Norcross Announces the Peter J. McGuire Memorial in Pennsauken, NJ is Now Included in the National Historic Register
InsiderNJ
February 22, 2019
Today, U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) – a lifelong labor leader and Pennsauken native – announced that the Peter J. McGuire memorial and gravesite is now part of the National Register of Historic Places.
“While many people know that Peter J. McGuire is the ‘Father of Labor Day,’ they don’t often know he lived in Camden and was buried in Pennsauken. This remarkable man, with South Jersey roots, understood the American workforce is our greatest asset and honoring his achievements with this historic landmark is the least we can do,” said Congressman Norcross. “I’ve spent my career working as an electrician and fighting for New Jersey’s working families – and Peter J. McGuire set the stage for all of that. I’m humbled that – as just a kid from Pennsauken – I’m in a position to properly memorialize my hometown hero.”
“I am extremely proud that the Peter J. McGuire’s gravesite and memorial in Pennsauken’s Arlington Cemetery is now part of both the National Register of Historic Places and the New Jersey Register,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “Peter J. McGuire was a key advocate in the fight for respect and fairness in the labor workforce and helped to improve the lives of all workers. That’s why my Administration approved the state designation and continues to support Congressman Norcross’ work to honor the legacy of Peter J. McGuire.”
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of our country’s historic buildings, districts, sites, structures and objects worthy of preservation. It was established as part of the National Historical Preservation Act of 1966 and is overseen by the U.S. National Park Service.
Today’s news follows Norcross’ August 31st announcement that the memorial and gravesite was added to the New Jersey State Register of Historic Places, which is the official list of the state’s historic resources – approved by the New Jersey State Review Board for Historic Sites. In addition to these two designations, Norcross has also introduced a bill in Congress to go even farther and designate the memorial and gravesite as a National Historic Landmark.
Norcross said that obtaining the two historic approvals so far was only possible because of the research conducted by historian Robert Shinn.