New Jersey
Renovation revelation: Letter linked to abolitionist found in historic NJ church
The former Allen AME Church was being restored for a theater company’s use. Contractors found a letter linked to Alexander Herritage Newton, a prominent abolitionist, in its rafters.
Video: Hidden Black history remains uncovered in NJ
Hidden Black history remains uncovered in New Jersey cemeteries where Civil War colored soldiers and underground railroad conductors are laid to rest.
Thomas P. Costello, Mike Davis and Nicolette White, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
CAPE MAY, New Jersey − The former Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church yielded a few finds when contractors began renovating it to become East Lynne Theater Company’s new home: some old bottles, collection envelopes from the 1940s, a little metal globe bank whose dusty, rusty surface obscured most of the world’s countries and oceans.
But one item went a little farther back: a snippet of a receipt that may have been hand-written and signed by a prominent Civil War veteran, abolitionist, Underground Railroad facilitator and pastor. The snippet even bears a date: June 19, 1891.
“To all whom this may concern, Elwood Rowland, formerly of Media, PA Daniel Galvin, (formerly of) Phila Plastered this church during The month of June for $250 Rev. Dr. Newton, Pastor (unclear),” the snippet reads.
That name − the Rev. Dr. Newton − connects Allen AME to the famed abolitionist, Civil War veteran and author who spent time in Cape May, though little is known about his stay there. It’s also thrilled history buffs in this seaside resort town full of Victorian architecture, old churches and sites linked to some of the most prominent Black Americans of their time.
Who was the Rev. Dr. Newton?
Alexander Herritage Newton (whose middle name is sometimes listed with one “r”) was born in 1837 in North Carolina to a free mother and an enslaved father. He came north to New York during the 1850s, where he married and started a family, and where he also became involved with the Underground Railroad as his mother worked to buy freedom for her husband, Newton’s father. In 1863, Newton joined the Union cause in the Civil War, serving with the 29th Connecticut regiment in the U.S. Colored Troops.
Newton later settled in Camden, New Jersey, just outside Philadelphia, where he wrote a memoir, “Out of the Briars.” He was active in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, founded in 1794 in Philadelphia by Richard Allen. And Newton served as pastor at Allen AME Church, which itself was founded by Stephen Smith, a wealthy Black businessman who lived in Cape May, from 1889-1892.
A fire, a renovation, a revelation in the rafters
After a 2018 fire, Allen AME Church, which is in a section of Cape May that was once a center for Black civic life, was in dire straits. The building, which dated to 1888, landed on Preservation New Jersey’s Most Endangered Sites in 2021.
In Cape May, history is as much of a draw as its beaches, restaurants, shops and nature trails. “So when the church was slated for demolition, the mayor and city council knew we had to save it,” city manager Paul Dietrich said.
“The church did not have funds to do it, so it was incumbent on the city to do so,” Dietrich said. Thanks to a combination of county and state preservation grants, work is nearly complete: The wooden steeple that was destroyed in the fire has been replaced by a steel structure, not only to prevent another fire but also better able to withstand the coastal winds and storms. Drywall has been placed and painted over the wood walls. And the stained glass windows, many donated by families that belonged to the church, have been restored to their former colorful beauty.
“But we also didn’t want it to be an empty shell,” Dietrich added, and so the city partnered with East Lynne Theater Company, which now performs at another nearby church but was looking for a home of its own.
“The contractor is a local, so he knows how important history is here,” Dietrich said. When Kyle Carter of DKC Contractors discovered the letter nailed to a beam in the church rafters, he understood its significance and told city officials what he’d found.
History hidden, revealed and hidden again
Mark David Boberick, East Lynne’s executive artistic director, said he was thrilled to hear about the discovery of the hand-written note.
“We’ve been storytellers for 45 years, and now we’re telling another story − about the culture and history of this community,” he said. East Lynne, a summer equity theater company that stages classic American plays, is hoping to start using what will be called The Clemans Theater later this year for productions and for events such as art exhibitions, film screenings and fundraisers this summer.
Bernadette Matthews, president of the Cape May Chamber of Commerce, East Lynne board member and AME Church member called the discovery “fascinating,” noting the significance of the note’s date, June 19, or Juneteenth, in American history.
She talked about other nearby sites, including Stephen Smith’s house, Franklin Street School, Macedonia Baptist Church and the Harriet Tubman Museum, all within a few blocks and all central to Cape May’s historic Black community.
“This whole quadrant is what’s left of the vibrant African American community that was here,” she said.
Newton mentioned his time in Cape May in his memoir, and even alluded to the work noted on the paper that was found in 2025: “The church building was not plastered or seated, so we decided to borrow money for this purpose,” Newton wrote.
The note, though, had to remain in place, Boberick said. Removing it from the wood to which it was attached would likely destroy it.
It remains where it was found, Dietrich said, at the request of former members of Allen AME Church.
Do you want to share a slice of Americana with USA TODAY? Contact Phaedra Trethan by email at ptrethan@usatoday.com, on X (formerly Twitter) @wordsbyphaedra, on BlueSky @byphaedra, or on Threads @by_phaedra
From Camden and Cherry Hill to Trenton and the Jersey Shore, what about life in New Jersey do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know.
In New Jersey, Mercer County officials have enacted new policies limiting the ability of federal immigration agents to access and use county property to conduct immigration enforcement operations.
Mercer County Executive Dan Benson issued an executive order and the Board of County Commissioners passed a resolution Friday that bans U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol from using any nonpublic area on county property to enforce immigration law, unless they have obtained a judicial warrant or judicial order.
