Join us at Orchard Street Cemetery in Dover, NJ on Friday June 5th, 2026!
All 48StateTour! events are free & open to the public
Orchard Street Cemetery
ACROSS FROM 44 Chestnut Street Dover, NJ 07801
6/05/2026 9am-3pm
Find A Grave
Orchard Street Gatehouse Historical Association
Orchard Street Gatehouse Historical Association Facebook
48StateTour Facebook Event
Location Details (keep scrolling for Google maps)
Local contact info for any questions: orchardstreetgatehouse@gmail.com
Parking: Parking is available on the streets surrounding the cemetery as well as nearby town lots.
Cemetery Background/Info
The Orchard Street Cemetery was founded in 1851 by a group of civic minded men in the Town of Dover, then part of Randolph Township. It is the oldest cemetery in the town and was the first cemetery not affiliated with a church in the area. Following the passage of the "Rural Cemetery Act of 1854" by the New Jersey legislature, the Dover Cemetery Association was formed and has run the cemetery since 1854.
The Cemetery is the final resting place of more than 3500 men, women, and children from the greater Dover area, primarily Dover, Randolph, Wharton, and Rockaway. There are over 125 veterans from the War of 1812, the Civil War, The Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and Vietnam as well as well as peacetime veterans. There are many of the founders of Dover, Wharton, and Rockaway, civic and industrial leaders, and ordinary citizens of the area. Unfortunately, many burial records have been lost through the passage of time, fire, etc. so a full accounting of the burials will most likely never be realized as many people were buried without a stone memorial through choice or economic reasons.
The Orchard Street Gatehouse Historical Association was founded in 2019 with the goal of assisting the Dover Cemetery Association maintain and preserve this cemetery. The 1875 Gatehouse on the property was recently accepted onto the New Jersey Register of Historic Places hopefully soon to be followed by listing on the National Historic Register. We are a registered 501(c)(3) organization as well as a registered New Jersey charity.
