•                       
  SPRING

  ---

• 1780  

  at Morristown was the Worst Winter of the War !
  
  THERE WAS A 40-TO-1 RUN-AWAY INFLATION  AND THUS LACK OF REAL PAY FOR THE TROOPS IN THE FIELD AND AT  HQ

THERE WAS  A FROSTBITTEN FORAY  TO STATEN ISLAND   
DEEP-DEEP SNOW   
THE 1ST  ST. PATRICK's HOLIDAY      
Pennsylvania Troops putting down a Mutiny      
of  two regiments of the 1st Connecticut Brigade      

LA FAYETTE BROUGHT NEWS OF FRENCH SHIPS AND   ABOUT 6000+                                                                                                                                           SOLDIERS.
CHARLESTON, SC  was LOST.    The 2ND BATTLE OF SPRINGFIELD was WON.

THERE WAS A SUMMER MOVE TO PREAKNESS (WAYNE),  NJ.
WASHINGTON RODE TO CONNECTICUT  TO MEET FRENCH LEADERS.   
BENEDICT ARNOLD PLOTTED THE GIVEAWAY OF WESTPOINT, NY. 
HE WAS DETECTED, BUT HE ESCAPED.  HIS COMRADE, ANDRE, WAS EXECUTED.

The next winter began at New Windsor, NY on the Hudson near West Point.

• THE FOUNDERS

In 1873, descendants of the Ford family decided to offer the family mansion for sale at an auction. 

On the day of the sale, four men, like-minded in their concern for the preservation of Washington's Headquarters as a public historic site, fortuitously met at the auction.

 Without having had prior discussions, these men agreed then and there to purchase the building, preventing this "sacred relic" falling into unsympathetic hands. As a result of their joint action, we enjoy today one of the finest and best preserved sites of George Washington' s military residence of the American Revolutionary period.

	Thomas Randolph, the first president of the Washington Association, was born in 1826 in New Brunswick, where his father was founder and editor of the newspaper, The Fredonian. He was in the New Jersey Legislature in 1861. In 1866, he moved to Morristown. He served three years as governor of the state starting in 1869, and later became a U.S. senator.
	William Van Vleck Lidgerwood, born in Morristown, was a stepson of the locally well-known owner of the Speedwell Iron Works, Judge Stephen Vail.  For several years, he was United States Consul General in Rio de Janeiro. Though he later moved to London, he maintained his interest in Morristown and made substantial gifts to the Washington Association.
	George Halsey, who succeeded Randolph as president of the Washington Association, was born in Springfield, New Jersey. Halsey's historical interests were apparent prior to his Washington Association involvement, as he was already active in the New Jersey Historical Society and the sons of the American Revolution. During his career, Halsey served in Congress.
	Nathaniel Norris Halsted was interested in the military, serving in the State Militia and being involved with the New Jersey military camps during the Civil War. Halsted was undoubtedly influenced by his wife, a Vice-regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, which had acquired Washington's estate twenty years previously.

• OPERATIONS-- 1874-1933

After their purchase of Washington' s Headquarters, the four founders sought unsuccessfully to have the state of New Jersey assume ownership of the historic site. They therefore formed the Association as a stock-holding corporation dedicated to the preservation of the residence. 

When the Washington Association took over the Mansion in 1874, much of it needed to be repaired and furnished, and a new roof and added utilities were necessary. The kitchen wing was closed to visitors initially as it was used for the caretaker' s apartment. 

The Trustees embarked on a vigorous campaign to obtain donations of furniture and Revolutionary-period artifacts to build a museum collection. The newspapers were used to solicit gifts and loans; additions were made by the legislature as well.

During the 1920s, the Washington Association began to experience financial difficulties. Though the automobile helped raise attendance nearly three times between 1920 and 1930 at Headquarters, the increased visitations strained the Association' s finances. No admission was, or could, by the charter, be charged, while employee hours, salaries, and maintenance costs increased.

THE FIRST NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK IN GREATER-MORRISTOWN 

By 1931, there was interest in having a National Historical Park in Morristown, and, by the end of 1932, the Association Trustees supported the idea of adding the Washington Headquarters to the proposed Parks. 

             
 HQ December 1779/Spring 1780                     JOCKEY HOLLOW                      

 

 

 

 

                         Museum/Library

The  legislation was signed by Herbert Hoover on March 3, 1933
to accept the Washington Association properties,   
along with Jockey Hollow and Fort Nonsense lands.

   .On July 4, 1933, the Washington Association of NJ donated the Ford Mansion to the National Park Service.  They, with the Town of Morristown held an impressive ceremony in which deeds were formally turned over the United States representative, Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes, forming the nation's first national historic park.   

 Today, WANJ serves as the official Friends organization for the park it helped to create.

 

   

Today, the Morristown National Historical Park, of which Washington' s Headquarters was the nucleus, includes the Museum and Library, Fort Nonsense, Jockey Hollow, and the New Jersey Brigade area, totaling 1680 acres in all. 

The Association subsidizes the Park Development Fund and is the advisory body to the Morristown National Historical Park.

MEMBERSHIP

The Association Offers To Its Members:

• Stockholder membership status in one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious historical preservation organizations
• Attendance at two annual meetings: George Washington's Birthday and the Martha Washington Reception
• The Association and Park Service newsletters and an annual scholarly publication
• Discount on special programs
• The satisfaction in knowing that you are contributing to the support of our wonderful historical heritage

Application: [ drag cursor over the below and click on "PRINT" at the top of the screen ]

Sign Up Now

(Print The above Application and Mail It with a Check to the above address)

Inquiries:

Membership application and inquiries should be directed to the Secretary of the 

Washington Association of New Jersey
PO Box 1473
Morristown, NJ 07962

To inquire by telephone, please call  973/335-3372

RETURN ABOVE TO :  TOP   OR RETURN TO :

THE FORD MANSION:  WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS :  1779-80.    THE FOUNDERS        

The Auction of Washington Headquarters - 1873.   THE OPERATIONS IN THE 1800s       

The Creation of Washington Association of NJ 1874 - 1933  

THE FIRST NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK - 1930's

CURRENT NEWS       PURPOSES          PROGRAMS         

        
  LEARNING ABOUT GEORGE WASHINGTON     

More Revolutionary War heroes.

 H O M E

Permission for using the above information was granted - September 25, 2002.

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