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CROSSROADS GAZETTE
Your resource for all things Revolutionary New Jersey!
June 2017
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A Note from our Board Chair
Summer brings a wealth of events that highlight the strength and depth of New Jersey's Revolutionary heritage brought to life by more than 120 Crossroads Heritage Partner organizations across the state. As we support their work, we're also fortunate to draw on the wisdom of a dynamic board of trustees to position us for long-term growth and sustainability.
Crossroads has welcomed four new board members over the past few months: Brian Levine, a certified public accountant and Somerset County freeholder; Seth Hahn, NJ legislative and political director of the Communications Workers of America (AFL-CIO); Linda Kellner, government affairs officer at New Jersey Resources; and Patrick Ryan, president and CEO of First Bank.
They complement an existing board with long and diverse experience in business and public service, including Dale Florio of Princeton Public Affairs Group; John Hardiman, public affairs director of NJM Insurance Group; Ira Jersey, president of the Princeton/Cranbury Chapter of the New Jersey Sons of the American Revolution; Sally Lane, director of special projects at Thomas Edison State University; Chris Paladino of New Brunswick Development Corporation (DEVCO); Milly Silva, executive vice president at 1199SEIU UHWEast; and Laura Szwak, director of outreach and education, New Jersey Conservation Foundation.
We've also reorganized our governing body into three standing committees, which will enable the board to study and act on issues vital to Crossroads' current operations and future growth. Leading the committees are Laura Szwak, vice chair governance; John Hardiman, vice chair development; and Brian Levine, vice chair finance. Also, my title has changed to board chair to reflect our shared governance structure.
Each of our board members is committed to bringing their energy and expertise to Crossroads. They share a common investment in our communities and we look forward to their contributions as we work to further develop and promote the state's rich Revolutionary heritage as a driver for economic development and community pride.
Patrick Murray
Board Chair, Crossroads of the American Revolution
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Celebrate Flag Day - and a Revolutionary Neighbor!
What's a new nation without a flag of its own? On June 14, 1777, Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the United States, and it's commonly held that it was first flown over the Continental Army's Middlebrook encampment later that month. While generations of Americans have learned the legend that Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross made the first flag, historians now generally accept that it was designed by New Jerseyan Francis Hopkinson.
Writer, satirist, legislator, Patriot: all describe Hopkinson, who lived in Bordentown for the last several years of his life. Besides designing the flag, he represented New Jersey in the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. Learn more about his remarkable life and contributions to the early United States on our Revolutionary Neighbors
web page, and discover more about the origins of the flag on our
Revolutionary NJ Blog.
You can honor the flag this month with events taking place across the Heritage Area. The borough of Somerville's third annual
Flag Day Festival
on June 10 includes music, reenactments, arts and fun.
Also on June 10, Francis Hopkinson (brought to life by interpreter Stanley Saperstein) will visit Washington Crossing State Park to
share the story of the flag
and his other accomplishments.
And on June 11, bring the whole family to the Montclair History Center's
Family Fun: Flag Day
to learn about real flags from different periods of history starting from 1796 through 1945. Children will learn flag etiquette and which states became part of our nation in different time periods. They'll also make their own windmill flag to take home.
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Historians to examine Washington's First Middlebrook Encampment at June Symposium
Warfare is often affected by how leaders address factors that often go unnoticed by the average person. Disease, terrain, communication methods and how armies train their new recruits all come into play, and they're among the issues up for discussion at the Middlebrook Symposium at the Martinsville Community Center on June 17.
Sponsored by the Heritage Trail Association and the Friends of Bridgewater History, the symposium commemorates the 240th Anniversary of George Washington's First Middlebrook Encampment. The valley between the First and Second Watchung Mountains, now part of Bridgewater, became home for the Continental Army between May 26 and July 3, 1777.
Noted speakers will focus on the strategy Washington used to ultimately convince British military leaders to abandon plans to cross hostile Central Jersey territory to attack Philadelphia. Symposium attendees will also visit what's believed to be the state's only surviving earthen redoubt from the Revolutionary War. Visit the Heritage Trail Association website for more information and to make required reservations.
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Revolutionary NJ goes All-Star
with Somerset Patriots this July!
Revolutionary Spirit Night brought the Crossroads of the American Revolution to local baseball fans last year, and we had so much fun, we're bringing it to an entire baseball league this year!
