A family grave in New Brunswick, New Jersey, has remained in place even after decades of commercial development. The tombstone stands several feet above a parking lot behind an AMC theater in the U.S. Route 1.
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The grave belongs to Mary Ellis, who died in 1828. She had lived on property that overlooked the Raritan River, and the burial site later became the resting place of several members of her family. The surviving marker lists seven people, and the dates range from the early 19th century to 1901. A local history published by Highland Park High School identifies Ellis as a New Brunswick resident who lived on the property from around 1813 until her death. It also records the later development of the land. According to The Highland Fling , the property became Raritan Playland in the 1940s and later was used for a Great Eastern Department Store.
The land changed while the burial plot stayed
Ellis's property was eventually sold as New Brunswick developed. The site was being used for commercial purposes, and by the 1940s, John E. Burke purchased the property and operated Raritan Playland there.
The condition of the grave had already deteriorated by the 1950s, and the tombstone had been knocked over by 1956 and remained at ground level for several years. Burke considered moving the graves, but abandoned the plan after he learnt that he would require permission from the families of those buried there. In the 1960s, the property underwent more change. Accounts of the site say the Great Eastern Department Store was built on the former Ellis property in 1965. The burial area was separated from the surrounding development instead of being removed entirely.
Several later accounts state that a protective wall was built around the burial site and that the construction left a roughly 20-foot-deep pit around the grave. The Highland Fling also describes the department-store construction as leaving the graves undisturbed and says that the resulting pit eventually started accumulating debris.
The grave was later brought back to ground level
The property was operating as the Route 1 Flea Market by 1975, and the burial site remained within the commercial property. In 1980, Ray Travis and Burke's son decided to fill the pit around the grave. Accounts of the work say Travis paid more than $1,000 for 11 truckloads of dirt and moved the granite marker back to ground level. Some local historians initially objected because they did not know that the intention of the work was to preserve the graves. The flea market was eventually replaced by a Loews movie theater, and the surrounding land was re-graded during later development. The grave was left at its existing position while the parking lot around it was lowered, which is why the marker now appears elevated above the asphalt.
The 2022 historical account from The Highland Fling says the grave site was also renovated during construction of The Edge at Raritan Heights in 2005, and describes the burial plot as remaining in the commercial area despite the redevelopment around it. The school publication identifies the site as a seven-person family burial plot and reproduces the names and dates recorded on the surviving marker.
Today, the granite marker stands on a raised stone platform in the parking area behind the movie theater. The commercial buildings around it have changed several times, but the burial plot has remained in place through those changes. The site is now one of the more unusual surviving pieces of New Brunswick's early property history.
