Morristown National Historical Park Library

Featured Manuscript: The Introduction of Historical Parks

2012-01-26T15:35:00.006-05:00

Pen used by President Herbert Hoover to sign an Act to provide for the creation of Morristown National Historical Park.

Curator's Note:

Among American presidents, Herbert Hoover has endured his fair share of negative press. Rightly or wrongly, Hoover will forever be linked in history with the Great Depression, an event which overshadowed his administration and cumulative legacy. Nonetheless, Hoover lived a long and eventful life and had many accomplishments beyond the troubles he endured with the Great Depression.

One example, which may not readily come to most people’s memory, is Hoover’s role in the founding of the historical park model within the National Park Service (NPS). Until 1933, the NPS had operated national parks which still evoke the natural grandeur associated with unspoiled nature at its most pristine. Parks such as Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, and the Great Smokey Mountains, are examples of such natural wonders which the NPS manages for the benefit of all Americans. (continued below)

W. Warren Barbour letter to Clyde Potts, 1933.

Lawrence Richey letter to W. Warren Barbour, 1933.

Yet, America is certainly more than its magnificent natural wonders and in the late 1920s, NPS director Horace Albright began thinking about moving the agency into a new field—historic preservation. The concept of historic preservation was nothing new in the United States; what was new, however, was the idea that the NPS should perhaps get involved and leverage the power of the federal government to help safeguard America’s cultural patrimony. Historic sites throughout the country had been destroyed in what many believed was an almost criminal act. The willful, unmitigated destruction of our nation’s heritage was a topic which drew Albright’s attention as a subject worthy of his agency and his talent and ambition.

Prompted by such historic preservation efforts as Colonial Williamsburg, Albright searched for an opportunity to put his plan to a test. In Morristown, NJ, several prominent men, principle among them mayor Clyde Potts, and businessman Lloyd W. Smith, were independently working on an idea for forming some sort of memorial at the site of the Jockey Hollow Revolutionary War winter encampment in 1779-1780. Through their connections Smith and Potts found their way to Albright who welcomed their idea with gusto.

During the very early 1930s, Albright, Smith, and Potts, coalesced their individual ideas into a more coherent strategy and by 1932 had finished putting the final pieces into place to create a National Historical Park at Morristown focusing on the Jockey Hollow encampment. As this plan progressed through the bureaucratic process, the Washington Association of New Jersey, founded in 1874 and running the Ford Mansion as a historic site for nearly sixty years, decided to donate the Mansion (Washington’s headquarters during the 1779-1780 encampment) and their considerable museum and archival collection to the National Historical Park venture pursued by Albright, Smith, and Potts.

With the inclusion of the Ford Mansion, the new National Historical Park at Morristown took on an added, dramatic dimension. The museum and archival collection of the Washington Association necessitated the building of a standalone museum building to house and exhibit the collection. That building of course still stands today as designed by noted architect John Russell Pope in 1936.

Finally, to create a National Historical Park, an act of Congress, creating a bill, had to be passed. And, for that bill to become law, it needed the signature of the president. When President Hoover put pen to paper to create the law establishing Morristown National Historical Park on March 2, 1933, he joined a long established tradition among president’s of having the pen utilized to create a law saved as a memento of the occasion. Particularly, pens used to sign legislation creating a new aspect of an agency, or a new agency altogether, are especially coveted.

Therefore, the pen used by President Hoover to create Morristown National Historical Park, the first historical park in the NPS system and representing a giant leap into the evolving field of historic preservation for the NPS, is preserved as a memento of the simple act of placing a signature on a piece of paper. That simple act, represented with the pen shown here, has dramatically altered the field of historic preservation and the involvement of the NPS over nearly eighty years.

Student Intern Exhibit Features Native American Artifacts

2012-01-05T15:19:00.004-05:00

In the fall of 2011, during an internship here at Morristown National Historical Park Museum, archaeology and anthropology major Brian Williams from Drew University utilized the Native American collection on site to create a temporary exhibit now on display at the museum. Through tedious research as well as some help from the staff here at Morristown National Historical Park, Brian created a fascinating exhibit showcasing some of the collection’s most unique artifacts.

