Welcomes:
Ceil Leedom, SB Township Historian
Charles Dieterich, Kingston
Agenda for the Day
Introductions
Purposes
1) Things we know for sure
2) Things we think are true but need documentation
3) Things about which we are unsure or disagree
4) Things that would enrich the route
5) Other
Break into groups to focus on each area
Discussion of Commemoration
Ways to mark the route
Tours etc.
Introductions
Charlie Dieterich, Organizer, Kingston (South Brunswick)
Richard Walling, Friends of Monmouth Battlefield
Ellen Gambatese (South Brunswick)
John Fabiano (Allentown) Friends of Monmouth Battlefield
Barbara Pepe (Allentown)
Paul Lucy (Monroe Twp)
Betty Wagner (Cranbery Historical Society; Summation of the route in
Cranbury
Anne Taylor Cranbury Museum,
Susan Rittling (Hopewell Historical Society)
Robert von Zumbusch (D and R Canal Coalition, Kingston Historical Society)
Mike Cervini (Friends of Monmouth Battlefield)
Joan Schaeffer (helping in Cranbury Historical )
Frank Hendershot (Friends of Monmouth)
Ceil Leedom (South Brunswick Twp Historian)
Peggy Carlsen (NJ Parks & Forestry, Kingston ) Rockingham
Dave Emerson (History on the hoof—reenact historical characterization)
Stacey Roth (History on the Hoof) Molly Pitcher (Yahoo groups list
) on Monmouth Battlefield
Rich Walling (Pres. Friends of Monmouth Battlefield), promote NJ role
in Revolution (2 wk campaign this year)
Bob Tucker (Dayton, Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Assn.)
Bob Craig (Historical Preservation in State)
John Hencheck
Garry Stone, NJ State Parks Monmouth Battlefield
Douglas Kiovsky (Kingston NJ)(Kingston Historical Society, Greenways)
Joan Cook Luckhardt (Note taker, Dayton Village Citizens Coalition)
B. David Emerson , Burlington, NJ
Jim Raleigh
The morning begain with Robert Craig giving some:
Historical Background
Historic Roadway Study
A joint effort of the NJDOT and NJDEP
Bob Craig
History of Road making and use in NJ study.
Reestablishing the route of 18th century roads.
19th century roads bear little resemblance to the roads that went before.
The reason is that 18th century was to establish the first roads.
Less labor, smaller population, existed; so the goal was getting roads
in place. First roads were Indian trails, the second were roads that
go from one community to another; connecting roads followed. As the
revolution approaches, New Jersey gets stage coach lines from Philly
to NYC, then roads to the shore. Then, wheeled vehicle traffic increases
as century progresses. These colonial roads were not optimized; we
then get proposals to straighten roads. The Stamp Act crisis occurs,
and the roads were put aside, but commissioners of highways were appointed
to straighten the roads. For example, the road in front of Morven
was straightened. The lane that runs past the Princeton municipal
hall was one of the early roads. Parts that got straightened were probably
less than a mile.
Additional interest grew, and after the Revolution,
more turnpikes were developed (straightened roads), and turnpikes charged
tolls. Following a direct course (a straight line) was a change in
how roads got maintained (more towns petitioned the state legislature to
hire privately to work on roads rather than conscript neighbors to work
on the roads). This coincides with a flurry of new road returns altering
and vacating old right of way (right of way reverts to property owners).
In 1801, NJ legislature permitted all municipalities to maintain roads by hire. Made less costly, better roads become the desire. Old Trenton Road (Cranbury to Trenton, Mercerville) gets laid out (replaces a number of roads). Most of roads were changed in their alignment between 1800 and 1820. So to look back at the roads is required and to reconstruct what they might have been in the revolution. For Example, near Allentown, the Robbins Tavern, the ‘South River” road found in the dispatches.
Then too, 539 goes straight across a swamp Millstone
River (the precursor road to that was the old Cranbury Road—how least construction
cost was the goal of the 18 century, while directness was the goal in the
19th century, illustrated by 539 which goes straight through despite
swamp, etc. Speed becomes the concern in the19th century.
