This virtual workshop offers an eye-opening introduction to New Jersey’s little-known tradition of folk grave markers—handmade memorials often overlooked in the shadow of more formal monuments. Participants will explore the cultural, artistic, and historical significance of these unique markers. Often crafted from concrete, metal, wood, or ceramic, these markers range from simple to remarkably creative expressions of remembrance. Historians Gordon Bond and Stephanie M. Hoagland will share their research into these markers, which are most commonly dated from the 1910s to 1930s and linked to immigrant communities in urban cemeteries. The session will highlight how these markers reflect a rich, yet underappreciated, chapter of New Jersey’s funerary and folk art history.
This program was made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.
