[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14548-14549]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING MORRISTOWN NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK

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                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 9, 2008

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
Morristown National Historic Park, county of Morris, New Jersey, as we 
commemorate its 75th anniversary.
  During two critical winters of the Revolutionary War, 1777 and 1779-
80, the countryside in and around Morristown, New Jersey, sheltered the 
main encampments of the American Continental Army and served as the 
headquarters of its Commander-in-Chief, General George Washington. The 
winter of 1779-1780 is largely agreed upon by weather historians to be 
the worst winter of the 18th century, even worse than the winter of 
1777-1778 at Valley Forge, But, due to better construction standards, 
proper sanitation, and better training, the winter of 1779-1780 turned 
out to be much more successful than prior winter at Valley Forge.
  General Washington twice chose Morristown due to its strategic 
location, including proximity to New York City, defensible terrain, 
important communication routes, access to critical resources, and a 
supportive community. Morristown's location put it at the crossroads 
between supply lines connecting Philadelphia, and New England. And the 
town was close enough to New York to keep a watchful eye over the 
British encampment on Manhattan Island. This central location allowed 
Washington to move his army quickly to either New York or Philadelphia 
if need be. The park encompasses ground occupied by the army during the 
1779-80 encampment, and the site of the fortification from the 1777 
encampment.
  The National Park consists of four noncontiguous units: Washington's 
Headquarters with the Ford mansion and headquarters museum, the Fort 
Nonsense Unit, the Jockey Hollow Unit, and the New Jersey Brigade Area. 
The Ford mansion, where Washington made his headquarters, is an 
important feature of the Park and recalls civilian contributions to the 
winning of our independence.
  The Ford mansion has a very interesting history. It was built between 
1772 and 1774 and was initially the home of COL Jacob Ford, Jr. Ford 
was a landowner, iron manufacturer, dedicated patriot, and colonel of 
the Eastern Battalion of New Jersey's militia. Through his command, 
Ford had participated in the first battle of Springfield. But, tragedy 
befell Ford shortly after the battle, when he was stricken with 
pneumonia. He died on January 10, 1777, After Jacob Ford's death, his 
widow Theodosia offered the mansion to General Washington to use as his 
winter quarters. General Washington and his aide-de-camp Alexander 
Hamilton, would use the mansion to formulate strategy for many of the 
revolution's greatest campaigns. Washington also used the house to 
write some of the most important letters of the revolution. The Ford 
mansion housed some of the most important figures of the revolution 
including the Marquis de Lafayette, General Schuyler, General Nathaniel 
Greene, General Henry Knox, and the infamous general, turned traitor, 
Benedict Arnold. It has been said that the Ford mansion has housed more 
prominent figures known to the military history of our revolution than 
any other residence in America. It is because of this rich history, 
that Morristown has been cited as the military capital of the 
revolution.
  On March 2, 1933, President Herbert Hoover signed Morristown National 
Historic Park into existence. It is the first National Historic Park in 
the United States. The park's mission is to interpret the extraordinary 
fortitude of the officers and enlisted men under Washington's 
leadership and the important subsequent commemoration of these crucial 
events of the American Revolution. The National Park Service and the 
Washington Association of New Jersey, a not-for-profit organization 
formed over 130 years ago to preserve Morristown's Revolutionary War 
landmarks, especially the Ford mansion, work to protect the landscape 
and historic resources of the Continental Army's winter encampments and 
other nearby Revolutionary War military and civilian sites for the 
benefit and inspiration of all. The Washington Association is the 
original keeper of the Ford mansion, also known as Washington's 
Headquarters, and continues to raise private funds for its renovations, 
and that of the museum, and its educational programs and remarkable 
archives.
  The Washington Association of New Jersey was founded in Morristown in 
June 1873. On March 20, 1874, the New Jersey State Legislature 
chartered the Washington Association as a stock-granting corporation in 
New Jersey. The association would be responsible for preserving the 
mansion until 1933 when it was donated to the Federal Government, and 
designated the first National Historic Park.
  The park's mission is to interpret the extraordinary fortitude of the 
officers and enlisted men under Washington's leadership and the 
important subsequent commemoration of these crucial events of the 
American Revolution.
  Madam Speaker, for the past 75 years, the Morristown National 
Historic Park has been an educational and heartfelt piece of history in

[[Page 14549]]

this district. I ask you, Madam Speaker, and my colleagues to honor the 
Morristown National Historic Park, its dedicated employees and its many 
volunteer supporters as our Nation's first historic park celebrates a 
very special 75th anniversary.

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