Of the 20,000 Native American artifacts in the collection ranging from local tribes such as the Lenne Lenape to artifacts from across the Midwest and South, Brian focused in on a process called “knapping”. The tool-making process of Native Americans through knapping involved lithic reduction. This was done by striking workable material with a much harder tool, such as a rock. It was through this process that Native American tool making took a giant step forward during prehistoric times in North America. Through knapping, Native Americans formed sharper and more useful tools and weapons, some of which are exhibited in Brian’s display. Arrowheads are the most well-known products of knapping and are some of the most fascinating to look at.

The exhibit consists of two display cases, the first of which exhibits the tools used for the knapping process, while the second shows the process and end results of knapping. Included in the exhibit are some examples created by Brian himself in order to replicate the process while others are the actual artifacts in MNHP’s collection. Through Brian’s work in one short semester, we are now able to showcase some of the more unique artifacts in collection here at Morristown National Historical Park Museum.

Exhibit by Brian Williams, Drew University.

Wm. Paterson Interns Begin Jefferson Digest

2011-12-28T14:23:00.001-05:00

Sarah explaining to Matt the proper way to handle documents.

Rachel loading the microfilm of Jefferson documents kept at MNHP.

Document #42 LWS #1290

Matthew Alexander and Rachel Tanzola are seniors studying History at William Paterson University and have been interning at MNHP since September. They are working with the Jefferson Documents donated by Lloyd W. Smith to create a digest. When finished the digest will contain summaries of each document, a short biography of each person mentioned and the letters they appear in.

“Although we were very excited to be able to handle documents written by Jefferson, finding a document with ciphers in it was beyond our expectations.” Rachel Tanzola

“Having the opportunity to handle the Jefferson documents reinforced a sense of patriotism. It was exhilarating to know that I have now handled a document that has been written by a founding member of our country.” Matthew Alexander

Matthew and Rachel will be with us until the end of May and are very excited to move on and learn different aspects of museum work. One project they will be working on will be the traveling museum which brings the museum into the schools. It involves making an inventory of reproduction artifacts (as one would real artifacts) and preparing them for classroom use. This will give them an example of educational outreach and examples of how museum artifacts arefiled/paperwork completed....an important part of museum work. Looking forward to the new year.

Blog entry by Rachel Tanzola and Matthew Alexander, William Paterson University

Volunteer Spotlight: Malcolm Dick

2011-12-01T08:48:00.004-05:00

Malcolm Dick has been volunteering at Morristown N.H.P. for nearly 41 years. In the 1970’s, Malcolm could be found on many a weekend outside the Wick House working at his shaving bench making assorted wooden utensils for use in the house. During the bicentennial, Malcolm, as a member of Morgan’s Rifle Company, volunteered at both the Wick House and the Soldier Huts. Since retiring in 1990 as a nautical engineer and ship designer, Malcolm has been a valuable volunteer with the Cultural Resource Division, assisting with numerous projects dealing with the conservation and preservation of the museum collection.

Feature by Joni Rowe, Museum Specialist

Featured Manuscript: Historic CCC Photos

2011-10-05T13:53:00.019-04:00

Collection Note:

The Morristown museum collection includes many historic photographs. Among them are images taken during early constructions and restorations projects, and include images of Park buildings, landscapes, trails, and Civilian Conservation Corps workers.

Morristown's Other Army

Have you ever wondered how Morristown National Historical Park became a park? Morristown NHP is a wonderful community resource that we use for relaxation, exercise and learning. Although Morristown NHP has been a fundamental part of the local landscape for several generations, this was not always the case.

The practice of holding large expanses of land in public trust for parks began in the 19th Century. Yellowstone National Park was the first National Park founded in 1872. In New Jersey it wasn’t until 1903 that the state established its first Historic Site at the Indian King Tavern in Camden County. Then in 1933, in the last days of Herbert Hoover’s presidency, he signed into law creating Morristown NHP. Soon after, Franklin D. Roosevelt took office and gave his ‘Three Essentials for Unemployment Relief’ On March 21, 1933, where he proposed the formation of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). This program became the most popular program of FDR’s New Deal agenda.

Here you see the CCC boys being driven from Morristown to Jockey Hollow for their work building man of the things we still enjoy today like the trails, tour road and the Wick House and Farm.

One of the nicknames given to the CCC is 'Roosevelt's Tree Army.' Here enrollees plant one of many treee behind the Ford Mansion. During the 9 years of the CCC, they planted roughly 3 billion trees throughout the country.

