Scotch Plains Revolution 250 Celebration Begins At Historic 1747 Church

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ - Scotch Plains will mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with a township-wide celebration beginning Friday, June 26, at the historic Scotch Plains Baptist Church — the burial ground of more than two dozen residents who took part in the American Revolution.

The celebration opens at 4:30 p.m. at the church, 333 Park Ave., with a ceremony honoring the soldiers and patriots of the American Revolution interred in its historic cemetery, including a wreath-laying and dedication at the church's Revolutionary War memorial boulder.

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Chartered in 1747, the church sits on land that was once part of William Darby's farm. Darby donated a corner of his property for the congregation's first meeting house and burying ground, and the site also held the township's first school.

"By the time we got to 1775, 1776, over two dozen folks who are buried here became part of the Revolutionary War," said the Rev. Chaz Hutchison, the church's pastor. Among them, he said, are Recompense Stanbery, who served on the committee of correspondence, and Caesar, an enslaved man who was freed and volunteered in the Revolutionary War. Drummer boys and paymasters are also buried in the cemetery.

Following the ceremony, reenactors portraying Gen. George Washington and Gen. Rochambeau will lead a contingent down Park Avenue to the municipal building, where the celebration continues with activities, short speeches and food, including offerings from the Stage House.

The church will also sponsor a gravestone rubbing demonstration later that day on the Alan M. Augustine Village Green, showing how to safely reproduce a gravestone's image.

The festivities continue Saturday, June 27, with fireworks at the Shady Rest Golf and Country Club.

For more information, visit scotchplainsnj.gov/index.php/government/revolution-250.

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