History is what will remain after we are gone.

The Bergen County Historical Society (BCHS) is acutely aware of this, and works hard to preserve as much of our history as they can. A large portion of this can be found alive and well at historic New Bridge Landing.

On Saturday, Oct. 30, the BCHS held a Harvest Homecoming event. It began at the Steuben House with Regina Haring discussing the history of her own family, and her connections to the 1/10^th of an acre Haring Burial Ground in Norwood.

The Haring family is one of the oldest Dutch families to occupy Bergen country, tracing their lineage to well before the independence of the United States. Fascinated by her husband's heritage, Regina Haring took it upon herself to begin to trace the line, discovering a great many connections and ties all over the county. And this burial ground in particular presented a direct connection to the Bergen County Historic Society.

Among their treasures, the BCHS holds a colorful quilt from 1859, featuring local fruits and plants, and words on the quilt itself from Betsy Haring, who takes the credit for its creation in her 57^th year. Betsy Haring's tombstone is one of the seven on the burial ground.

Regina Haring explained that while only seven headstones are to be found on the site, many more people are in all likelihood buried there. For example, two of the headstones, belonging to a pair of children interred at the site, were actually taken from it, for a time, to preserve them. While they have been restored and returned, they are not in fact marking the locations of the graves.

Every subsequent deed for the land where the tombstones are located has made mention of this cemetery since 1785. Efforts are underway now to have a path created around the 1/10^th acre plot, in order to prevent further encroachment on the grounds by local development.

Following the discussion of the preservation of the burial ground, a troupe of re-enactors gave a pair of performances. The first was a solo show, presenting a dramatic reading of Cornelius Banta's 1903 letter, followed by a short play called "The Van Duyne's Midnight Diners."

This skit involved a lonely revolutionary era Dutch couple, who inadvertently invite dead guests to their home. Their frightening guests invoked real stories of supernatural deaths, including the origin of the infamous Jersey Devil. It was a perfect match for the night before All Hallows Eve.

As George Santayana famously stated, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." The Bergen County Historical Society is solely dependent on individual donations and memberships for their efforts to preserve local history. Many events are scheduled at New Bridge Landing throughout November and December. For more information, visit www.bergencountyhistory.org.