This is a picture of the first CCC camp in Jockey Hollow. This was located right in front of where the replica soldier huts sits now.

The CCC enrollees are going through many of the pottery pieces found during the archaeology digs around the Wick House and Ford Mansion and trying to put them back together.

Do you see any heavy machinery in this photo? The CCC were responsible for building the park road. They used human muscle for as many jobs as possible. The 'boys' in the picture helped built the tour road for only $1 a day. Would you help build a road for $1 a day?

The Wick House was transformed to its present state by the CCC. The men in the foreground are not enrollees in the CCC, but are probably Local Experienced Men (LEMs). These men came from the local community and taught the enrollees various skills, in this case woodworking.

President Roosevelt was interested in preserving the nation’s natural and cultural treasures and focused the CCC on conservation. The CCC built roads, bridges and hiking trails throughout the country. They participated in soil erosion control, planted acres of trees and established forest management practices. In Jockey Hollow the men built many of the trails, did extensive archeology around the Soldiers Huts, Wick Farm and Guerin House. They also constructed the tour road, Wick House garden and replanted the apple orchard at the Wick House.

While completing all this they observed an eight hour work day and a five day work week. This left plenty of time to participate in recreational and educational activities offered in the camp. Enrollees earned $30 a month. They were allowed to keep only $5 while the remaining $25 was sent home to support their parents and siblings. While in the camp the enrollees also received room, board and medical care.

The towns and villages where the camps were located received just as many benefits as the enrollees did. While the camps were in session, local tradesmen were hired as “Local Experienced Men’ or ‘LEMs’ for short. These men trained the CCC enrollees in various skills needed to complete the jobs assigned to the camp. Also many of the supplies and food needed in the camp was purchased from local merchants. The ‘boys’ were taken into town most weekends and were able to spend some of their hard earned money at local stores such as ice parlors, movie theaters and restaurants.

The CCC worked in all the states and territories of the U.S. for 9 years from 1933 to 1942. During this time about 3 million boys signed up for the CCC and their accomplishments were amazing. Throughout the life of the program the CCC planted upwards of 3 billion trees, constructed approximately 125,000 miles of road, built more than 3,000 fire lookout towers and spent 8 million man hours fighting forest fires.

Next time you are in a park, especially Jockey Hollow, take a minute to appreciate the hard work that had to be done for us to enjoy Jockey Hollow and other public lands the way we do today. If you would like to learn more about the CCC at Morristown NHP join one of the many CCC related Ranger led activities.

Blog entry by Andy Danneker, Park Ranger, Morristown NHP

Featured Manuscript: Nathaniel Greene Letter

2011-09-21T15:01:00.008-04:00

“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you!”

General Greene’s Letter to Moore Furman

A letter written in Morristown over 230 years ago has a permanent home just a mile from where it was originally written.

What makes this document so important is that it was written during the 1779-1780 winter encampment by General Nathaniel Greene, the Quarter Master General of the Continental Army. As Quarter Master General, Greene was responsible for everything that dealt with the daily existence of the army such as food, clothing, shelter, transportation and choosing campsites for the army. He was writing to Moore Furman, the quartermaster responsible for collecting supplies in New Jersey.

side 1

Much of the three page letter is filled with the mundane business of the Quartermaster department dealing with issues of transporting supplies, paying bills, and discussing the reorganization of New Jersey’s supply system. But one paragraph offers us a glimpse into life during the winter encampment of 1779-1780.

“Our Army is without Meat or Bread; and have been for two or three days past. Poor Fellows! They exhibit a picture truly distressing. More than half naked, and above two thirds starved. A Country, once overflowing with plenty, are now suffering an Army employed for the defense of everything that is dear and valuable, to perish for want of food. A people too, whose political existance depends upon this Army, and the future enjoyment of what they now possess. O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you! Legislatures are guarding against little trespasses, while they suffer the great Barriers of political security to be thrown down, and the Country overrun.” (see page 1)

side 2

side 3

This was written during the worst part of the encampment of 1779-1780. When the army arrived at Morristown there was already a foot of snow on the ground. General Greene had taken quarters at Arnold’s Tavern on Morristown Green, while General Washington stayed at the Ford Mansion. But the army was five miles south of Morristown in Jockey Hollow. It took the soldiers at least two weeks to build their log cabins. Until then, they slept out in the open or in tents during what turned out to be the worst winter in the recorded history of the United States. When General Greene wrote this letter, at Arnold’s Tavern, it was the third day of a four day blizzard. The snow that had been one foot deep was now four feet deep.

