Moravian Cemetery

Moravian Cemetery is a historic burial ground in Hope, New Jersey, established as part of the Moravian settlement founded there during the eighteenth century. German Moravians began developing Hope as a planned community in 1769 after purchasing approximately 1,000 acres from John Samuel Green Jr., laying out streets, houses, farms, workshops, a school, tavern, church and burial ground. The cemetery, traditionally referred to by the Moravians as God’s Acre, formed part of this original religious community. Gravestones survive from the eighteenth century, and the burial ground remains one of the clearest physical reminders of Hope’s Moravian origins. The village was formally renamed Hope in 1775, while the Moravian community itself lasted until 1808. The cemetery and its distinctive wrought-iron entrance gate are now part of the historic character of the village.

Moravian Cemetery appears in Friday the 13th (1980). The cemetery is seen during Annie Phillips’ journey towards Camp Crystal Lake, shortly after she meets truck driver Enos in Hope. The film does not use the cemetery for a burial or scene among the graves; instead, its entrance provides the highly visible background when Enos drops Annie off beside the road.

In Friday the 13th (1980), Annie Phillips accepts a ride from Enos after arriving in the area to begin work as the new cook at Camp Crystal Lake. During the drive, Enos tells her about the camp’s disturbing history, including the drowning of a young boy in 1957 and the murders of two counsellors the following year. He eventually tells Annie that he can take her only as far as a junction and stops beside the Moravian Cemetery in Hope. As Annie climbs down from the truck and continues the journey on foot, the cemetery’s large wrought-iron entrance gate and the name “MORAVIAN CEMETERY” are clearly visible behind her. The location adds an appropriately ominous visual element immediately after Enos has warned her about the deaths associated with Camp Crystal Lake. In geographical terms, however, the scene does not represent a realistic route to the camp: the real cemetery lies south of Blairstown, while Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, which represented Crystal Lake, is north of the town in Hardwick Township. Annie subsequently receives another ride from Mrs. Voorhees, unaware that she is accepting help from the person responsible for the murders at the camp.

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