Port Jervis in Orange County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
God's Acre
Photographed by Friends of Robert Lewis, August 9, 2025
1. God's Acre Marker
Erected 2025 by William G. Pomeroy Foundation. (Marker Number 1146.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites. In addition, it is included in the William G. Pomeroy Foundation series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 23, 1917.
Location. 41° 23.359′ N, 74° 41.032′ W. Marker is in Port Jervis, New York, in Orange County. It is on Orange Street, on the right when traveling north. The marker is on a parcel that adjoins the Jewish Agudath Achim Cemetery. The parcel is at or near 205 North Orange St. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 204 Orange St, Port Jervis NY 12771, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York and in the Hudson Valley. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: N.J. Line War (approx. 0.7 miles away); Indian Raid (approx. 0.7 miles away); Port Jervis (approx. Ύ mile away); Camp Site (approx. 0.8 miles away); Canal Basin (approx. 0.8 miles away); a different marker also named Canal Basin (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Crane House
this page online
More about this marker. The marker's installation was a years long project initiated by The Friends of Robert Lewis, a group named after a Black 1892 Port Jervis lynching victim, and secured in partnership with the Minisink Valley Historical Society. The God's Acre burial ground is located near what was once a largely Black community.
Regarding God's Acre. Serving as a burial ground for the Town of Deerpark's poor from at least 1867, it was in this area located outside the bounds of the Village of Port Jervis that the Village's oldest Black congregation built their first church.
In 1883 a severely impoverished Black community was mandatorily relocated to this neighborhood by the Port Jervis Water Company from over a nearby ridge. Although both settlements were eventually given more polite names, they were more commonly known by a racial slur preceding the word "Hollow." This placename for the God's Acre area remained at least until the mid-1960s.
While between 70-80 likely or possible graves sites have been identified, only 10 of those interred here have been associated by name.
The God's Acre parcel is owned by Temple Sinai in Middletown, NY, which also owns the adjoining Agudath Achim Jewish cemetery.
Also see . . .
1. Gods Acre Dedicated (Mid Hudson News, August 11, 2025). (Submitted on August 12, 2025, by Friends of Robert Lewis of Port Jervis, New York.)
2. Gods Acre (William G. Pomeroy Foundation). (Submitted on August 12, 2025.)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 12, 2025, by Friends of Robert Lewis of Port Jervis, New York. This page has been viewed 199 times since then and 30 times this year. Last updated on August 18, 2025, by Friends of Robert Lewis of Port Jervis, New York. Photo 1. submitted on August 12, 2025, by Friends of Robert Lewis of Port Jervis, New York. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
