MONTCLAIR, NJ — For the last 178 years, Rosedale Cemetery’s 92 picturesque acres in Orange, West Orange and Montclair have been the chosen final resting place for many local families. On Sunday, May 6, the Durand-Hedden House will lead an informative spring walking tour of this venerable and historic cemetery. The entrance to Rosedale Cemetery is at 408 Orange Road, Montclair. Participants will meet at the chapel at 1 p.m. for a brief talk preceding the tour on the grounds, which will involve driving followed by walking on uneven ground. Car-pooling is suggested.
Attendees will learn about Rosedale’s history and visit the monuments of some of its nationally known occupants such as Gov. Charles Edison, painter George Inness, A&P retailer George Huntington Hartford and architect Charles F. McKim. Not to be missed will be more locally known Maplewood notables, such as Nelson Crawford Durand, a collaborator with Thomas Edison on the light bulb and grandson of Henry Durand, owner of the Durand-Hedden House; Edward C. Balch, the developer fondly known as “The Father of Maplewood”; and William Trimpi, who planned College Hill. The tour will also visit well-known street namesakes Harry J. Baker, owner of the Baker Street general store; Edward Arcularius, the township clerk during Maplewood’s formative years of growth into a suburb; and Andrew Van Ness, who founded the reading club that became the Hilton branch of the Maplewood Library.
Check the Durand-Hedden website at www.durandhedden.org or call 973-763-7712 for directions and updates. The tour is weather permitting, with steady rain canceling, so check the website that morning if there is doubt. Admission for the event is free; donations are appreciated.
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