John Hencheck:
Coryell’s Ferry
June 20th in Lambertville (Corryell’s Ferry) on Ferry Street goes to
Swan creek. There was a picture of the Coryell’s house. WE
had the Brunswick Pike. Had troops crossing at Lambertville, also north
to Stockton, and south of Lambertville.
Then they sought higher ground.
West Amwell Road, Route 518, was called the Brunswick Pike. Petrie Book documents route. (Brunswick was known as the Franklin and ? Turnpike Company). They had to make a big turn at Hopewell so made a straight shot more or less to Hopewell and then made a ‘dramatic’ turn north to NB. They had to file a right of way map which are now in the State archives, which is conserving the maps at present. In doing so, the right of way maps would most often show the old roads and incorporate parts of old road. Also they would include a written description and would include more info on the 18th century road.
Historian (Stone?)
Bungtown road preceded the Brunswick Pike. Troops used the fields
along side of the road.
Gallager (book describes the route);
Hunterdon County folks have a quartermaster’s map from Ringoes. Washington requested forage items to be placed at Ringoes, quite a distance from Hopewell. One of the mysteries is what Ringoes has to do with the march route.
The Amwell Road may be the old York Road. Wm. Rockefeller property (on old Rocktown-Lambertville Road) on the old Amwell Rd. is near Ringoes (and may very likely) had troops.
Hopewell
Rich Walling:
A lot of the work has been done before and we need to collect it, analyze
it, and make some judgments on the info. Hopewell was important because
Washington stayed there for a couple of days. Two guys with names
that are easily confused are Hart and Hunt. Hopewell Boro: Hart lived near
Hart Rd; Hunt rented a house on Provinceline Road nearer to Montgomery.
The Council of War was at Hunt’s house, overlooking the valley (agricultural
land so no trees).
Another question is Route 518 the same then as now?
The 24th and 25th they were hanging around Hopewell. Assume they may have been on the flat land when there, but need documentation on where they hung out. The main body of the army moved east. When encamped they sat anywhere they wished (10,000 to 14,000 folks). From Hopewell to Rocky Hill the route is assumed to be 518. Detachments also were sent down to Princeton to guard flank.
All the roads available were used to get around.
Statistics on the campaign:
12 to 13,000 Americans
20,000 British and loyalists
Wagons used the roads, people may have walked the fields along the
roads.
East of Hopewell Boro on 518 there are swampy spots so they would have avoided those. The Great Road existed. Where it comes into Hopewell, a mile west of Hopewell three Americans were buried under what is now 518. We know that Washington had dispatches citing Hunt’s house and the Baptist meeting house.
Washington Well Story
Sometime on the 24th, and stopped for a drink at Washington Well and
drank the well dry. Or was this another time-- legend.
Note: Route 31, on 22nd and 23rd, from Pennington to Bordentown was filled with American Troops. Where on earth is Morgan is another question. All this is west of Hopewell. The Hopewell-Pennington road got you north and south.
Rocky Hill to Kingston.
Georgetown Road goes nowhere useful now, but did during Colonial times.
It was the crossing of the Millstone River. Crescent Street (was
probably the main road then) goes through Rocky Hill, and hits the Princeton
Road (Mt. Lucas Road). Trenton and NB Turnpike survey gives the roads
in early 1800s. It shows Rocky Hill a road system that goes mostly
to Princeton, with one going off to Hopewell. The Old Georgetown
Rd. in Franklin Twp. Bypasses 518, a predecessor road, was referred to
as early as 1712 in a road return. Corylis family tavern is on it.
Georgetown was Coryelle’s ferry (and a section of Lambertville was called
Georgetown). It is where Kings highway starts in north Lambertville
is where they moved.
Going through Kingston
They took Ridge Road toward Mapleton and then went East. A map
of the 1850s of SB shows the roads from Kingston to Longbridge Farm.
Although unlikely, the map appears to show the only overpass(!!) in the colonial period. The road south goes over the road east. What was this odd crossing of roads, and why does it look like an overpass??
