If These Stones Could Talk (livestream at branch)

It all began when it was discovered that a paved driveway was planned for a lot off Rock Road in neighboring Hunterdon County on a lot that was believed to be an African American burial ground. Ms. Buck and Ms. Mills were told they needed to prove it was a burial ground, and were able to do so with the help of an archaeologist. These events spurred Ms. Buck and Ms. Mills to wonder about the history of the Stoutsburg Cemetery off Province Line Road in Hopewell Township, a field tucked into the Sourland Mountains overlooking the Hopewell Valley surrounding Princeton. Some of the markers had sunk below the ground, but they both had close family members buried there, and knew that there were probably soldiers from the American Revolution and Civil War. Thus began their quest to be “the voice for the voiceless,” and along the way uncovered a trove of buried history about enslaved people in New Jersey, including the stories of their own families. In their book, readers learn about the region’s history, military history, and the impact of faith and churches on African Americans; and meet descendants from the Sourland Mountain region.