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Cape May’s Macedonia Baptist Church Added to New Jersey Black Heritage Trail

Issue #822

September 27, 2026

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In This Cape May Local Scoop Issue…

 📆 Cape May Events

☀️ Cape May Local Weather 

⛪Cape May’s Macedonia Baptist Church Added to New Jersey Black Heritage Trail

 🪐Saturn Takes Center Stage at Cape May Point Stargazing Finale

⛈️ Cape May County Braces for Another High Tide After Major Flooding

Cape May Local Scoop’s Events Are Sponsored By: Shop Local

👇 Here’s what’s going on in the Cape May Local Area👇

 September 27

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Cape May’s Macedonia Baptist Church Added to New Jersey Black Heritage Trail

Cape May’s historic Macedonia Baptist Church has received statewide recognition for its generations-long role in preserving and strengthening the city’s African American community.

A permanent New Jersey Black Heritage Trail marker was unveiled outside the church during a community ceremony on June 18, 2026, recognizing the landmark’s importance to Black history, culture, education and civil rights in Cape May.

Located at 630 Lafayette Street, Macedonia Baptist Church was founded in the early 1900s and became much more than a place of worship. For generations, the church served as a spiritual, cultural and civic gathering place for Black families in the seaside community.

Its sanctuary hosted civil rights meetings, youth activities, community celebrations and other gatherings that helped maintain connections among Cape May’s African American residents.

The church also played an important role during the urban renewal campaigns of the 1960s, advocating for residents facing displacement and helping ensure their concerns were represented as Cape May underwent significant changes.

State officials have recognized the church for its contributions to cultural preservation, social activism and education, as well as its role in protecting African American traditions and strengthening community life.

The church's location adds another layer to its historical importance. Macedonia Baptist sits next to the Harriet Tubman Museum, which documents Tubman’s connections to Cape May. Tubman worked in the resort town during the early 1850s, earning money to help finance her Underground Railroad missions.

Together, the church and museum provide visitors with an important window into Cape May’s African American history, a part of the city’s story that can sometimes be less visible than its Victorian architecture, beaches and tourism industry.

The June marker unveiling brought together clergy, residents, civic leaders and state officials, including Assemblyman Antwan McClellan, who helped lead the effort to establish the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail in 2022.

Administered by the New Jersey Historical Commission, the trail identifies and commemorates locations connected to African American history throughout the state. The growing collection includes churches, neighborhoods, cultural institutions and sites associated with abolition, community leadership and Black achievement.

Cape May’s marker joins Black Heritage Trail sites in communities including Atlantic City, Camden, Newark and Trenton.

The recognition also comes amid broader efforts to preserve African American history throughout Cape May County, including heritage initiatives in Whitesboro, Juneteenth programming and work involving the Harriet Tubman Museum.

For Macedonia Baptist Church, the marker provides a permanent public acknowledgment of a history extending well beyond the building itself. It recognizes the generations of Cape May residents who used the church as a place of faith, education, activism and community — and ensures that part of the city’s history remains visible to residents and visitors for years to come.

Saturn Takes Center Stage at Cape May Point Stargazing Finale

Stargazers will have one more opportunity to explore the night sky at the Cape May Point Arts and Science Center when its Courtyard Stargazing series holds its season finale Friday, Oct. 9.

The program is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6 p.m. The evening will be led by astrophysicist and Atlantic Cape Community College professor Dr. Frank Toriello.

This season’s final program will take visitors from some of the universe’s most extreme objects to one of the most recognizable planets in our solar system, with a special presentation focusing on black holes and Saturn.

The evening begins inside the center’s Science Exhibit Hall with an astronomy and astrophysics presentation. Weather permitting, participants will then head into the courtyard for guided observations using telescopes and telescopic binoculars.

Saturn is expected to be among the evening’s observing targets if skies cooperate. Organizers also anticipate particularly dark conditions, providing opportunities to explore additional features of the autumn night sky.

Cassiopeia, Sagittarius and Andromeda are among the celestial sights organizers say may be visible. Under sufficiently dark and clear conditions, observers may also be able to make out part of the Milky Way.

The timing of the finale should provide a darker sky because it falls immediately after a new moon, reducing interference from moonlight during the evening observing session.

The program will take place rain or shine. If clouds or rain make outdoor observing impossible, activities will move indoors for an expanded astrophysics presentation.

Telescopes and telescopic binoculars will be available during the outdoor portion of the program, giving participants an opportunity to take a closer look at the night sky without bringing their own observing equipment.

Participation and donations help support educational programming offered by the Cape May Point Arts and Science Center.

Event Details

What: Courtyard Stargazing Season Finale
When: Friday, Oct. 9, 2026
Doors: 6 p.m.
Program: 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: Cape May Point Arts and Science Center
Featured presenter: Dr. Frank Toriello

Cape May County Braces for Another High Tide After Major Flooding

Lobster House Yesterday

Major tidal flooding from an early-season nor’easter has inundated portions of Cape May County, making numerous roads impassable and threatening homes and businesses in vulnerable areas. The Cape May Harbor gauge reached approximately 8.26 feet MLLW, within major flood stage. Another significant flooding threat is expected around Sunday morning’s 9:09 a.m. high tide, with water potentially lingering into the afternoon. Dangerous surf, rip currents and beach erosion are also affecting the coastline. Residents in flood-prone neighborhoods should continue monitoring local emergency alerts and changing road conditions through Sunday. Real-time observations from the Cape May Harbor gauge are available through NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service at https://water.noaa.gov/gauges/capn4.

 Answer to the September 26th Trivia Question 

What modern convenience, uncommon for its time, was featured in every guest room of Cape May's Mount Vernon Hotel during its brief operation in the 1850s?​

A) Electric lighting
B) Private telephones
C) Hot and cold running water
D) Air conditioning​

Answer: C) Hot and cold running water​

The Mount Vernon Hotel, constructed in 1852, boasted hot and cold running water in every guest room—a remarkable luxury for the era. This amenity was part of the hotel's advanced infrastructure, which also included gas lighting produced on-site and an extensive network of 125 miles of gas and water pipes. These features underscored the hotel's ambition to offer unparalleled comfort and modernity to its guests.

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