Wikoff Hill Burial Ground
History
This burial ground holds the souls of about 30 local residents. It was established by
Garrett Wikoff in about 1720 when he purchased an acre of land from his Uncle John Wikoff (Wyckoff), who owned 1000 acres around the cemetery. Garrett had approached his uncle regarding the purchase when he and other residents of the cemetery were in the process of leaving the Brick Reformed Church in Marlboro due to religious doctrine changes. Garrett and the others could have been buried at the Church had they not left.
These residents established they would spend their final days in this plot of land. They were among the founding fathers of Freehold Township. The
land was part of what was known as the ‘Forman Neighborhood’ which encompassed the area between Rt. 79(Broadway or AKA the Marlboro Road) and Rt. 33 to the South.
The Wikoff Family maintained the cemetery even after Garret’s Death in 1740. They
held annual reunions at the site as is mentioned in the Red Bank Register. At some
point in the 1800’s the Wikoff Family decided to move to Great Neck, Long Island, disinterred Garrett and took him with them. His 2 wives, Aeltie and Althea, were left in the burial ground.
The Wikoff Cemetery was re-dedicated and the ground re-consecrated on June 21, 2008. The Historic Preservation Commission paid to have the land cleaned up and the fence installed. The process took about 3 years from start to finish.
