CAPE MAY – Cape May City Council approved a resolution, Sept. 5, authorizing an application to the National Park Service for the African American contribution to the city’s National Landmark Status.

The process is a long one, with the next stop at the state level and then an eventual transmission to the Park Service and U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C.

The document recognizes the importance of the African American community and its many historic contributions to the city. The purpose is to have that recognized as part of the city’s National Landmark Status.

At a Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) meeting days prior to the council meeting, the document was called “comprehensive, carefully researched and of obvious merit.”

HPC members felt the application, with its many citations, informed the public of an important part of the city’s history that many “are unaware of.”

While praised by those voting to send the application onto the state, the document itself was not part of the public packet made available prior to the council meeting. The resolution was added at the meeting.

Mayor Zack Mullock said the document will soon be made easily available to the public.

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