The deep snow prevented supplies from reaching the camp. One soldier recalled that he did not get anything to eat for four days and in desperation he ate bark off of a stick. He also said that some soldiers ate old shoes and officers killed and ate a pet dog. What really frustrated Greene wasn’t the weather; it was the lack of support from the civilian population. He described them as “a land overflowing with plenty” while the army was starving. What Greene didn’t know when he wrote this, was that four days later General Washington would requisition food from every county in New Jersey, promising payment but threatening confiscation if the food was not forthcoming. By the end of January and through early February soldiers letters and diaries comment on how they had plenty of food. But it wouldn’t last long. Eventually, New Jersey’s contribution ran out and food had to be obtained from other states. By spring two Connecticut regiments would mutiny over a lack of food. It was a problem that would frustrate Generals Greene and Washington for the entire war.

Blog entry by Eric Olsen, Park Ranger/Historian, Morristown National Historical Park.

Check This Out!: Deed Interpretation

2011-09-08T14:35:00.023-04:00

Trying to decipher an old family deed? Interested in legal documents? Teaching with primary sources?

The University of Nottingham has excellent manuscript tutorials available online for your research needs.

Find Resources On:
Using Archives/Caring For Collections/Dating Documents/Weights and Measures/Account Records/Deeds/Deeds in Depth/Manorial Records/Maps and Plans/Medieval Books/Medieval Documents

Conveyance, North Muskham, 1853 (Ne D 2745)
Image taken from University of Nottingham (via)
Manuscripts and Special Collections Guidance

Date

The date of execution of the deed is always listed at the beginning. This may be in the modern form we would recognise today (i.e. 29 June 1665), or it may be in the form of a 'regnal' date, indicating the year of the reign of a particular monarch (i.e. 29 June 17 Charles II). In addition, the actual day and month may sometimes be indicated by reference to a particular event or saint's day (i.e. the feast of St Peter and St Paul, 17 Charles II). A separate Research Guidance module is available to assist with dating documents.

Parties

These are simply the names of the individuals or organisations involved in the deed. They are listed in order, in the form 'First Party, Second Party, Third Party' and so on, and so are easily identifiable

Recitals

These provide a summary of the activity which has led up to the present deed, so, for example, they may recite details of a person's will, or of a previous conveyance or of a mortgage and so on. They will normally by introduced by the word 'whereas' and can be several in number. Normally the recitals are not essential to interpreting the current deed, and so do not always need to be looked at in detail

Operative Part(s) or 'Testatum'

This states the purpose of the deed, for example the effecting of a conveyance or a lease from one person to another. It can be identified by the phrase '(Now this indenture) witnesseth' or 'further witnesseth' and will normally include a 'consideration' (e.g. amount of purchase money, amount of rent) or other motive for the transaction (e.g. 'natural love and affection' shown by one relative to another)

Parcels

These provide a description (often detailed) of the property which is subject of the deed and can usually be identified by the words 'all that'

Habendum

This word comes from the Latin phrase 'Habendum et Tenendum', that is 'to have and to hold' and this section defines the terms of the estate. Therefore, freehold property may be conveyed forever, whereas leasehold property may be conveyed for a term of years

Covenants, Conditions and Provisos

These record details of agreements made between the parties which affect the property and transaction. For example, one party may promise to produce the deeds to the property as proof of title, may promise not to use land for a particular purpose, may promise not to sub-let a property and so on

Witnesses

Each deed will normally contain a list (and often signatures) of people who are acting as a witness to the transaction. Normally these will be the parties to the deed itself, but sometimes, particularly with earlier deeds, independent witnesses are listed. Each witness will normally make a seal

Endorsements

Literally things endorsed (or written) on the reverse of a deed. This could be a subsequent sale or agreement, a record of the receipt of purchase money, a record of the delivery of possession and so on

*Example borrowed from University of Nottingham (via) Manuscripts and Special Collections Guidance

Jude Pfister Discusses Byron Forgery on WCBS

2011-08-12T16:46:00.010-04:00

Morristown National Historic Park To Keep Bogus Bryon Letter

MORRISTOWN, NJ (WCBS 880) - When the curator of the Morristown National Historic Park first found out in May that their letter supposedly written by poet Lord Byron was a fake, panic set in.