Join us on July 12 as we help the Somerset Patriots bring the spirit of independence to the Atlantic Baseball League's All Star Game at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater.
With fans coming from as far away as Texas, we're looking forward to sharing the best of New Jersey's Revolutionary heritage with a whole new audience. The fun will start as soon as fans approach the park, as a Revolutionary troop encampment and cannon demonstration will be staged outside. Attendees at the game will be welcomed to step into the past with hands-on demonstrations and conversations with George Washington, Alexander and Elizabeth Schuyler-Hamilton and other costumed reenactors representing several New Jersey historic sites and interpreter groups.
New groups are signing up to participate every day. Check our website
for more information on participating groups and how to purchase tickets.
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Motorists entering Union County are now welcomed with signs heralding local history.
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Reenactment Season Heats up in June at Monmouth and Union County Events
Watch the fight for independence come to life in June as major reenactments bring the American Revolution back to two New Jersey battlegrounds: the Battle of the Short Hills at Oak Ridge Park in Clark, and the Battle of Monmouth at the State Park in Manalapan. It's your chance to see how the conflicts played out on parts of the landscape where they originally took place.
The June 17 and 18 Battle of Monmouth reenactment is among the biggest annual living history events held in New Jersey. Return to 1778, when the largest artillery battle of the Revolution was waged in the farm fields of what was then known as Monmouth Court House.
The 240th anniversary reenactment of the Battle of the Short Hills, to be held on June 24 and 25, marks the first large-scale restaging of the conflict on a part of the grounds where it occurred. Historical interpreters from more than 40 groups will portray combatants from both sides, along with camp followers and sutlers. Long distance walkers are also invited to join FreeWalkers as they trace the route of Continental soldiers from Metuchen to the battlegrounds.
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Enlist your kids to Discover Revolutionary New Jersey this summer!
Give your kids a Revolutionary summer experience! Historic sites and groups around the Crossroads Heritage Area offer a variety of day camp programs to meet the interests of any curious youngster. Kids can muster into General Washington's ranks and experience colonial military camp life, learn archaeology methods, discover life on the farm and more. Check out our summer camp page for more information and register your kids to Discover Revolutionary New Jersey!
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Heritage Area Partners join, renew with Crossroads
Heritage Area Partners are at the core of the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area. While each location and organization tells its own story, together they form a tapestry of experiences that make an indelible mark on our communities and neighbors.
For more information on how your organization can take part, contact our Program Manager, Kate Knowles-Brindle by
e-mail or by phone at 609-341-3246.
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Get Revolutionary at this month's Heritage Partner events
Get out and explore at these events at our partners in the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area. Visit our
website
and
Facebook page
for even more activities through the month, and watch for our mid-month events email.
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Skirmish on the Highway at Indian King Tavern in Haddonfield
June 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Watch as Loyalists and Continental forces do battle on the historic Kings Highway, then mingle with troops to learn about a soldier's life during the Revolution.
More information
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Hannah Caldwell Day at the Caldwell Parsonage in Union
June 4 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Visit the site where the wife of the Fighting Parson, James Caldwell, was struck by enemy fire following the Battle of Connecticut Farms, creating a rallying cause for Patriots. Tours offer a view into Union's early history.
More information
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Privateers and Pirates Festival at Tuckerton Seaport & Baymen's Museum in Tuckerton
June 10 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Discover the perilous past of New Jersey's coastal waters at this event for the seafarers and landlubbers alike!
More information.
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Tour the Abraham Staats House in South Bound Brook
June 10 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Walk the floors of the General von Steuben's Middlebrook encampment headquarters and explore a fine example of Dutch Settlement architecture in the Raritan Valley.
More information
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Board of Trustees
Thomas H. Kean, Honorary Chair ● Patrick Murray, Chair ● Laura Szwak, Vice Chair-Governance ● Brian Levine, Vice Chair-Finance ● John Hardiman, Vice Chair-Development
● Dale Florio ● Seth Hahn
● Ira Jersey
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Linda Kellner ●Sally Lane ● Chris Paladino ● Patrick Ryan ● Milly Silva
Crossroads Staff
Patrick Murray, Acting Executive Director ● Tanika Jones, Office Administrator ● Kate Knowles-Brindle, Program Manager ● Sue Kaufmann, Communications and Social Media Coordinator
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