Operation Goatfence at the Historic JC Cemetery!

The Historic Jersey City & Harsimus Cemetery was founded in 1829 and is one of the earliest examples of garden-style cemeteries. Prior to being founded as a cemetery, it was the site of Revolutionary War skirmishes, an active Ammunition Bunker during the War of 1812, and the sacred eternal resting place of thousands of soldiers from the Revolutionary & Civil Wars, the War of 1812, the Spanish-American War, WWI and II, forward, as well as home to our earliest Jersey City founders, leaders, residents and legends.
(source: http://www.jerseycitycemetery.org/ ) 

But where do the goats come in?

The Cemetery resides in a lush, hilly area with closely plotted graves, making it difficult for the groundskeeper to keep the cemetery maintained. Many historic headstones are completely obfuscated due to overgrown brush and ivy. The creative thinkers of the Cemetery preservation committee came up with a living solution: agile, cunning, hilarious goats that eat the surrounding grass and are able to reach areas the mower cannot. 

Hi I am a goat 

I munch 

I like pets

(I know, I know, I should have filmed this horizontally. But as you can see I was 100% engrossed in goat scratches) 

Now, the problem: I spent an hour talking with the groundskeeper, John, about the challenges he faces with the goats. To the west of the Cemetery grounds are numerous, busy, train tracks. Because the Cemetery is not fenced in to the west, the goats are prone to wandering down onto the train tracks, resulting in train delays and potentially flat goats. This means John cannot let the goats roam as freely as he'd like and thus they cannot munch on enough of the overgrown grass to expose the beauty of this historic site.  

The solution: A fence to the west, so that the goats can roam freely without fear of smushed goats and train delays, and a small barn to keep the goats year-round. With the addition of a fence (and hopefully a barn if we reach our goal!) we will have a better maintained cemetery, greater views of overgrown historic graves, and a permanent, safe home for our resident goats. 

The Historic Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery is a community treasure. If you have a little money to spare, please consider making a contribution to this "Goat Fund Me" campaign. 


⚰THANK YOU!  ⚰