Highland Cemetery
Hopewell, New Jersey
Services
Highland Cemetery offers individual plots, family plots and cremation plots. Our magnificently manicured grounds provide perpetual care for your loved one's final resting place. There are winding roadways throughout the grounds providing access to all areas of the cemetery. We work with several surrounding funeral directors to provide for a variety of individualized services.
History of Highland
Highland Cemetery is located in the western edge of Hopewell Borough, and its 14 acres cover a steep hillside of the Sourland Mountains. A small portion of the cemetery is in the borough, with much of it located in Hopewell Township.
The original property was purchased in 1873 from Edward VanDyke and his wife, and was the cemetery established on May 17, 1877. Several graves are marked with sand stones and field stones dated in the early 1860's. This suggests that a graveyard could be found on the VanDyke estate, and these the first residents of Highland Cemetery. There was no borough when the cemetery was created, and in 1891 Hopewell Borough was established with it's western border in the cemetery.
About Highland
Highland Cemetery is rich with history and considered by many to be the most beautiful spot in Hopewell. From the top of the cemetery, you can see the entire valley, with breathtaking sun rises and sun sets. Townspeople and visitors can be found strolling and enjoying the beautiful views from this scenic and peaceful spot. The cemetery is now 148 years old, and is the resting place for more than 600 veterans representing every war. They are commemorated with grave markers, flags and military color guard honors every Memorial Day. Nondenominational sunrise church services are celebrated here as well.
Perpetual Care
Highland Cemetery is a non-profit entity. Revenue is generated from the sale of plots, and those monies used for maintenance, upkeep and licensing with the State of New Jersey. Consider charitable giving to Highland Cemetery.
The cemetery is owned, operated and maintained by the Trustees of the Highland Cemetery Association.
They can be reached at
609-947-2652
Cemetery Rules at a Glance
1. All visitors welcome at the cemetery at their own risk.
2. Dogs are welcome when on a leash and when cleaned up after.
3. The cemetery is closed to all visitors after dark.
4. Priority, respect and right of way is given to funerals in progress.
5. The planting of trees, shrubbery, or other large plants is prohibited. The cemetery management has the right to remove any of the plantings should they interfere with the beauty and/or maintenance of cemetery grounds.
6. Flowers, plants, faded floral arrangements and other decorations will be removed if not maintained at the discretion of the cemetery.
7. No glass containers permitted at the cemetery.
8. Only persons authorized by the Cemetery Association will be permitted to do work in the cemetery.
For a complete list of all Rules and Regulations,
please contact the Cemetery Manager
609-947-2652 or open the link below.
Current Projects
Our current records and maps are all on paper. We have contracted with the company Chronicle to geocode our cemetery and drone photograph the more than 4000 headstones. They will use this data to build a digital map accessible to all. Before we could have the cemetery photograph- ed, we found that many of our headstones have a lichen and moss growth on their north facing surfaces making them illegible. We applied a cleaning solution safe for headstones to rid the stones of the growth. Then our Board members and community volunteers spent several months carefully scrubbing and cleaning every headstone (see before and after images below). The drone photography commenced on September 4th, 2024, and our digital map should be ready for the public in the summer of 2025.