WCBS 880′s Levon Putney In New Jersey

August 2, 2011 10:18 AM

Click HERE to listen. View the forgery HERE.

“Oh my goodness, you know. What do we do now?” said Jude Pfister.

After all, the museum had the letter for over fifty years.

But then, Pfister thought, “This might not be a bad thing, taking the approach of turning lemons into lemonade.”

The museum may now put together an exhibit on forged documents. Pfister says there were lots of fakes in Byron’s time and now he gets to talk about them.

“We don’t have the real thing, but in and of itself, there’s just as much of a story,” he says.

Pfister says it’ll be an educational tool for visitors and students.

The letter is believed to have been written 50 years after Byron’s death in 1824. The author of the letter remains unknown.

The document’s authenticity came into question after Drew University planned to use the letter in a Byron exhibit. It was passed along to an expert at the New York Public Library who discovered problems with the salutation, signature and content.

*Permission to republish was kindly granted by WCBS 880. Interviewer Levon Putney.

Lord Byron (credit: UK Government Art Collection via Wikipedia)

Lloyd W. Smith Native American Collection

2011-08-04T09:10:00.009-04:00

My name is Carleigh Moore and I am a rising senior anthropology student at the University of Notre Dame. This summer I am working with the Lloyd W. Smith Native American artifact collection.

At the onset of my internship, roughly four weeks ago, I began cataloguing the Native American collection in order to make it more accessible to the museum staff, researchers, and Native American tribes who may be interested in the collection.

The collection of over 20,000 artifacts is stored in 60 boxes. Within each large box there are several bags of artifacts, grouped by type. The majority of the collection is comprised of various types of stone tools and projectile points.

To complete the cataloguing process, I am methodically going through each bag to record information about every artifact in the collection. Each bag of artifacts receives a catalogue number according to its contents. Next, I photograph the contents of the bag. Finally, I record descriptions of the contents in an excel spreadsheet.

The best part of my job is when I come across something that I have never seen before. In one box, I found several bags of small round stones. I was unaware of their function until I researched and concluded they were most likely used as part of a bola throwing weapon. A bola consists of several connected ropes with weights on the end. Hunters throw the bola and the weapon’s ropes become tangled in the animal’s legs, often making it impossible for the animal to continue running.

While assigning these small stones new catalogue numbers I was in awe of the hunters’ ingenuity. I would have never thought to use these small stones to create such an effective weapon!

Blog entry by Carleigh Moore, University of Notre Dame.

Featured Manuscript: Lydia Maria Child

2011-07-26T10:41:00.012-04:00

Lydia Maria Child (1802-1880) was an American author whose earliest works centered on hearth and home. She founded the children’s periodical Juvenile Miscellany when she was twenty-four years old. By 1831, Child had published The Mother’s Book and The Girl’s Own Book, “both of which,” according to her obituary in The New York Times, “hold places in nearly every New-England family library.”

In that same year, 1831, Child met William Lloyd Garrison. Her subsequent writings forcefully promoted anti-slavery issues. Within a decade she moved to New York to edit the weekly newspaper National Anti-Slavery Standard, a position she held until 1843.

This letter from the Lloyd W. Smith Archives was addressed to a Mr. Frederic Oxnard, and sent from New York in the fall of 1846. It appears that Oxnard had written for Child’s permission to include her in his pending project. Child replied,

“I cheerfully comply with your request, though with a consciousness that you may be often asked why that name was inserted among a gallery of “distinguished” ones; and, like the old Roman, ‘I would prefer that posterity should inquire why no statues were erected for me, rather than ask why they were.’”

Look closely at the bottom right corner of the manuscript. Affixed to the document is circular impression in green wax. The image appears to represent the palm of a right hand. Seals were used in the nineteenth century for a variety of purposes, often to secure envelopes. This particular seal, however, was not meant to be broken, and remains intact after more than one hundred and fifty years.

