The Union Cemetery Association of Hackettstown was established in 1857 for the purpose of organizing a rural cemetery association. In 1859, the nine Trustees met to discuss the parcel of land along the Musconetcong River offered by Isaac W. and David E. Crane for use as the cemetery. An additional strip of land fifty feet wide, to be used as the entrance to the cemetery, was negotiated with William Rea, M.D. A monument to the memory of Tillie Smith, murdered in Hackettstown in 1886, stands in Hackettstown's Union Cemetery, constructed with the generous donations from local and national benefactors. Unveiled on November 24, 1887, it is a lasting tribute to the young woman who died 'in defence of her honor'. The entrance gate crosses a bridge over the Musconetcong River.