[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 49 (Friday, April 12, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E440-E441]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE MORRISTOWN NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

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                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 12, 2013

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Morristown 
National Historical Park, located in Morristown, New Jersey, which is 
celebrating its 80th anniversary.
  As America's first national historical park, Morristown National 
Historical Park was founded on March 2, 1933 by legislation signed by 
President Herbert Hoover. Though he was responsible for the creation of 
the park, it was actually under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Works 
Progress Administration that the Washington's Headquarters Museum was 
built. Along with the museum, Morristown National Historical Park is 
comprised of three different areas; Washington's Headquarters, Jockey 
Hollow, and Fort Nonsense. It was during the two critical winters of 
the Revolutionary War, 1777 and 1779-90, that these areas in Morristown 
sheltered the encampments of the Continental Army. Washington chose 
Morristown due to its strategic location, and made the Ford Mansion his 
headquarters.
  Within Washington's Headquarters, there are two locations. The 
Historic Ford Mansion is an original 18th Century structure that was 
built between 1772-74, and is still furnished in period style. This 
location served as General Washington's military headquarters for six 
months during the winter of 1779-80. Nearby is the 1930's Washington's 
Headquarters Museum, which features exhibit galleries for visitors, as 
well as an expansive archive of important United States and world 
history items.
  The Jockey Hollow area provides many different attractions for 
visitors. As of 1975, there is a Visitor Center as to direct and aid 
guests, and well as provide small displays. The Historic Wick House, 
built around 1750, is a farmhouse that served as the 1779-80 military 
headquarters for Major General Arthur St. Clair of the Continental 
Army. Today, demonstrations of period cooking and craft are offered by 
staff in costume. Henry Wick's 1,400 acre farm initially had attracted 
Washington's army due to the forest on the property, which provided 
fuel and building supplies. Jockey Hollow also offers the Pennsylvania 
Line, which consists of five reproduction-Continental Army soldier 
huts. There are also trails that were once used by the armies, known as 
the New York Brigade area and the New Jersey Brigade areas. These 
trails cross the property of the Cross Estate Gardens.
  The Fort Nonsense area contains the remains of an earthwork 
fortification built by Washington's troops. The construction was 
ordered so that the fort served as a guardhouse of the main roads and 
storehouses, as well as an area to retreat to in the event of a British

[[Page E441]]

attack. By the 1790s the hill was called Fort Nonsense, as a legend had 
grown that Washington ordered the construction as a means to keep his 
troops busy.
  The historic landscapes, structures, objects, and archeological and 
natural resources at Morristown are tangible links to our nation's 
history. The vast collection in the Morristown National Historical Park 
library and archives reflect the convergence of two collections. With 
the founding of the park, they acquired the collection of the 
Washington Association of New Jersey. Later, in 1955, collector Lloyd 
W. Smith bequeathed his immense collection to the park, enabling them 
to boast a library collection of nearly 50,000 volumes, and an archive 
of nearly 250,000 manuscripts, journals, diaries, account books, letter 
books, military orderly books, and other Revolutionary War related 
documents.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in congratulating 
Morristown National Historical Park as it celebrates its 80th 
anniversary.

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