Park 4: Morristown National Historic Park and Jockey Hollow, New Jersey

Ford Mansion at Morristown National Historic Park

5/21/12. Muriel and Catherine had the week off, but Jason was taking a summer class, so we waited until his class was done, picked him up, and headed up north to Morristown, NJ. We found the Morristown National Historic Park fairly easily with Google Maps, but we were surprised that it was tucked in a residential neighborhood. This park commemorates the sites of General Washington and the Continental army’s winter encampment of December 1779 to June 1780, where they survived through what would be the coldest winter on record.

We arrived just in time for an afternoon tour of the Ford Mansion, where Washington created his temporary office. Our tour guide/ranger was very knowledgeable, although she seemed a bit uncomfortable in her role. The house gave a good feel for what life was like among the relatively wealthy in a rural area. There were many interesting artifacts on display.

After the tour, we went back to the small museum which has three sections - two rooms with displays from the time period, and a larger auditorium that shows a movie of the time period. We were particularly interested in the two harpsichords from the period and we had trouble keeping our hands off them!

Driving Trails through Jockey Hollow

We got our stamps from the visitor center desk and then headed out to Jockey Hollow which is a short car ride away. We found the visitor's center and had a nice chat with the man who was in the gift shop/center. After Little Brother bought some audio cds of colonial music, we toured Jockey Hollow in the car. It had been raining lightly all day, but this gave the park an authentic feel of wilderness.

In Jockey Hollow, Washington anticipated a long encampment at this advantageous position, and decreed that his army was to build a "Log-house city" here. Eight infantry brigades occupied the site for seven months. More than 600 acres of oak, walnut and chestnut were converted into lines of soldier huts that rose on the hillsides. Impeded by the weather, the work of felling the great forest and erecting hundreds of cabins went slowly. Almost all of December, the men slept under tents or with no covering at all. A number were not under roofs until February the following year. There were about 1,000 to 1,200 log structures in Jockey Hollow.

The Wick House at Jockey Hollow

As we drove through the trails, we also encountered the Wick house, a small, 3 room farmhouse. The caretaker just happened to be coming over with another couple who were visiting and gave us a quick tour of the place. Mary Cooper Wick and her daughter Temperance were the only family members living on the 1,400-acre farm during the winter of 1779-1780. Henry Wick served as a volunteer with the Morris County cavalry. Mr. Wick had officers staying in his house that winter. Major General Arthur St. Clair, along with two aides, rented two rooms in the house for their office, dining room and bedrooms.

All in all, it was a lovely afternoon in a beautiful part of the New Jersey countryside. The wooded trails were peaceful and made us feel like we were in another world...