Volunteering at the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in
Basking Ridge, NJ, gave us a wonderful opportunity to tour a portion of the
State of NJ that we rarely visited during our residency.
For example, we spent considerable time on several occasions touring Morristown,
NJ, with our motorcycles. Like
Princeton, NJ, Morristown is a trendy, urban business enclave steeped in Revolutionary
War history.
We visited Ford Mansion within Morristown National Historic
Park (https://www.nps.gov/morr/index.htm). Ford Mansion was used by General
George Washington as headquarters in Winter 1779 through June 1780. This is one of literally a dozen places
within NJ that claims “George Washington slept here.” That man sure did get around! The
Mansion was built in 1774 by Jacob Ford, Jr., a Colonel in the Morristown
Militia. At the time of Washington’s
stay, Mrs. Ford was widowed with 4 children, having her military husband
succumb to pneumonia in 1777. Although
few of the furnishings are original to the home, all the furnishings are
representative of the time period of Washington’s stay. The Park Ranger made the tour both
interesting and humorous, comparing modern day living to colonial times.
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The War Room where General Washington reviewed strategy and logistics |
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George Washington slept here! |
Jockey Hollow is also part of the Historic Park. It is the Wick Family property where 13,000 of Washington’s troops were encamped. What those soldiers endured! The Winter of 1779-1780 was the absolute
coldest winter the area had ever experienced. In fact, there were 24 snowfalls that
season! The soldiers, with rag-tag
clothes and worn out shoes, had to clear 600 acres of land, cutting 2,000
trees, many of which were used to build their meager huts. I have to believe in divine
intervention—despite the harsh weather, there were very few fatalities at the
hands of Mother Nature. Jockey Hollow
has several hiking, biking, and equestrian trails. I was transported back in time as I walked along the paths where American history was made.
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The Wick Farmhouse |
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The meager troop accommodations... |
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...those beds don't look very comfortable! |
In
fact, we could think of no better place to celebrate Independence Day than the
Historic Park. We walked with a militia
regimen to the Green, which was the site of a tavern during Revolutionary times.
We listened intently to a re-enactment of General Washington reading the
Declaration of Independence, shouting “Huzzah” (the colonial version of
“hooray”) at all the appropriate times.
Our Independence Day fun continued with a musical performance by The Loose
Cannons, a very talented, witty group.
They are the NJ version of Weird Al Yankovic, offering satire and good
humor that all New Jerseyans can appreciate.
For instance, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sounds of Silence” becomes “Verge
of Violence”, with new lyrics to parody the insane driving conditions and
traffic within the State. While we all
chuckled at the lyrics, they clearly spoke the truth. In fact, Mom was very worried about driving
within NJ. She was fearful she lost her
edge and her survival skills for dealing with the idiots on NJ roadways. Like those who cut across three lanes of
traffic to get to the exit, or those who pass you in the right shoulder to cut
in front of you in the far right lane, or her biggest pet peeve, those who
ignore the warnings that a lane is closed down and wait until they can go no
further before they force their way into the one open lane. I’m happy to report that it didn’t take Mom
(or Dad) long to get back into the groove and join the other crazy NJ drivers
in sharing the infamous NJ one-finger salute!
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I was recruited! Atten-hut! |
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George Washington Re-enactor reading the Declaration of Independence--Huzzah! |
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The Loose Cannons, Satirical Singers |
Morristown is home to Lewis-Morris Park (https://morrisparks.net/index.php/parks/lewis-morris-county-park), a county park that has a
beach area, water slides, and pavilions. Thankfully, we visited on a weekday—the place must be packed on weekends
and holidays. It has several well-maintained hiking, biking, and horse
trails. In fact, many of them connect
with those at Jockey Hollow, like the Patriot Trail.
