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Survey of
Historic Sites and Buildings

	MORRISTOWN NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK New Jersey	Morristown NHP
Location: Morristown, Morris County; address, Box 759, Morristown, N.J. 07960. Morristown National Historical Park Historical Handbook

New York City was the principal British stronghold in the North, throughout the Revolutionary War. Only 30 miles distant but separated from the British lines on Manhattan and Staten Islands by a series of parallel ridges, the New Jersey village of Morristown took on important strategic values for Washington's army and was the scene of nearly continuous American military activity from 1776 to 1782. The American Army spent the winters of 1776-77 and 1779-80 encamped at Morristown. The Watchung Mountains, intervening between Morristown and New York, enabled Washington to keep watch on the British, to protect his own supply and communication lines, to guard the roads connecting New England and Pennsylvania, and to be ready to move swiftly on any point threatened by the enemy.

This crude log structure, as reconstructed and pictured here, served the American patriot army as its hospital during the hard winter of 1779-80 at Morristown, N.J. (National Park Service)

Morristown National Historical Park features the unspoiled natural setting on the edge of Morristown where the American Army passed the winter of 1779-80. The Ford Mansion, Washington's headquarters, and the Wick House, a farmhouse where Gen. Arthur St. Clair maintained his headquarters, have been restored and refurnished. Reconstructions include fortifications called "Fort Nonsense," nine log huts typifying the quarters of officers, and a representative camp hospital building. A large historical museum houses an extensive collection of artifacts illustrating the role of Morristown in the War for Independence, a library, and a unique collection of manuscripts.