5 Things You Need to Know About Morristown and George Washington

Next Tuesday is the birthday of an important person whose personal history is intertwined with that of Morristown. That’s right, George Washington, the general who led the colonial troops to victory against the British and who served as the first president of the United States. Many people living in Morristown already know something about how Washington, but just in case you didn’t…

Here are today’s 5 things you need to know about George Washington and Morristown:

1. You need to know that George Washington really did sleep here. In January 1777, fresh from victories in Trenton and Princeton, the general and the Continental Army set up camp in Morristown and stayed through May. Washington chose Morristown because of its location and abundant resources. He headquartered at Arnold Tavern on the western edge of the Green, his officers stayed in private homes, barns and churches and his infantry quartered on the grounds of the . The tavern became a hospital and burned down in 1918.
2. You need to know that Washington slept here more than once. He and his troops returned in December 1779 and stayed until June 1780. This time, he stayed at the Ford Mansion while the soldiers encamped at Jockey Hollow, although they would march to the Green for their daily exercises. This winter was the worst in the 18th Century and 100 soldiers died at Jockey Hollow. But while living in the nicest home in the town, Washington also sacrificed: More than 30 people, including Martha Washington, Theodosia Ford and her children, a number of Washington’s aides and two dozen servants, lived there in tight quarters.
3. You need to know that Fort Nonsense is not quite appropriately named. In 1777, before leaving Morristown, Washington ordered the construction of a fort at Kinney’s Hill, or the Hill. With trenches, embankments, a guardhouse and outer earthworks, the construction was called Fort Nonsense by many because of a rumor that Washington had commissioned it just to keep his troops busy. But while it was never used to defend Morristown, it was believed to have included a beacon that was part of the system used throughout Northern New Jersey in 1980 to alert area militias when the British crossed into the state.
4. You need to know that Washington’s Headquarters was the nation’s first National Historic Park. It was so designated on March 2, 1933. Playing a huge role in preserving Washington’s history in the town was the . Four men who would become the founders of the association pooled their money to buy the Ford Mansion when it was up for auction in 1873. They later opened it to the public. The mansion was only the third private home in the nation preserved as an historic site.
5. You need to know Washington’s birthday would be a great time to visit historic sites in Morristown. Fort Nonsense currently is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Washington’s Headquarters Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mansion tours are given three times a day and visitors are encouraged to call 973-539-2016 x 210 to confirm tour times. Although it is outside Morristown, the Jockey Hollow section of Morristown National Historic Park provides more historical perspective as well as hiking trails and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.