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Little Chip joined us on the trail |
Morristown has a wide array of restaurants and cafes. The
Morristown Pancake House (http://www.morristownpancakehouse.com/), provided us two delicious brunches. They have several vegetarian/vegan options,
and they are quite reasonably priced. Friendly, efficient service, too. On our first visit, we all enjoyed quesadillas, their vegan version. The second time we dined here, Dad stuck to
his vegan quesadillas—why mess with a good thing? But Mom went all out, ordering the day’s carnivore special, the townhouse burger. A juicy Angus beef patty with lettuce/tomato/red onion, topped with a
fried egg, real cheese, and a NJ tradition, thinly-sliced grilled Taylor Pork Roll (You ain't a true New Jerseyan if you haven't had Taylor Pork Roll), all on a Kaiser roll. I thought I died and went to heaven. Simply scrum-de-lish-us!
We caught up with Escapees RV Club buddies David and Cheryl,
who are hosting Escapees “Hangouts” in various Eastern Seaboard States. We dined with them at The Pierogies House (https://www.pierogieshouse.com/), specializing in home-made Polish stuffed pockets. They have a large assortment of “stuffings” from which to select, including traditional potato/cheese as well as unique vegan options. We chose the vegan potato/onion and a
mushroom/lentil. We were not
disappointed. Very tasty and a real
treat for Dad, who reminisced about the pierogies his Grandma made when he was a
child.
Morristown also has The Game Vault (http://www.morristowngamevault.com/), a retro video arcade housed
in what was once a bank. Celebrating its
third year of business, it is a very cool place! I played all my fav old games to my heart’s
content--Centipede, Asteroid, and of course, Ms. Pac-Man. (Did I ever tell you why I'm partial to Ms. Pac-Man? This gal is what brought my parents together. Yup, they met each other at a dance club when they were both playing Ms. Pac-Man!) The Vault has a big selection of pinball machines, too. I liked the way the Vault
operates—you pay a fixed $7 for 30 minutes or $10 for an hour to play as many
games as you want within the allotted time.
No need to deal with tokens/quarters!
Loads of fun for me and my folks!
We visited Acorn Hall (http://morriscountyhistory.org/), an 1853 mansion house of
Italianate architecture, which is on the National Register of Historic
Places. The original owner sold the
property in 1857 after his wife passed away.
Augustus Crane, upon purchasing the property, had it enlarged and
remodeled. The property remained in the
Crane family until 1971, when the home was bequeathed to the Morris County
Historical Society, complete with many original furnishings from the Crane family. We participated in a walking
tour of the grounds, which at one time housed a powder mill. The powder mill was owned by
one of the Ford sons, the same Ford from the aforementioned Ford Mansion that
served as Washington’s headquarters--talk about 6 degrees of separation!
One day we visited the Frelinghuysen Arboretum ( https://www.arboretumfriends.org). Once the grounds of Whippany Farm, the summer
home of the George Griswold Frelinghuysen family, it is now operated and maintained by the
Morris County Parks Commission with the help of a "friends" group. Generations of Frelinghuysens have been powerful NJ political fixtures since 1720. In fact, Rodney Proctor Frelinghuysen was an influential force in keeping the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey from building a jetport in Basking Ridge and in the subsequent creation of what is now the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. (Isn't it interesting how everything is connected--just like a jigsaw puzzle.) While
the main mansion is no longer open to the public, you can walk along surrounding
trails, photograph flora and fauna, tour the restored carriage house, which
includes an exhibit hall, or even host a special event (it is a popular venue for
wedding ceremonies). The Arboretum
offers unadulterated beauty and tranquility.
And best of all—there is no cost to visit!
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Exterior of the Carriage House |
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Antique Carriages |
If you are a history buff and find yourself in New Jersey, take some time to tour Morristown. There is so much to do and see--I promise you won't be disappointed!
Our touring during our stay at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge included so much more than just Morristown. I'll tell you about our other fun times in a future post.
Talk to you again real soon!
We would like to thank the following organizations for all the great service and support they offer to the RVing community:
Escapees RV Club
RVillage
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