Cover Page

Contents

Introduction

Colonial Period

Revolution

Early Republic

War Between the States

Recent Era

District of Columbia

Historic Projects

Special Features: Sites of important military encampments during the Revolution; Washington's Headquarters, 1779-80; eighteenth century houses; museum and collection of Washingtoniana.

Reconstructed Soldiers' Hut, Morristown National Historical Park.
(Photo by Rinehart)

MORRISTOWN NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK was established by act of Congress approved March 2, 1933. At present it consists of three units: Washington's Headquarters, Fort Nonsense, and the Continental Army encampment sites in Jockey Hollow. The combined area is approximately 1,000 acres, of which the Jockey Hollow tract is by far the largest. All the units of the park are easily accessible from Morristown. The Ford Mansion and Fort Nonsense are within walking distance of the center of the city, while the Jockey Hollow tract is approximately 4 miles from Morristown.

Colonial Morristown was a rustic frontier community, settled largely by people of New England origin. Agriculture was the principal industry, although the iron mines and furnaces in the vicinity furnished a livelihood for many. The War for Independence made the village of such great national importance that it has been described as "the military capital" of the Nation. This importance resulted from the strategic relationship of the Morristown area to New York, the principal stronghold of the British. Only 30 miles from the British lines on Manhattan and Staten Islands, Morristown and the upper valley of the Passaic were guarded, as by the Walls of a fortress, by the Watchung Mountains. Roads, also protected by bill barriers, stretched northward to West Point, the key to the defense of the Hudson Valley and New England, and to the Westward and southward as far as the Delaware River and Philadelphia, thus facilitating the dispatch of troops to any threatened point.

Scarcely a year passed during the Revolution that troops were not stationed at Morristown, which also was important as a supply depot. Washington spent more time there than at any other headquarters, while, for two winters, the greater part of the Continental Army was quartered nearby. In January 1777, after the victories at Trenton and Princeton, he brought the army to the Loantaka Valley, 1-1/2 miles southeast of Morristown, for winter quarters, thus proving the vitality of the independence movement by returning to the vicinity of his great defeat at New York only a short time before. His quarters were in the Arnold Tavern on Morristown Green. Again in 1779 the army returned to Morristown and wintered in Jockey Hollow, Washington establishing himself in the Ford Mansion. In the winter of 1780-81 the Pennsylvania Line, commanded by General Wayne, was quartered in Jockey Hollow, and there occurred the great mutiny which for a time seemed to endanger the Revolutionary movement. After the siege of Yorktown in 1781, the New Jersey troops were stationed near Morristown.

The Ford Mansion. — Situated in spacious grounds and surrounded by tall maples, the Ford Mansion is a splendid example of the dwellings of the more prosperous colonial families. From December 1779 to June 1780, it was the official army headquarters and the home of General and Mrs. Washington. The house was constructed in 1774 by Col. Jacob Ford, iron master and able militia officer. The most striking feature is the beautiful Palladian doorway, one of the finest in America. Within, one notes the spacious hall, the enormous kitchen fireplace, the simple but attractive woodwork. Some of the original furniture remains in the house—the grandfather clock in the kitchen, little tiptop tea tables with graceful snake feet, sturdy Chippendale and Windsor chairs, and lofty tall-chests of mahogany and curly maple. In a back room is the tall bureau-desk at which the Commander in Chief penned some of the most important dispatches of his military career. Above stairs are the bedchambers used by General and Mrs. Washington, and a room reserved for visiting officers which once was used by Lafayette. Across the road a short distance from the house, and long since destroyed, stood the log barracks of the General's guard.

This mansion now houses an imposing collection of Washingtoniana—paintings and prints, eighteenth and early nineteenth century furniture and household utensils, pewter and china, old military weapons, valuable manuscripts, and a library of nearly 2,000 volumes dealing principally with early American history. Among the many exhibits relating to Washington are a suit of clothes worn by him, portraits by Stuart and Sully, and a number of autograph letters. The construction of a fireproof structure to house the museum and library has been started. When this is completed, it is planned to restore the Ford Mansion to its original character as an eighteenth century home.

Fort Nonsense. — On the point of a high ridge which projects from the southwest into Morristown are the remains of a redoubt constructed at Washington's order in April 1777 as a refuge for the regiment detailed to guard military stores. Probably the hill was also the site of a beacon for summoning the militia in time of danger. It is a splendid vantage point from which to view the natural beauties of the surrounding region. A scenic boulevard is planned to lead from Morristown across Fort Nonsense Hill and along the crest of the adjoining ridge to Jockey Hollow.

The Jockey Hollow encampment sites. — The brigade encampments of 1779-80 were located on the slopes of a group of hills from 3 to 4 miles southwest of Morristown, in an area usually referred to as Jockey Hollow. There were encamped the First and Second Pennsylvania, New York, First and Second Maryland, Hand's, and the First and Second Connecticut brigades. The site of the mutiny of the Pennsylvania line (1781) is also in this area, marked by a massive oak under which is the grave of Capt. Adam Bettin, killed while trying to restore order. The camp communication system can be traced in the old roads. Many remains of the crude huts which served for officers' and soldiers' barracks are still to be seen. Other interesting features are the ruins of the orderly room, the camp hospital and cemetery sites, and the Grand Parade. A small field museum contains copies of old maps and other interesting exhibits such as military buttons, bayonets, and materials recovered from the area through archeological investigation. The National Park Service has reconstructed the hospital and a typical soldiers' hut, which are open to visitors.

As the Ford Mansion is representative of the dwellings of the better class of eighteenth century folk, so the Wick House in Jockey Hollow is typical of the homes of the yeoman farmers. With its split-shingle front, huge central chimney stack, and small quaint windows, it is a building of simplicity and rustic charm. The Wicks were New Englanders, and, judging from appearances, the house might very well have been removed bodily from the Connecticut Valley. A mile nearer Morristown is another early farmhouse, the home of Joshua Guerin, which illustrates Dutch architectural influence in New Jersey.

Primitive in appearance, the Jockey Hollow tract is much as it was at the time of the arrival of the Continental Army. It is thickly overgrown with hardwoods, except for a number of formerly cultivated fields in various stages of natural reforestation. The area offers some of the most beautiful scenic attractions in New Jersey. For the benefit of nature lovers, specimens of the principal wild flowers of the park have been collected and replanted in natural settings along an easily accessible wild flower trail. More than 100 species of song and game birds have been identified within the park and the adjacent area.

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