Views: 240 For decades, visitors to Jockey Hollow believed they were standing beside the burial ground of Continental soldiers who died during the terrible winter of 1779–1780. However, archaeological investigations found no human remains, and the National Park Service now… Read More »1780: The Missing Cemetery at the Basking Ridge Continental Army Hospital
Views: 577 Commemorating the 247th Anniversary of the Wedding Heard ‘Round the ColoniesJuly 27, 1779 – July 27, 2026 July 27, 1779Basking Ridge’s Biggest Event – Kitty Stirling’s Wedding On July 27, 1779, the Revolutionary War was entering one of… Read More »The Wedding Heard Round the Colonies: Lord Stirling, Washington & New Jersey’s Most Famous Revolutionary War Wedding
Views: 459 The 1766 Morgan–Hills Map of Somerset County Unlike most eighteenth-century maps that depict only towns and transportation routes, the Morgan–Hills map provides a remarkable snapshot of the county’s agricultural landscape by assigning numbered tracts to individual owners in… Read More »1766 Somerset County, New Jersey Map Tells So Many Stories
Views: 905 What would have happened if General Charles Lee WASN’T captured in Basking Ridge?Join the Mr. Local History Project as we break down the history with this interesting conversation. America250 Update: Presentation – Sacking General Lee in Basking Ridge –… Read More »Speaker Series: Sacking General Lee in Basking Ridge….But What if
Views: 1,326 Military protocol in the eighteenth century generally called for armies to suspend major campaigning during the winter months. Harsh weather, poor roads, limited food supplies, and the difficulty of moving men, horses, artillery, and wagons made large-scale operations… Read More »Middlebrook’s 1778-1779 Encampment – 10,000 Troops and Bridgewater’s Legacy
Views: 1,366 Everyone knows the story of Valley Forge. But it’s Jockey Hollow you need to remember. For generations, Americans have learned about George Washington’s Army suffering through the winter of 1777–1778 in Pennsylvania. Valley Forge has become synonymous with… Read More »That 1779/1780 Winter at Jockey Hollow and a Hut City
Views: 358 Part of the Mr. Local History Rev War and Lord Stirling Series As we were researching another story, we came across this really interesting piece published in 1914 about one of the Revolutionary War’s greatest generals, William Alexander,… Read More »Overlooked Heroines of the Revolutionary War – Sarah Livingston Alexander
Views: 23,155 The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It was engrossed on parchment, and on August 2, 1776, delegates began signing it. Jefferson drafted the statement between June 11 and 28, submitted drafts to… Read More »Independence Day – Kudos to New Jersey Signers #jersey5
Views: 5,358 RAIN or SHINE – EVERY July 4th at 10:30 am – Join friends and family on Independence Day as the Washington Camp Ground Association honors the American flag, the playing of the Star Spangled Banner, and the reading… Read More »New Jersey’s Gift to America’s 250th – A July 4th Celebration You Must Experience
Views: 1,522 It takes around two minutes and eighteen seconds to sing God Bless America. Mr. Local History took a trip to the “Field of Honor,” an annual tradition at the Jacobus Vanderveer House in Bedminster, New Jersey. Sit back,… Read More »Take 2 Minutes and 18 Seconds to Celebrate America
Views: 1,279 Before the Revolutionary War, New Jersey used a mix of currencies due to a shortage of British sterling coins. Spanish silver dollars and other foreign coins were commonly used, and barter was occasionally employed. To address the shortage,… Read More »Early American Currency and New Jersey Coinage
Views: 4,228 A fun community-driven Mr. Local History post where we need history sleuths who’ve read all those old documents and maps to help build the largest list of New Jersey Revolutionary War-era taverns. The road was long and worn… Read More »New Jersey Taverns of the Revolutionary War
Views: 4,638 “Pluck-em-in” and Middlebrook AND America 250 – Perfect Together. Get to know this Great American History Story. During the winter of 1778–1779, the Middlebrook Encampment stretched across the Somerset Hills while, at Pluckemin, General Henry Knox established the… Read More »Middlebrook / Pluckemin MLH Series: Tell America About These Rev War Jersey Destinations
Views: 932 Historic archeologist drops a verbal bombshell announcement at a New Jersey conference: The Rev War Pluckemin Cantonment WAS America’s first military academy, confirming the construction was done 24 years before the United States Military Academy at West Point.Dr.… Read More »Was Pluckemin America’s First Military Academy? Expert Breaks Silence & Takes Position
Views: 1,755 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… Read More »Middlebrook Symposium – Pluckemin’s Rev War Academy Analysis with Dr. John Seidel