Featured Manuscript:

Child to Oxnard (November 3, 1846). LWS 2471. Lloyd W. Smith Archival Collection, Morristown National Historical Park, Morristown, New Jersey.

Sources:

“Child, Lydia Maria.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 11 July 2011. .

“Obituary: Lydia Maria Child.” The New York Times, October 21, 1880.

“sigillography.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2011. Web. 15 July 2011. http://school.eb.com/eb/article-58828.

Blog entry by Anne Ricculli, Drew University.

Archival Ambassadors: Class of 2011

2011-07-15T20:54:00.006-04:00

The High School Ambassadors have had an exciting week full of document-based activities, Park history, reflective blogging, historical thinking techniques, tours, and scholarly discussion! On Wednesday, the Ambassadors explored Jockey Hollow, where the group learned about hut construction, home life during the Revolutionary period, and the myths surrounding Tempe Wick. This week has been dedicated to primary document investigation, making careful observations, and practicing diligent and responsible scholarship.

We have all made some great new friends along the way!

This fresh batch of Park Stewards is excited to share what they have learned all week with family and friends! See you at Community Day, July 16, 10:00 am!

To follow the Archival Ambassadors blog reflections and to view their fantastic photo galleries, click HERE!

Morristown Interns Interviewed by the Star Ledger

2011-07-12T16:17:00.013-04:00

Interns and recent William Paterson graduates, Bruce Spadaccini Jr. and Peter Blasevick, were recently interviewed about their research project at Morristown NHP.

Read the Star Ledger article below.

By Dan Goldberg/The Star-Ledger

Published: Sunday, July 03, 2011, 10:00 AM

WAYNE- Imagine trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle where the needed pieces were spread out in several different boxes. That was kind of like the task that confronted Bruce Spadaccini Jr. and Peter Blasevick. The two William Paterson University students, as part of a senior project, set out to discover why 90 men, elected to the Continental Congress more than 200 years ago, refused to serve.

It was like a mystery with few obvious clues and no straight answers. Spadaccini, a 21-year-old working toward a career in academia, and Blasevick, a 43-year-old looking to begin a career as a digital archivist, spent the spring semester researching at the Morristown National Historical Park. They poured over letters and personal documents from these men, some of which had not been looked at in more than a half century, said Jude Pfister, the historical park’s chief of cultural resources.

Most of the letters are mundane: chit chat about weddings, inquiries into the health of friends, recepits, but occasionally the writings demonstrate a prescient understanding of the historical tide sweeping over the nation.

"Now is the time for heroes," writes Connecticut’s James Hillhouse to Nathan Hale in March, 1774. "Now is the time for men to immortalize their names in the deliverance of their Country and grace the annals of America with their glorious deeds."

Elias Dayton, who was born in what is now Elizabeth, served as a colonel during the Revolution and was elected to congress in 1778, begged the Rev. James Caldwell to help clothe his "poor naked soldiers," in September 1776.

The bulk of the museum’s collection, Pfister said, came in 1933 from the Washington Association. Much of the archives came in 1957 from Lloyd W. Smith, a banker and collector, who helped preserve Jockey Hollow.

Unfortunately for the pair, none of the letters in the collection directly mention the congress or reasons for not attending. Instead, they had to build a context around letters.

"The reasons we found were anything from health reasons to people who were too busy to people who didn’t think it was important to do," said Blasevick, who lives in Rockaway Township.

Jerry McCrea/The Star-LedgerPeter Blasevick (left) of Green Pond; and Bruce Spadaccini (right) of Ringwood seen working on their research at the Morristown National Historic Park in Morristown. (Jerry McCrea/The Star-Ledger).William Patterson University students investigate why men elected to serve in Continental Congress chose not to gallery (4 photos)

William Paterson, the namesake of the college where the two men attended, was a successful lawyer and did not want to be pulled away from his responsibilities in New Jersey, said Spadaccini, who lives in Ringwood. Paterson would later serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

"At the time he had a huge practice, he declined to serve because he wanted to stay in New Jersey and help New Jersey," Spadaccini said.

George Mason, who took George Washington’s vacated seat in the Virginia legislature, was elected to the second Continental Congress in 1777 but declined to serve because of his responsibilities in Virginia, they deduced.

The undertaking, Blasevick and Spadaccini said, was a fascinating chance to probe into the nation’s first moments, and the men who brought it to life.

