“Pluck-em-in” and America 250 – Perfect Together.
Get to know this Great American History Story
Pluckemin, New Jersey, pronounced “PLUCK um in“, carries three enduring name stories. Some trace it to a Lenape word for persimmon tied to early Algonquian place terms. Others repeat the roadside tale of tavern keeper Jacob Eoff, who would pluck them in at his door along the Great Road. Still others point to a namesake from a village in Scotland brought by early settlers. Whatever its origin, this crossroads became the winter home of the Pluckemin Artillery Cantonment in 1778 to 1779, where Henry Knox and the Continental artillery helped turn Washington’s army into a disciplined force on the road to independence. So move over Valley Forge, there’s a new leader in the Revolutionary war storybook – PLUCKEMIN.
Pluckemin, New Jersey, is home to one of the most remarkable yet overlooked chapters of America’s Revolutionary War. It was here, in the winter of 1778–1779, that General Henry Knox and the Continental Army established the Pluckemin Artillery Cantonment, America’s first military academy, predating West Point by more than two decades.
At Pluckemin, Washington’s army transformed from a struggling force into a professional military power. Soldiers trained in tactics, logistics, and artillery under a structured curriculum, an innovation that laid the foundation for America’s modern military education system. It was also at nearby Basking Ridge and Pluckemin that the army celebrated the first organized military “Victory Ball,” honoring the French alliance and the resilience of Washington’s men after Valley Forge.
Through the Mr. Local History Project’s collaboration with the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission, the Jacobus Vanderveer House, Washington College, and historian John Seidel, this “greatest Revolutionary War story never told” is finally being shared. Pluckemin’s legacy is not just local, it’s national. As America marks its 250th birthday, the story of Pluckemin reminds us that the path to independence was built not only on battlefields, but also in the discipline, innovation, and spirit of communities like this one that forged a new nation from the ground up.
Pluckemin Historical Research – Help Remember Pluckemin
The Lost Lake Beneath the Hills: The Forgotten Silk City of Pluckemin
Views: 1,056 The “Lyons (France) of New Jersey” Then came industry. In July 1910 the Bernardsville News ran a whimsical headline: “The Lyons of New Jersey.” The article announced the… Read More »The Lost Lake Beneath the Hills: The Forgotten Silk…
The Stolen Lillie Drawing of Pluckemin Artillery Park
Views: 396 The wind that swept across the Somerset Hills in the bitter winter of 1779 carried more than snow and smoke. It carried the sound of hammers striking timber,… Read More »The Stolen Lillie Drawing of Pluckemin Artillery Park
Share Bedminster Cantonment History With A Pocket Park – America 250 Ideas
Views: 708 With America’s 250th anniversary just around the corner, there’s no better time to recognize great American history about what we’ve coined “The Greatest Story Never Told” about the… Read More »Share Bedminster Cantonment History With A Pocket Park –…
Historic Moment at the Pluckemin Cantonment – Archeologist Finds His Mark
Views: 1,771 It was a cold, winterish April afternoon at the Jacobus Vanderveer House in Bedminster, New Jersey, as a very special guest came to tell his story about what… Read More »Historic Moment at the Pluckemin Cantonment – Archeologist Finds…
The Hills Church & Cemetery & Pluckemin’s Pigtail Mountain
Views: 1,458 In the early 1700s, German Lutherans settled around Pluckemin and established one of the region’s first congregations. By 1715, they had built a small log church on what… Read More »The Hills Church & Cemetery & Pluckemin’s Pigtail Mountain
The Boylans American Journey to Build Liberty Corner, Pluckemin and Bernardsville
Views: 3,117 Research Update:Are the Boylans and the Bullions the same family in Liberty Corner? Before Liberty Corner was Liberty Corner, it was Annins Corner AND we also found it… Read More »The Boylans American Journey to Build Liberty Corner, Pluckemin…
Rev War in Somerset County Means Middlebrook
Views: 6,348 Middlebrook is a know area in the Martinsville section of Bridgewater, Somerset County, New Jersey. We call it “Jersey’s Gift to America.” New Jersey is known as the… Read More »Rev War in Somerset County Means Middlebrook
Lord Stirling’s Rev War Beacon Signal Towers
Views: 15,679 General Washington, the Continental Army, and General Lord Stirling of Basking Ridge drew inspiration from history and created a sophisticated communications network to track the British movement. They… Read More »Lord Stirling’s Rev War Beacon Signal Towers
Before the West Point Military Academy (USMA) There was Pluckemin
Views: 196,805 America’s First Military Academy, the Pluckemin Academy (Dec.1778) was 24 Years BEFORE West Point (Mar. 16, 1802). One of the greatest untold stories of the American Revolution.The Pluckemin… Read More »Before the West Point Military Academy (USMA) There was…
Bedminster Map Project Reveals Historic Pluckemin Artillery Park
Views: 10,151 Map Identifies Historic Properties, Owners, Building Locations, Local History Including the Often Ignored Pluckemin Artillery Park With over 2,000 hours of painstaking research and countless renderings, the landscaping… Read More »Bedminster Map Project Reveals Historic Pluckemin Artillery Park
The 13 Paintings at the Pluckemin Academy
Views: 11,541 The anniversary of America’s alliance with France was celebrated on the 18th of February at Pluckemin, at a very elegant entertainment and display of fireworks given by General… Read More »The 13 Paintings at the Pluckemin Academy
1779 – Grand Alliance Ball – Pluckemin New Jersey
Views: 17,325 “The entertainment began with a discharge of 13 cannons at 4 o’clock in the afternoon.” The Grand Alliance Ball – Sunday, February 18, 1779 , Pluckemin, New Jersey… Read More »1779 – Grand Alliance Ball – Pluckemin New Jersey
