Politics & Government

Morristown National Historic Park Prepares to Close

Government shutdown impacts Great Swamp, Jockey Hollow, Fort Nonsense, Ford Mansion, Washington's Headquarters and Picatinny Arsenal employees.

The rumors of a government shutdown turned out to be true, as no deal was reached in Congress as the new fiscal year began.

With Congress at a stalemate over the budget and a government shutdown in effect, hundreds of thousands of nonessential federal employees may be furloughed until an agreement is reached, according to a report in the Daily Record.

Federally managed parks in Morris County also will close, including Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and Morristown National Historic Park. Those sites will include Jockey Hollow in Harding and Fort Nonsense, the Ford Mansion and the Washington’s Headquarters Museum in Morristown.

"Due to the government shutdown, the entire Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is closed to the public," according to a message on Friends of Great Swamp NWR.

The website statement said all programs and events are cancelled. The visitor and Wildlife Observation Center are closed and "essential refuge personnel only are permitted on the Refuge," according to the website.

Morris County's Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center in Chatham Township is not part of the national refuge and is still open, according to the Morris County Park Commission.

Tom Ross, superintendent for Morristown National Historic Park, told the Daily Record he is also holding out hope Congress will reach a last-minute agreement, but said he is prepared to close the gates today on all Morristown historic parks, including Jockey Hollow in Harding and Fort Nonsense, the Ford Mansion and the Washington’s Headquarters Museum in Morristown.

“Signage will go up, and all parks and trails will be closed to the public,” Ross said. “All scheduled programs, including field trips, will have to be canceled as well.”

The government shutdown also impacted more than 4,800 federal workers at Picatinny Arsenal in Rockaway Township who may have a short work day, the Daily Record reported.

Arsenal spokesman Timothy Rider told the Pocono Record the arsenal's departments will determine Tuesday what employees are essential; all those labeled "non-essential" will be furloughed. He said the arsenal would still support specific military operations and offer police, fire and medical protection.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here