After a semester’s worth of work, the pair were not able to solve every mystery. Some of the delegates had too little information to make any kind of determination, they said, but just sorting through the reams of material provides an invaluable service to the library.

"When researchers come here, they will now have some idea of what is in this collection," Pfister said.

And the lesson may be that there are not always easy answers.

"History isn’t as simple as we like to make it," said Robert Wolk, the professor who oversaw the project. "That’s the bottom line."

*Permission to republish was kindly granted by the Star Ledger. Article by Dan Goldberg/Star Ledger. Photos by Jerry McCrea/Star Ledger. Article found HERE.

Read More about this project HERE.

Featured Manuscript: Lizzie W. Chamnpey Letter

2011-07-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

Intern Anne Ricculli delves into Morristown's female authors collection, part of the Lloyd W. Smith Archival Collection. Read about her fascinating research below.

Researcher's Note:

Journalists dig deeply to uncover – and verify – information for the articles they write. They often consult archives, newspapers, and government documents. However, even the experienced writer Lizzie W. Chamnpey must have found this particular assignment challenging. “I have been requested by the editor of Harper’s Magazine to write an article on New London in Revolutionary times,” she revealed in a letter in the Morristown National Historical Park’s Lloyd W. Smith archives. While the letter is undated, Champney was most likely working on her essay, “Sea-drift from a New England port,” an account of the Connecticut town that appeared in the December 1879 edition of the famous magazine.

(click to enlarge images)

Capturing the history of New London in the 1770s was especially challenging for a nineteenth century author, one imagines, for Benedict Arnold burned a large portion of the city in 1781. The public library was not constructed until the 1890s. Local legends sometimes obscure facts.Where could Champney locate primary source documents?

Champney corresponded with William H. Starr, then secretary of the New London Historical Society. She wrote from Deerfield, Massachusetts:

I should like, if possible, to obtain family legends not already given to the public, and anecdotes of a personal character in regard to any of the old time worthies. Is there a public library in New London in which I could rummage over newspapers published at that time? I would gladly pay a visit of a few days to your city if by so doing I could find materials not accessible elsewhere.

If you know of any articles or books on this subject which would be likely to aid one, will you please let me know where they may be found.

At that time, Elizabeth Williams (Lizzie) Champney (1850–1922) was a frequent contributor toHarper’s. Her works of historical fiction first appeared the publication in 1876, less than ten years after her graduation from Vassar College. Yet it appears that this task was one of her first historical articles for this magazine. Edward Baker, Executive Director of the New London County Historical Society, suggests that Starr might have directed the author’s attention to a publication by Frances Caulkins. The resident’s 1852 book, The History of New London, along with the Connecticut Gazette newspaper, was among the primary sources of information cited by Lizzy Champney in her article about eighteenth century privateers, politicians, and polite society in this seaport town.

Featured Manuscript:

Champney to Starr (February 12). LWS 2478. Lloyd W. Smith Archival Collection, Morristown National Historical Park, Morristown, New Jersey.

Sources:

Baker, Edward. e-mail message to author, June 28, 2011.

“Champney, Elizabeth W. (Elizabeth Williams) (1850–1922).” Harper’s Magazine. http://www.harpers.org/subjects/ElizabethWChampney (accessed July 7, 2011).

Champney, Elizabeth W. “Sea-drift from a New England port.” Harper’s Magazine LX (December 1879): 59-71.

“Elizabeth Williams Champney.” Under “Alumnae/i of Distinction.” Vassar College Encyclopedia.http://vcencyclopedia.vassar.edu/alumni/elizabeth-williams-champney.html (accessed June 10, 2011).

Starr, Maria F. “Memoir of Hon. William H. Starr.” Records and Papers of the New London County Historical Society, Part I, Volume I, 82-85. New London, Connecticut: The Day Publishing Company, 1890.

Blog entry by Anne Ricculli, Drew University.

Hard at Work

2011-07-07T20:42:00.002-04:00

With the high school program just around the corner, the Archival Ambassador interns have been keeping busy.

Interns organize student packets.

group meeting

putting together an activity agenda

Elizabeth and Lauren finalize notes and select manuscripts for next week.

folder preparation

Park Stewards Intern, Stephanie Daugherty, assists the group with participant mailings.

