Scout Helps Restore Historic Cemetery In Mahwah For Eagle Project

MAHWAH, NJ — A Mahwah Boy Scout dedicated his Eagle Scout service project to helping the Historic Preservation Commission restore the township's oldest (non-indigenous) cemetery and the second-oldest Lutheran cemetery in Bergen County, HPC Chair Anne Powley said.

Noah Brown, a member of Mahwah Boy Scout Troop 50, and his fellow scouts scrubbed and sealed the stairs at the Old Lutheran Cemetery on Moffatt Road, and installed slip-resistant treads. Scouts also cleaned up trash that accumulated along the road, and weeded and planted flowers — an overall "monumental effort," the commission said in a Facebook post.

The stairs, in particular, which HPC and other volunteers use to maintain the cemetery, had not been refinished in years and were in "desperate" need of maintenance, Powley said.

"(Cleaning and sealing) of the stairs helped preserve them and provided a safe and attractive entry to welcome visitors and hopefully more volunteers," she added.

The 17-year-old Mahwah High School junior is one in a long line of scouts that have helped the HPC, Powley said.

Brown's work helps cap a "multi-year restoration effort," she added, that included work with stone carver and restorer Robert Carpenter to repair broken grave stones and complete tree work to prevent further damage to stones.

Earliest stones at the Moffatt Road Cemetery date to 1745, and the grounds "tell the story of the area's earliest European migrants," she said. She also noted that the cemetery is not endowed with perpetual care funds and relies on volunteers.