Doris Duke's Pet Cemetery – Hillsborough Township, New Jersey - Atlas Obscura

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Doris Duke's Pet Cemetery

Duke Farms
Hillsborough Township, New Jersey

A billionaire heiress' menagerie of animals were lovingly laid to rest on the grounds of her former estate. 

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Aided by the status of the “world’s richest girl” during the twilight of the Gilded Age, Doris Duke lived a life of many passions and pursuits, including her love of animals. Over the years, her undertakings ranged wildly from competitive surfing to covering foreign news during the 1940s, to being a horticulturist and supporting wildlife refuges.

Her main residence was a sprawling 2,700-acre New Jersey estate called Duke Farms, which contained Duke Gardens, once among the largest public indoor botanical displays in America. She shared that property with her family, visitors (including Paul Reubens after his 1991 arrest for public indecency), her dogs, camels, and other pets.

It’s on that property that many of the animals she rescued and lived with have settled into their final resting places. The most notable (and perhaps, most beloved) tombstones are for her two camels, Princess and Baby, who spent their summers in Newport, Rhode Island, and were purchased as part of a deal that also included a Boeing 737 plane.

Visitors will also spot headstones dedicated to a toucan, her miniature horses, and the famous massive guard dogs who were left $100,000 in Doris’ will. Other headstones bear mysterious names: the Unknown Cat, or Puppy No. 12.

Know Before You Go

Duke Farms, located at 1112 Dukes Pkwy W, is open to the public. You'll find the cemetery up a rocky path on Fox Hollow Lane, behind the Great Falls.

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