Peace treaty with Native Americans and settlers was signed under the original Salem Oak

HAMMONTON—People bundled up during a chilly fall afternoon attended a tree dedication ceremony for the Hammonton’s Salem Oak on November 9 at Oak Grove Cemetery.

Project Director Barbara Neary thanked the Atlantic County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs for awarding the grant application, which helped with the purchase of an interpretive sign with the histories of the Oak Grove Cemetery and the Salem Oak.

According to the sign, “The Salem Oak Tree, located in the Salem Friends Burial Grounds in Salem, New Jersey, was the sole surviving tree from the original forest that covered the land when Quaker John Fenwick founded Salem in 1675. According to legend, Fenwick met with the Lenni Lenape Native Americans and signed a peace treaty (one that was never broken) under the shade and comfort of the branches of the Oak.

“The tree was believed to be close to 600 years old when it fell in 2019.

“In 2020, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection announced that each of the state’s municipalities would receive a seedling from the Salem Oak. Oak Grove Cemetery was selected as the permanent home of Hammonton’s Salem Oak seedling, due in no small part to its collection of oak trees as well as the fact that the original Salem Oak was located in a cemetery, ensuring not only thematic continuity but also that the land will, by law, remain a cemetery in perpetuity, allowing the tree to grow and thrive in the coming centuries.

“Hammonton’s Salem Oak was planted on April 26, 2024 in observance of Arbor Day.”

Angela Donio, Chairperson of the Hammonton Historic Preservation Commission, introduced some notable people in the audience including Atlantic County Clerk Joseph Giralo, County Surrogate Jim Curcio, Councilman Anthony Marino, Retired Superior Court Judge Nelson Johnson, Councilwoman Renee Rodio, Deputy Mayor Thomas Gribbin, Kevin Street of the Council of the Nanticoke-Lenni Lenape Nation, Phoebe Farris a Powhatan-Renape/Pamunkey descendent and Robert Simmons of Salem Friends.

After Donio’s introduction speech, Gribbin addressed the crowd.

“I want to thank all of for your invitation and for your presence here today. On behalf of mayor Steve DiDonato and the Hammonton Town Council I’m Deputy Mayor Tom Gribbin and it’s my honor to be a witness to this important day to our town county and state history.

“I often say that of all the things that make Hammonton a great town it is our people that set us apart from all others. People who care, people who are compassionate and passionate about making our town better, preserving our history and working together to improve the overall quality of life for all Hammontonians.

“Today we celebrate the planting of a Salem Oak and the offspring of an important piece of our state’s history. As a representative of the town, I’m so proud that Hammonton was chosen as a municipality to preserve the legacy of its mother tree.

“I like to thank the members of the Hammonton Historic Preservation Commission, the Hammonton Environmental Commission, the Oak Grove Cemetery and our town’s Public Works Department employees for all of their efforts in making this possible, for engaging in this important aspect of historic preservation, for maintaining a sense of continuity and connection to our past for what we hope is many centuries. Thank you all,” Gribbin said.

Next, Neary talked about the grant and land acknowledgment.

“We acknowledge the Lenni Lenape as the original people of this land and their continuing relationship with their territory. In our acknowledgment of the continued presence of Lenni Lenape people in their homeland we affirm the aspiration of the great Lenape Chief Tamanend that there be harmony between the indigenous people of this land and the descendants of the immigrants to this land as long as the rivers and creeks flow and the sun, moon and stars shine,” Neary said.

Joseph F. Berenato of Oak Grove Cemetery and Master of Ceremonies gave some history of the Oak Grove Cemetery and the Salem Oak sapling.

“We are Hammonton’s oldest active cemetery. We have been in continuous operation since February 22, 1860 on land that was purchased in June of 1860. Since that time, we have welcomed and cared for more than 4,000 residents of all faiths, creeds, ethnicities. We have had Hammonton’s earliest settlers. We have had dignitaries and we welcome and respect each and every one.

“We have seen quite a bit of our share of Hammonton history including the construction of the [White Horse] Pike on our northern border in 1927, the construction of the high school on our border in 2002 and recently the planting of the Salem Oak.

“When it was announced in 2020 that the DEP was going to be distributing seedlings to the municipalities in New Jersey, our administrator and secretary and treasurer at the time Robin Berenato saw the historic potential, seized on it and scrambled for the next two weeks to research and put together a proposal to the Environmental Commission, so that we would be the ones to receive the Salem Oak for several reasons.

“First and foremost, the original Salem Oak was located in Salem Friends Burial Ground so it made thematic sense for the tree to come to a cemetery.

“Secondly, if you’re going to plant an oak, where better than Oak Grove Cemetery?

“And thirdly because we are a cemetery by state law we’re always going to be a cemetery. Wherever else may have been chosen in the town of Hammonton, we have no idea what that might be in 50 years, 100 years, 200 years, but since we are a cemetery, the Salem Oak will always be safe and always have a home here,” Berenato said.

Dan Bachalis, Chairperson of the Hammonton Environmental Commission, discussed the history of the Salem Oak sapling from the environmental perspective.

“The Hammonton Environmental Commission is proud to have played a role in bringing our little seedling to Oak Grove Cemetery where we are confident it will be well cared for as it grows to emulates the mighty Salem Oak for the next 500 years. I say little seedling because when we received it, it came in an envelope from the Department of Environmental Protection. It was about six inches long. We placed it in our town’s tree bank and the Department of Public Works carefully tended it for the next three-and-a-half years or so until it was ready for planting. I want to give them our congratulations for doing such a fabulous job taking care of this legacy tree,” Bachalis said.

During the ceremony, Robert Simmons of Salem Friends spoke about the history and demise of the original Salem Oak, which fell in 2019.

Kevin Street of the Council of the Nanticoke-Lenni Lenape Nation spoke next about the history of the original Salem Oak, the relationship between the Salem Friends and the Nanticoke-Lenni Lenape Nation and the peace treaty.

“The Salem Oak has a great importance to our people. It was a very important time and a very important event took place under that tree. As legend tells us that the treaty was signed between John Fenwick and Nanticoke-Lenni Lenape Tribe Nation. And to this day, that treaty still holds, one of the few that does still hold,” Street said.

Before ending his speech, Street asked if anyone would like to sprinkle tobacco by the tree because it is a Native American tradition to sprinkle tobacco as a way to give thanks to the creator.

“I would like to do something that we do traditionally. I brought some tobacco with me, which is tradition of our people that to give thanks to the creator and to the tree of life because our tradition is what we believe as Native Americans that life, trees, plants, animals, people ourselves, we are all one. We all originate together. We all work together. We all live together,” Street said.

Towards the end of the ceremony, Councilwoman Renee Rodio gave a proclamation with a resolution from town council.

There was another proclamation from the Atlantic County Board of County Commissioners, which was read by Berenato.

Street also received a proclamation during the tree dedication ceremony.

Oak Grove Cemetery is located at 500 N. White Horse Pike in Hammonton. For more information about the Salem Oak, visit oakgrovehammonton.com.