“From Minneapolis to Delaney Hall, ICE has repeatedly shown a total disregard for the law and for the constitutional rights of citizens and non-citizens alike,” Benson said in a statement. “We respect the Federal Government’s authority to enforce immigration law, but we will not allow them to use County properties to harass our families.”
“With this resolution, we’re sending a clear message that everyone in our community can safely interact with County government, and access County services, without fear,” said Board of Commissioners Chair Terrance Stokes in a statement. “ICE’s actions threaten the fabric of our community, and we will take whatever steps we can, within the bounds of the law, to protect our residents.”
New Jersey and New York City commuters are facing extensive delays in and out of New York Penn Station Friday, with intensifying ripple effects, after an Amtrak work train car on one of the hub’s tracks caught fire.
The FDNY says it was called to the Midtown scene on 31st Street, between Seventh and Eighth avenues, around 1:30 a.m. Nearly 100 personnel responded. Five civilians were evaluated at the scene by EMS, officials say.
It’s not clear what sparked the fire involving Amtrak’s contractor maintenance vehicles in one of the Hudson River Tunnels. It was knocked down well before 6 a.m., but service on New Jersey Transit, Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road and more was expected to see heavy impacts well into the morning rush, with Hudson River trains operating at reduced capacity. Amtrak said it didn’t expect to lift its suspension until at least noon.
Travel Advisory: Due to unforeseen track and signal maintenance resulting from a now extinguished fire in the New York area, all services traveling south of New York (NYP) are temporarily suspended. This suspension is anticipated to be in place until noon at a minimum. Services…
— Amtrak Northeast (@AmtrakNECAlerts) May 29, 2026
New Jersey Transit and LIRR also announced delays and cancellations. Cross-honoring and diversion programs were in effect as the situation developed. Complete LIRR service at NY Penn had resumed by around 7 a.m., Friday said, though equipment issues were causing cancellations. Get the latest transit information here.
Video from outside Penn Station showed smoke billowing in the pre-dawn hours, as emergency personnel stood by with stretchers awaiting any potential victims.
Amtrak is investigating the cause of the fire.
“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this may cause,” the agency’s latest announcement said, pledging to provide updates as new information becomes available.
How are detainees at Delaney Hall being treated?
A statement issued by DHS said detainees receive comprehensive medical care and all are treated well.
“They are provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries. Illegal aliens also have access to phones to communicate with their family members and lawyers. Certified dieticians evaluate meals,” the department wrote.
The release accused Sherrill, Booker and U.S. Sen Andy Kim, as well as U.S. Reps. Rob Menendez, Nellie Pou, LaMonica McIver, Frank Pallone and Analilia Majia, of continuing “to peddle falsehoods about ICE facilities,” and “spreading smears about ICE law enforcement and the Delaney Hall ICE facility in New Jersey.”
Sinha said the assertion that individuals being arrested and taken to Delaney Hall are dangerous criminals is false.
“This is an administration that has repeatedly lied to us about what’s going on in immigration enforcement and immigration detention facilities,” Sinha said.
He added while Sherrill does not have the legal authority to enter Delaney Hall unannounced, that fact that she was denied entry is concerning.
“The federal government has denied her repeatedly, and it makes you question, ‘What is the federal government trying to hide?’” he asked. “They have no allegiance to any rule of law or semblance of democracy; they’re trying to rewrite the Constitution for people who are noncitizens.”
On Thursday, Sherrill issued a statement saying the New Jersey Department of Health attempted to conduct a inspection of Delaney Hall, but officials were only allowed to inspect only a limited part of the facility.
“We will review and share the department’s findings from the limited portion it was allowed to inspect, and we will continue to pursue all appropriate avenues for demanding transparency and ensuring humane conditions for the individuals being held at the facility,” she said in the statement. “As I’ve said repeatedly, refusing to provide full access raises serious questions about what ICE is trying to hide from public view.”
Sinha said a hunger strike among those inside the facility is continuing because they are being given spoiled food and inadequate medical care in deplorable conditions.
“People shouldn’t have to starve themselves to make their dignity known; people shouldn’t have to starve themselves to have their rights protected, but that’s what’s happening here,” he said.
Reports of escalating violence
Late Thursday afternoon there were reports of violence escalating within Delaney Hall.
Nedia Morsy, the director of Make the Road New Jersey, an immigration advocacy group, issued a statement saying multiple sources within the facility reported ICE agents attacking detainees and causing serious injuries.
“Right now there are ICE agents inside of Delaney Hall violently beating the hunger strikers,” Morsy said in the statement. “Someone will be killed if no one intervenes and shuts this down. These masked agents are acting as if they’re above the law. This is a modern-day concentration camp, and history will not forgive silence in this moment. We need to shut down Delaney Hall and free everyone inside.”
Resistencia en Accion, another immigrant rights group, also released a statement, calling for violence against detainees to end.
“We express our utmost disgust with the violence perpetrated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents today, May 28. Reports at approximately 1:40 p.m. reveal that ICE agents attacked the hunger strikers inside with batons and tear gas. Family members outside received calls from inside, confirming that there were people screaming, and according to their loved ones inside, unconscious detainees and blood on surfaces. ICE is the sole responsible actor for the escalation that has led to several wounded people inside and outside this week,” the statement reads.
WHYY News reached out to DHS late Thursday seeking comment about the reports of violence at Delaney Hall. A written statement was emailed to WHYY that said ICE agents had responded to a physical altercation involving detainees.
“In accordance with established ICE policies and their training, staff used the minimum amount of force to safely deescalate the situation,” DHS wrote. “Following the incident, all affected detainees were promptly evaluated by on-site medical personnel and were cleared with no serious injuries.”
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