not thought important enough to record” at the time, their name remains lost to history.

In a collaborative effort, the Town of Phillipsburg, the Phillipsburg Urban Enterprise Zone, and the Phillipsburg Area Historical Society have commissioned a commemorative plaque. Since the exact location of the 1844 burial is unknown, the memorial will be placed at the cemetery entrance to ensure the child’s presence is finally “visible” to the public.

Phillipsburg Councilman Lee Clark noted the significance of the child being the first interred in what was then known as “Mr. Roseberry’s wheat field.”

“Like so many other aspects of American culture and history, even here in this graveyard an African-American led the way – but was unmarked and unrecognized,” Clark said. He added that the plaque represents a “small step” in honoring a life “precious in God’s eyes.”

Mayor Randy Piazza said that it is the community’s “duty to continue searching, learning, and telling the stories” of those who were previously “forgotten or ignored.”

Event Details and Support

• When: February 28, 2026, at 11 a.m.
• Where: Phillipsburg Cemetery.
• Officiant: Reverend Wayne C. Sherrer, author of Phorgotten No More.
• Reception: Following the ceremony at the Phillipsburg Arts Association (140 S. Main St.).

The town is currently fundraising via GoFundMe to support the plaque and other local Black history initiatives, including documenting Phillipsburg’s role as a stop on the “Underground Railroad.” 

Donations can be sent to the Phillipsburg Area Historical Society (PO Box 175, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865). Contributors are asked to note “BHMC” in the memo line.