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| Ford Mansion |
Between
Monday and Tuesday, I have learned that Morristown was the first to be
established as a National Historical Park, signed by President Herbert Hoover
in 1933, in all of the National Park Service. Jockey Hollow was the home to the
Continental Army under General George Washington in 1780, where they all had to
survive one the harshest winters ever within their soldier huts. The soldiers
built their soldier huts and the huts for the officers. Learning that there
were about 12-13 soldiers in one hut, while there were about 3-4 Officers in
their huts was not a surprise; the surprise to me was that no one received any
severe illness like some did in Valley Forge during that time. With all those
men living together, the structure of the huts that they built were really
advanced in keeping out a good amount of the coldness and allowed for better
sleeping conditions. As a result of that, the soldiers’ major issue to deal
with was starvation and better clothing. An important concept that I took from
watching the movie Morristown: Where
America Survived, was that despite the harsh circumstances that they faced,
what kept some of the soldiers in Jockey Hollow was the support that they gave
each other and supporting of the cause. With that idea I think about the
National Park Service and how supportive everyone is, especially here in
Morristown. As soon as I arrived, the staff gave me their contact information
and told me if there was anything that I needed that I could call on them. This
really made me feel comfortable and relieved me from any anxieties that I had
prior to coming in; which I am really thankful for.
Wednesday, I was able to close the park and learn the
procedures when it comes to closing. While closing I took that time to explore
the Visitor Center, the Wick House and the Ford Mansion. The Ford Mansion is
located at Washington’s Headquarters; it was the home to Jacob Ford, his wife
and their four children. The Ford Mansion has 11 rooms and is the largest
mansion in Morristown. Once George Washington came, he used the Ford Mansion to
set up his office, with the permission of Mrs. Ford, where he would write
letters, and many important documents which are archived within the National Archives.
The Visitor Center and the Wick
House are both
located in the Jockey Hollow Section of Morristown. In the Visitor Center,
there is a replica of the soldier huts that the men of the Continental Army
stayed in. While at the Wick House, I explored the Wick Garden for a little.
The Garden is maintained by Park Volunteers.
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| Fallon at Fort Nonsense |
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| Mosrristion in 1779 Fort Nonsense |
Thursday morning as Chief Ranger
Richard Aldridge and I were opening the park, we came across a Snapping Turtle
in the middle of the road. I have never seen a Snapping Turtle right in front
of me before, so I was really excited to get out and pick it up! Now in the
photo, I am not wearing my Flathat, shame on me; because I was so eager to get
out of the car I left it inside. After
moving the Turtle off the road, we proceeded to continue to Fort Nonsense,
where I was able to see New York City in the distance and see the outline of
the Fort. The significance about the
location of Fort Nonsense is that it sees New York, so if the British were to
make their way towards Morristown, then another encampment would signal that
the British are here. The signal could be seen from Fort Nonsense, so this gave
George Washington enough time to assemble his men and prepare for battle. Once
leaving Fort Nonsense, I took a tour of the Ford Mansion. As I mentioned
earlier, the mansion has 11 rooms, it is very spacious and was the largest
mansion in Morristown during that time. The mansion has Dutch doors so that
animals would not run in and out of the house during the summer time. This allowed
for air to get through the mansion because it would get extremely hot during
those summer days. In his conference room George Washington and the officers
would continue to document the days that went by, explaining what they had
completed for the day. He would also invite about 30-40 people to have dinner
with him each night in the room. They would toast to the Army, George
Washington, then to Mrs. Ford and some of the Officers' wives. Later that day I
was able to attend my first All Employees Meeting at the Ranger Station, which
gave me the opportunity to talk with all the employees within the park. After
the Employee Meeting, I went down to Thomas Edison National Historic Site with
Chief Aldridge and Ranger Leon. Although
my time there was spent short, I learned so much and I am excited to go back
for another visit and help out if they need me
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| Fallon moving the Snappin Turtle off the road |
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| Snapping Turtle |
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| George Washington Conference Room Ford Mansion |
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