Monmouth Junction through Dayton (Cross Roads)
Shore Chronicles shows a map with Longbridge on it. It was in
or near Monmouth Junction today. The biggest wet area to cross is
the Lawrence Brook headwaters near Monmouth Junction. Washington
has receipts to Thomas Whetherill. Longbridge area may extend over
to Dayton as the Longbridge was an extensive farm. Washington troops
camped at Longbridge Farm. They then came through Dayton ( then Cross Roads)
along Ridge Road, turned right at the Cross Roads where there were Colonial
Taverns, and went down Georges Road to Cranbury (part of Georges Road is
now Route 130).
Cranbury
Lafayette and his troops stayed on the Brook in Cranbury and encamped.
And Hamilton too.
Washington came in the 26th and stayed the day. Leaves at 9:30 at night
for Monmouth. Letter to Congress from Washington (25th of June) marched
from Kingston where they left their baggage. They went onto Cranbury
and a storm approached. Each day they made two forced marches a day
from the 25 to 27th. At Cranbrury a storm hit them.
How did the army get from Cranbury to Monmouth through Monroe? Cranbury to Half Acre to the river at Gravel Hill was one possibility, although the Half Acre road is a 19th century road. Anderson’s house, camped at Paul Miller’s farm, and the crossing of the Manalapan River was then at a different place. The Anderson farm was west of the Manalapan River, on lower ground. On the NW side of the road as it crosses the River. Known as the Great Road. (Hoffman Station Road was also a part of it). The Cranbury Station Road becomes the Union Valley Road. The other possibility is through Union Valley Road for troop movement. Old church was an Episcopal church from the 1700s, which had some road connecting it to Cranbury.
Indian trail that goes into Englishtown is another possibility. How
do they go from Cranbury to Englishtown? And from Englishtown to Monmouth?
NEXT STEPS Brainstorming
1. Do something in Hopewell
2. Break it down into Counties; and go from one point to another
some prefer to not go by counties as the segments need to be seen as a
unit.
3. Segment the discussion; group reports for each segment. Scholarship
of folks who worked on the segments.
4. Site meetings and pull information together.
5. Field trips to help get perspective on the route. Or take
individual trips.
6. What do we want to have happen? What is our goal?
7. How about our celebrating the 225th
8. Grants to do a brochure modeled on the National Park flyers.
Trying to make the product accurate.
9. Goal is general knowledge of the route. The outcomes can grow
from that. Education, heritage of NJ, videos, etc are all possible.
10. The British reenactment group will organize a similar effort.
11. Bring stories of folks who describe what they saw during the march
or encampments. Bringing the march down to a human scale. Heightstown
has a large number of manuscripts. Ely collected stories from those
who watched the battle. 19th century newspapers liked to publish
stories about the revolution.
12. See if we could get Rutgers students as interns to help do research
on the route.
13. Craft a map for the path allowing people to walk or bike the route.
14. In Virginia they have been doing the Civil War battle marches.
15. Peter Inverso, sponsors Washington Crossing legislation, which
looks at the neglect of the trails from Washington Crossing to Trenton.
There were signs that identified the trail, but the signs had gotten lost.
The DOT has put up new signs and published a map.
NEXT MEETING
April 27 in Hopewell area. 9:30 to 2:30 p.m. Hopewell
June 15 in Englishtown Area (Village Inn? TBA)
Celebrating the 225
Rich
Background
Existing reenactments:
Crossing the Delaware
Reenactment of the Battle of Monmouth
Reenactment of the Battle of Trenton
Reenactment of the Battle of Princeton.
Trying to
Road to Monmouth Partnership
2 weeks long celebration is planned from PA to NJ.
Valley Forge in PA, travel the routes to Mt. Holly and Evesham.
June 28 and 29 Battle of Monmouth
July 4th will have living history event in NB (Celebrating as if it
were the 2nd anniversary of Colonial at Johnson Park in Piscataway)
Mayors’ ball at the Hyatt in NB celebrating as if it were Washington’s
Ball
Sandy Hook, HMS Bounty as a tall ship. Commemorative event on
July 5 (evacuation of the British)
For the events there is currently a 500,000 budget.
Gov. is interested in the project.
Goal is to get schools etc. to get involved and plan what they want
to do.
Allows the community to get events to celebrate the revolution.
There will be a website with the address roadtomonmouth.org.
Daily walks doing part of the march each day to get the feeling of the
effort (Charlie Dieterich). It would be helpful for the Boy Scouts
and Girl Scouts.