CAPE MAY – At the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 6, City Manager Paul Dietrich said the city has received confirmation from the New Jersey Office of Historical Preservation that the nominated African American Ethnic Heritage district has been included in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. Dietrich added that the state designation will probably lead to recognition by the National Park Service by the end of 2024.

The list of contributing sites for African American Ethnic Heritage number 68 locations according to the city story map documenting the sites. The story map delves into the African American heritage sites from 1846 to 1948 that played a “foundational impact” on the evolution of Cape May and its cultural heritage.

The recognition comes as the city has recently opened a branch of the Cape May County Library System in the historic Franklin Street School, which was a segregated school for Black students until 1948. It also comes as renovations continue on the Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church on the same block of Franklin Street.

The identified African American Ethnic Heritage district is part of the rich history that marks the African American contribution to Cape May.

Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.