Nucky Johnson’s Gravesite is Right Here in South Jersey among other things, involved gambling, bootlegging, and prostitution. Eventually, this all caught up with Johnson. The Federal government took an interest in him, and he was indicted for tax evasion in 1939. He spent a couple years in prison, and spent the rest of his life quietly working with his wife at the Renault Winery.
By Nick Leonetti
B
oardwalk Empire is a television show that I haven’t had the opportunity to watch yet. From what I’ve heard, though, and according to a pretty much unanimous critical consensus, it’s a fantastic series. Obviously, one of the draws in these parts is the location of the show. Our beloved Atlantic City is the spot where all the carnage takes place, and South Jersey history spices up the narrative throughout. Judging from conversations I’ve had with locals, though, it seems that most don’t realize how local Enoch “Nucky” Johnson (the protagonist of the show played by Steve Buscemi) really is. Not only did Johnson die in Northfield. His gravesite is a stone’s throw away from Atlantic City, as well. Located in the Zion Cemetery, a small burial ground across the street from the Zion Methodist Church on Zion Road in Egg Harbor Township, the mausoleum where Johnson’s body is interred can be seen while driving by if you know where to look. It is an unassuming sepulcher that simply reads “Johnson – Shimp.” After doing some research, I discovered the name Shimp belongs to his wife Mabel Jeffries Johnson’s stepmother,
The resting place of Nucky Johnson is just another example of the quiet history that can be found all over our great state. New Jersey became a state in 1787, making it one of the oldest. We are so lucky to have such a rich abundance of history and heritage at our fingertips. It would be a crime to waste it.
Nucky Johnson was once the Atlantic County Sheriff but he was also a racketeer in the 1930s. Ida Shimp-Golden, all of whom rest with him. But who was Nucky Johnson? My grandmother, 90-year-old Elizabeth Chandler, knew him when she was a little girl. He was a friend of my great-grandfather, and my grandmother still recalls sitting on Johnson’s lap and how kind he was to her. Even so, a harder, colder exterior in his professional life replaced the kindness Johnson exuded onto close friends. Johnson had the respected title of Atlantic County Sheriff; however, he also was a racketeer. His organization,
Nucky Johnson is buried in Egg Harbor Township on Zion Road in this mausoleum. Photo credit flickr In 1968, Johnson died of natural causes at the Atlantic County Convalescent Home in Northfield. He was interred along with the rest of his close family in the mausoleum shortly after.
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Nick Leonetti is a writer and nature-enthusiast from Somers Point, NJ. He works in Atlantic County’s department of Cultural and Heritage Affairs.
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