Morristown National Historical Park News Release www.nps.gov/morr
For Immediate Release Contact: Anne M. DeGraaf, 973-539-2016, extension 206
July 4th Festivities Kick-Off 225th Anniversary of Morristown Winter Encampment: Activities Include Reading of the Declaration of Independence and Free 18th-Century Music Concert
MORRISTOWN, NJ -- Come celebrate July 4th with the National Park Service at Morristown National Historical Park (NHP) as it kicks-off the 225th anniversary of the Continental Army’s 1779-1780 winter encampment at Morristown. All of the July 4th events are free and will occur at the Washington's Headquarters unit of the park.
During the winters of 1777 and 1779 -1780 General George Washington brought a major portion of the Continental Army to Morristown, New Jersey for encampment. There the soldiers endured seemingly overwhelming difficulties associated with weather, logistics, supplies, and morale. General Washington chose Morristown for the main quarters of his troops because the area offered several strategic advantages, among them its location between the Continental Congress in Philadelphia and the British army in New York City. The park was established to preserve the land and features associated with the 1777 and 1779-80 winter encampments during the War for Independence. Morristown NHP is the first national historical park in the national park system, and its official dedication ceremony was on July 4, 1933.
This year's July 4th activities begin at 1 PM on the Ford Mansion grounds with a "Warm-Up for the Declaration". The "Warm-Up" will feature a park ranger in period clothing entertaining the crowd and giving a "kids level" explanation of the Declaration. Stories, jokes, riddles, and an inspection of the troops will all be included.
At 1: 30 PM the "Public Reading of the Declaration of Independence" will commence. Attendees will be encouraged to cheer along with park rangers and re-enactors as they denounce tyranny and praise liberty. At the conclusion of the reading, members of the 2nd New Jersey Regiment, Helms' Company, a volunteer reenactment group, will fire a feu de joie (musket salute).
At 2:30 PM and 3:45 PM David and Ginger Hildebrand of the Colonial Music Institute will perform a selection of music from the Revolutionary War era in the Washington's Headquarters museum auditorium. Seating in the auditorium is limited to approximately 100 and will be available on a first-come basis. For further information, please call 973-539-2016, extension 210.
David and Ginger Hildebrand have presented concerts and educational programs throughout the United States for universities, museums, historical societies and historic sites. They appear frequently at Colonial Williamsburg and Mount Vernon, and their music is featured on several recent movies and television, such as the PBS series "Liberty!" and C-SPAN's "American Presidents." For more information on the Hildebrands, visit www.colonialmusic.org.
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Morristown NHP includes the Washington's Headquarters unit, Fort Nonsense, Jockey Hollow, and the New Jersey Brigade area. There are approximately 26 miles of walking trails in the Jockey Hollow unit. All park areas are open 362 days a year, seven days a week, from 9 AM - 5 PM. The park is closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1. Guided tours of the Ford Mansion are offered daily at 10 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, 2 PM, 3 PM, and 4 PM.
Morristown NHP's regular entrance fee is $4 for individuals 17 years and older. A Morristown Annual Park Pass is available for $15 and is valid for 12 months. For information on additional events at Morristown NHP and other national park sites across the country, visit the website www.nps.gov.
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images available: -For a digital photograph of the musicians David and Ginger Hildebrand, visit http://www.colonialmusic.org/PerformImages/PerformImages.htm.
