FRIENDS OF MONMOUTH BATTLEFIELD
NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2014
NEW VISITOR CENTER
OPEN A YEAR
We have been greatly enjoying the new Visitor Center, which was dedicated on June 13, 2013 and has now been open for its second summer. It has been all the more appreciated since the old Visitor Center was closed for the previous year and a half during the construction project. We have noted in previous newsletters that the display area in the old Visitor Center was gutted and the old office wing was reconfigured into work rooms and an educational facility. The old workshop area on the west side of the complex was demolished and the new museum and office area constructed on their footprint.
The new exhibits in the museum are well done and have been well received. They include numerous maps, several manikins in period uniforms, and some specially commissioned large paintings. The best appreciated feature is the new 105 seat auditorium, which shows a newly created 11 minute orientation film. At the close of the film the screen rises up to show a lovely view of the battlefield. The auditorium is also being used for meetings and special presentations and events. The museum also features a brand new electric map showing troop movements with colored lights on a model of the battle’s terrain.
We are delighted to have a new gift shop, which has about twice the space of the old one.
The spectacular new Visitor Center, however, has not been without its problems, chief of which was a design flaw in the roof drainage system that resulted in severe roof leakage last February. The worst leak was directly over our gust shop, which received around $400 in water damage. The Visitor Center building needed to be closed for a couple days while everything was spread out to dry out and the cause of the problem was investigated and dealt with. Another problem has still not been resolved – the ceiling panels in the museum area were not manufactured correctly and we are still awaiting arrival of the replacements.
If you have not yet visited the new museum and Visitor Center, come and do so!! It is well worth the trip. Hours are 9 AM – 4 PM every day (both weekdays and weekends). It is closed major holidays.
BATTLE REENACTMENT
AND COMMEMORATIVE
WEEKEND
SUCCESSFUL IN JUNE
The annual reenactment of the Battle of Monmouth, cosponsored by Monmouth Battlefield State Park and the Friends of Monmouth Battlefield, was held successfully on the weekend of June 21-22, 2014. It was not nearly as large as last year, when we had over 1200 participants, but the close to 300 reenactors and living historians who participated this year put on a fine show. The weather was ideal, and the number of visitors was greater than anticipated. Everything ran smoothly. We wish to thank those members of the Friends who gave freely of their time to help run the event: Andy Beagle, Mike Cervini, George Dawson, Kathy and Eric Doherty, Walt Kowalski, David Martin, Marilyn Miller, and Pete Wagner. Heather MacDonald was also present in period dress demonstrating her musical skill on the dulcimer. (Our apologies if we missed anyone!)
Proceeds from the event will help fund our current projects, which include equipping the new James T. Raleigh Memorial Research library at the Park; setting up additional historical waysides and markers on the battlefield; and helping preserve the historic Craig House.
As has been our practice the past several years, we held commemorative programs and activities on the weekend closest to the battle anniversary date again this year. It has been difficult to get as many reenactors together as we would like at the very end of June (the battle was fought on June 28) due to conflicting events and the fact that many units are committed to activities at or near July 4 and do not like to do events two weekends in a row. As a result, the battle reenactment recently has usually been held in the middle of June, not at or near the battle’s anniversary date. Since we in the Friends have not wanted the anniversary of the battle to pass by without commemoration, we have been holding special lectures, programs, tours and other events on the weekend closest to the battle’s actual anniversary date. All events are free and (unlike reenactment weekend) there is no suggested donation for parking. This programming has proved quite successful and will be continued in the future.
This year’s commemoration of the 236th anniversary of the battle was held on June 28-29. The weekend included lectures, demonstrations and tours. The Craig House was open both Saturday and Sunday, interpreted by Kathy and Eric Doherty. David Martin gave hiking tours of the battlefield and George Dawson helped to man the gift shop.
Next year the Battle Reenactment is slated for the weekend of June 20-21, (father’s day weekend) and the Commemorative Weekend will be on June 27-28.
STACY ROTH COMPLETES SERIES
OF MOLLY PITCHER PRESENTATIONS
For the past number of years our good friend Stacy Roth has been giving her presentation “Over Here Molly Pitcher” at the reenactment and battle commemoration weekends as well as at other events. She is well versed in her subject and always gives an entertaining and informative program.
This year we expanded her schedule, with the aid of a grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, and sponsored a series of fourteen presentations over the spring and summer. Performance dates were April 26, April 27, May 3, May 4, May 31, June 1, June 15, June 21, June 22, June 18, June 29, July 5, July 6, and July 15. Several of the Molly Pitcher presentations (which were given in the new Visitor Center auditorium) were to a standing room only audience.
In additional to giving her hour long program “Meet Molly Pitcher,” Stacy also gave “cannon drill” demonstrations to young and old, using a reproduction wooden cannon to show how an artillery crew was organized and worked to fire a cannon.
Her presentations were quite popular, as she spoke to an average of 100 Park Visitors each date. In the process she brought a large number of new visitors to the Park, as we learned from questionnaires distributed at the programs.
We are pleased to have been able to offer this programming, and are thankful both to Ms. Roth and to the New Jersey Historical Commission.
PROJECT TO REPLACE WINDOWS
AT CRAIG HOUSE DELAYED
We are very pleased to have received a grant from the Monmouth County
Historical Commission to replace three damaged windows at the historic Craig House, the 1740s era farmhouse on the eastern side of the park that is one of the few remaining eighteenth century buildings that were a witness to the Battle of Monmouth in 1778.
We are not pleased to report that implementation of the project has been delayed pending the receipt of approval from the state’s Historic Preservation Office to begin the work. We hope that this hurdle will be passed in time to get the work done this Fall.
