 Located in then both Union Hill and New Durham , the Reformed Church at New Durham which was also known as the " Grove Church " , was for many years the only Methodist church in the area . It has been operational since April 12 , 1843 , and was one of the first religious bodies established in the wilds of North Hudson , the Bergen Woods . The first pastor was Reverend Philip <unk> who acted until 1844 , and was succeeded by William Taylor , a Rutgers graduate who later acted as pastor for a nearby Jersey City congregation . Taylor was succeeded by William Mabon in 1846 . The land at the cemetery has been used for burial purposes since 1847 , which has made it one of the oldest burial grounds in Hudson County . Typical grave depths are approximately five feet , and the grounds bare dry soils of yellowish earth , loose drift gravel , and pockets of sand , as well as occurrences of trap rock . Before the turn of the 20th century , there were two vaults on the premises , one made of brick and the other of stone ; there are many more now . Overall , the grounds at Grove Church Cemetery are roughly 8 acres ( 3 @.@ 2 ha ) . Because of the natural descent of the cemeteries location on the western side of the Palisades , ground water flows into the surrounding marshes in Secaucus , and contamination of wells , springs , and water @-@ courses in the surrounding area is very low . Other than having a relatively large congregation , many of the church members were of wealth , and owned plots and vaults in the cemetery . 
