Cemetery Dating Back To 1800s Restored By Hillsborough Eagle Scout

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — 17-year-old Alex Jaakobs of Hillsborough is dedicating his time and sweat to restoring gravestones at the historic Mill Lane Cemetery in Neshanic that had been in disrepair for years.

This effort is part of Jaakobs' Boy Scout Eagle project which is focused on community and specifically doing restoration of select gravestones at the cemetery.

Jaakobs, a junior at Rutgers Prep, and his family are members of the Neshanic Reformed Church, which is a charter organization of his Boy Scout Troop 1776.

The church owns the cemetery with 260 gravestones dating back to the 1800s.

Jaakobs got the idea to restore the historic cemetery last year.

"I mowed the lawn there and noticed the disrepair and need for restoration," said Jaakobs to Patch.

He launched a GoFundMe fundraiser and raised roughly $1,500 to cover material and equipment needed for the repairs.

This past weekend Jaakobs went to the cemetery at the junction of East Mountain Road and Mill Lane in Hillsborough and used a cleaner specifically for tombstones.

"I wet it down, scrubbed it which takes the build-up off and restores some of the natural color and makes it more legible," said Jaakobs.

Jaakobs is cleaning roughly 50 tombstones. He is also using epoxy and mortar to repair about a dozen broken tombstones.

Additionally, Jaakobs added new signage with a QR code for visitors to scan to get more information on the people buried there.

"It feels really good because some people still visit the cemetery," said Jaakobs of his effort. "Also I installed a sign right at the front to bring more awareness to the cemetery's existence in general. Restoring it and making it look more visually appealing will hopefully entice people to check it out and find out more information."

Jaakobs' father Jim was also a Cub Scout growing up but never made it to Eagle Scout.

"I regret it, I wish I had gone through the Scouts like Alex," said Jim, who noted that achieving Eagle Scout is a great honor.

According to the Boy Scouts of America, only 4 percent of all Boy Scouts achieve Eagle Scout.

"I am proud of him. We are members of the church so on top of it being a great service opportunity this will also raise awareness for our church," said Jim, who now serves as an Assistant Scout Master for Troop 1776. "I am proud of him for picking this project."

Jaakobs will return to the cemetery on Saturday, May 11 to finish the project and is looking for volunteers to help.

Anyone interested in helping to restore the gravestones or joining Troop 1776 can email Jim Jaakobs at jjaakobs@gmail.com. Donations are also still being accepted through Jaakobs' GoFundMe site. All donations will be used for future maintenance of the cemetery.

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