- July 4, 2026
- Andrew Thompson
In Preservation Bites we focus on the many historical buildings and sites throughout the state of New Jersey. For this Preservation Bites I want to focus on how Scouting USA in the state of New Jersey has been integral in our historical sites as these young people pursue the highest rank of a Scout which is Eagle rank.
Connecticut Farms was settled in 1667 and was the third community settled after Elizabeth and Newark.
The Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church was established shortly after the church was built in 1730. Land was marked off north and south of the property for the purpose of burying the dead. The community of Connecticut Farms was incorporated as Union Township in November 1808.
Union Township was the site of a major Revolutionary War battle in June 1780. The British Army led by Hessian General Wilhelm von Knyphausen thought the battle would be easily won but the Continental Army unit based in the community proved them otherwise and the goal to win this part of New Jersey was not realized.
The Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church cemetery has interred many soldiers of the Continental Army but also contains a mass grave of the Hessian and British soldiers who lost their lives at the Battle of Connecticut Farms.
Today the church and cemetery on the corner of Chestnut Street and Stuyvesant Avenue is a vibrant place of worship, but it is also the meeting place of BSA Troop #68 of Union. The Scouts meet every week at the church to go through their requirements of being a Scout, obtaining merit badges, passing certifications and even honing their cooking skills (in the parking lot) before they head out to their monthly camping trips in New Jersey. My son Easton is a Patrol leader at Tenderfoot rank and he wants to attain the highest rank a Scout can be, which is Eagle Scout.
To obtain the rank of Eagle Scout it is a long journey and commitment in Scouting and one of the requirements is to complete a project that the candidate for Eagle Scout must come up with and other Scouts in the troop can assist. Scouts pursuing Eagle rank in the past have worked on portions of the church such as painting the wrought iron fence, a portion which was obtained by the church trustees in the late 1800’s from the Newark Insane asylum.
Nicholas Polchinski of Troop #68 is a candidate for Eagle Scout, has put together a project involving the cemetery at the church while respecting those that are interred there. His project involves installing paver stones to create separate paths through the cemetery.
A continuous path did exist years ago but was never maintained and to this day the Church does not allow any grave markers to be placed along this path.
Mr. Polchinski will also create a digital map as part of his project of the cemetery highlighting significant and historical locations, such as the British and Hessian Soldier Mass Grave, the Revolutionary War Phifer, and the first/oldest grave in the cemetery. This will be posted on the Church website as well as posted in QR codes.
Nicholas is looking to complete his project in time for Union Township’s 4 Centuries in Weekend event.
If you would like to donate to Nicholas’s project see the link below:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-nicholas-eagle-scout-cemetery-project