Many thanks are owed to FOMB members Kathy and Eric Doherty, who have been acting as docents at the Craig House, which is open free of charge on Sundays from 1-4 PM. It will close for the season on December 7.
Craig House is located just west of Route 9, off of Schibanoff Road, about a mile north of the intersection of Route 9 and Business Route 33.
WORK CONTINUES ON NEW
JAMES T. RALEIGH
MEMORIAL LIBRARY
It is hard to believe that Jim Raleigh, long time member of the Friends and our President for the previous ten years, passed away exactly a year ago,
on September 18, 2013. His enthusiasm and understanding of the Monmouth Battle and Campaign have been much missed.
Jim had a large library of books and maps related to Monmouth and to different other aspects of the Revolution. We are grateful to his wife Fran for donating much of this library to the Friends as the nucleus of the new James T. Raleigh Memorial Library being set up at the Park. Over 700 volumes were received and categorized this summer. They constitute a rich repository of information on the war in New Jersey, the generals and officers who fought here, the units and their equipment, and also about the battles and campaigns of the war.
We are fortunate to have received another large reference library on New Jersey and the Revolutionary War, donated to us this summer by a friend of the Raleighs, Ellen Thorne Morris. This collection consists of over 300 volumes, much of it genealogical in nature, and nicely complements the Raleigh Collection. Thanks, Ellen!
We are also thankful to Park Superintendant Mark Pitchell and Historian Michael Timpanaro for working with us and allowing us to set up the new library at the Park. Most of the books will be installed in what is called the “classroom,” which is located where the Park offices were in the old wing of the Visitor Center. The Friends have purchased five sturdy metal bookcases with sliding, lockable glass doors, to house the more valuable books in the library. They are now installed and filled with biographies and books about Monmouth, units, and military equipment. Another five wooden bookcases with open shelving are presently being put together and set up in the library to house general histories and other aspects of the Revolution and local history.
Much work remains to be done after the bookcases are installed and filled. It will be quite a project to prepare a shelf listing, which will be made available on our website. The books will be on loan to the Park, so they will remain the property of the Friends. This will not be a lending library, but a research library with books and materials kept on site. Procedural details are still being drawn up. The library will also include Jim’s large collection of Revolutionary War maps, as well as the maps and books donated by the late Frank Hendershot, a former trustee, and books donated by former Park seasonal historian John Pepe. A date for the library dedication and formal opening has not been set yet. We will keep you informed in future newsletters.
Anticipated cost of the library project is about $3000. At the moment about half the cost has been covered by donations.
WALKING TOURS CONTINUE TO BE HELD; SPECIAL TOUR TO BE GIVEN SEPT. 14
OF THE POINT OF WOODS AND HEDGEROW
Our popular series of battlefield hikes continues to be offered at 1:30 PM on the first Sunday of every month. The number of participants usually varies from ten to as many as forty. The tours, led by FOMB President David Martin,
usually cover the central part of the battlefield, visiting the Hedgerow and Parsonage areas. They begin at the Visitor Center and cover about a mile of rolling ground, and take about an hour after a 10 minute introduction. Occasionally the tours will cover Perrine Hill, the Sutphin farm, and the new Molly Pitcher overlook, all on the north side of the battlefield. These tours are given as scheduled, or sometimes when those present for the regular monthly
tour request. The north side tour takes about an hour and half because of the need to drive to the starting point from the Visitor Center. (A tour of Perrine Hill and the Molly Pitcher overlook is also given every year on the morning of January 1.)
Several times a year we offer special tours, focusing on little seen corners of the battlefield or visiting sites outside the Park that are connected to the battle and campaign. A very special tour will be given on Sunday, September 14, covering the key points of General Charles Lee’s retreat during the middle part of the battle. Points to be visited will include the spot where Washington encountered Lee, and the Point of Woods, where Anthony Wayne “ambushed” the advancing British column. Included will be a presentation of new information on where Colonel Ramsay of Maryland was badly wounded in one of the more famous episodes of the battle. There will also be a more detailed presentation than is usually given on what troops fought where on the Hedgerow line.
This will be the first time that this special tour, given by FOMB President David Martin, has been offered. It will begin with a brief orientation at the Visitor Center at 1:30, after which we will drive about a mile to Wemrock Road to visit the Point of Woods and Hedgerow. The tour itself will last about an hour and a half, and will actually not cover as much ground as the usual walking tours, but will be more detailed.
ANNUAL MEETING TO BE HELD DEC 3
The Friends’ annual meeting will be held this year at 7 PM on Wednesday, December 3, at the main branch of the Monmouth County Library, located on Symmes Drive in Manalapan Township. Candidates for Trustees and officers will be announced and nominations received at our October 8 general meeting. Ballots will be sent out approximately November 1.
SPECIAL PROGRAM SLATED
FOR OCTOBER 8 GENERAL MEETING
Our next general meeting will be held at 7 PM on Wednesday, October 8, at the main branch of the Monmouth County Library, located on Symmes Drive in Manalapan Township.
The meeting will include a brief business meeting, in particular an update on the progress of the new James T. Raleigh Memorial Library being set up at the Park. Candidates for office for 2015 will also be nominated.
The main purpose of the meeting is a historical lecture by our President, Dr . David Martin, entitled “They Were Also There: Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, Henry Knox and Anthony Wayne at the Battle of Monmouth.” Mention will also be made of the roles of Daniel Morgan and Baron von Steuben. The participation of these famous American officers in the battle is often overlooked and overshadowed by more noted generals such as Marquis de Lafayette, Charles Lee, and, of course, George Washington. Yet they were also on the battlefield at Monmouth, risking their lives for the American cause. Come and find out what each officer contributed to the battle, and how their role in the battle affected their personal lives and military careers.