Mentor Teacher, Christina Wallace, gives advice on lesson planning and student activities.

Lauren prepares student activities.

Andrea transcribes a manuscript.

Lauren and Elizabeth prepare to photograph original manuscripts for document activities.

Park Stewards Teaching Fellow, Laurie Schmid, stops in for a visit.

Peter and Lacey examine an original manuscript.

Peter and Lauren conduct a live feed test run in the Ford Mansion.

Lauren organizes potential student workshop topics.

Ranger Thomas Winslow and Teacher-Ranger-Teacher, Steve Santucci, stop by to view a Nathaniel Greene manuscript the Ambassadors will use during the high school program.

The group visits Jockey Hollow to test run the outdoor game plan.
(Wick Orchard pictured).

Elizabeth examines maps on microfilm.

Around the Corner: Community Day

2011-07-06T16:03:00.006-04:00

Our High School Archival Ambassadors are joining us July 11-16 for an academic day camp. The program will include working with authentic documents, refining historical thinking skills, touring historical sites, and learning about careers in the field of history among other activities. On Saturday, July 16 they will present their findings!

Join Us!

Archival Ambassadors Go to Jockey Hollow!

2011-07-06T15:52:00.002-04:00

At the end of last week we ventured out to Jockey Hollow to flesh out the logistics of the day that we are taking the students there. We went to the Visitor Center, checked out the gardens and Wick House, and then walked the trail to the soldier huts. Along the way, we kept track of time and came up with more activities we can do with the students. We also saw some neat things (like deer and toads) along the trail and became acquainted with nature.

Report 2: Wrapping Up Week Two

2011-07-05T13:42:00.006-04:00

We are now wrapping up our second week of the program and are getting things finalized for the week the students come in. Spending most of the week brainstorming our plans for each day and working together to gather documents and supplies, we were able to accomplish a lot. We have written out a tentative schedule (including activities and topics to cover on each day, as well as field trips), mailed a letter out to the students, and put together folders for each student that include various worksheets and resources.

Aside from all the planning for the week, we also each did some more research and went through the documents we have amassed in order to close in on which ones we want to focus on and ensure that all of them are printed out and labeled. We also began transcribing some of the more important documents to be sure that we have a full understanding of what they say and how we can incorporate them. We are planning on further discussing the documents to decide which ones we want to show the students and include in the Traveling Archives Box. In the upcoming days, we will also be building off of our plans for the week to develop the lesson plans for the Box.

Meet the Archival Ambassadors' Mentor Teacher!

2011-06-30T14:17:00.009-04:00

Christina Wallace
Hello! My name is Christina Wallace and I am currently a history teacher in Newark, NJ. I have been teaching for eleven years, and this past week I have had the great privilege and honor to serve as a mentor teacher for interns in the Archival Ambassadors program here at Washington's Headquarters Museum. I have taught US History for many years, but being here at the park and museum archives has truly been a treat. I have had an opportunity to examine and analyze several different primary source documents as well as work collaboratively with these amazing interns. For the past five days, my task has been to show them how to write lessons and create activities for the classroom. In addition, I have learned a great deal from them and the museum staff. I have learned that there are thousands of primary source documents, artifacts, maps, paintings, and so much more here in the museum archives. I have had the opportunity to create lesson plans, explore the teacher resources, and engage in many conversations about the importance of primary source documents in the classroom. Sarah, Jude, and myself have been exploring the many possibilities for teachers and students from Newark Public Schools to not only utilize the great museum archives and programs, but also to create new partnerships that foster collaboration on bringing the archives to the classroom in a variety of ways. I am very excited about all of the future opportunities to come. I am also very proud that two of my students will be participating in the Archival Ambassadors program starting July 11th. I know that they will have an amazing and life-changing experience as I have had. Thank you to all the interns and staff, especially Sarah for inviting me to be a part of this program.

Recent Grads Reflect on Their Internship Project

2011-06-29T15:30:00.007-04:00

The entity that was the Continental Congress represented a gathering of some of the most intelligent, influential, and wealthy individuals on American soil during the War for Independence. Some of those individuals served for years, others for a short time, and still others who declined to serve all together. Here at Morristown National Historical Park, Peter Blasevick and I recently undertook the task of sifting through the papers in collection of those individuals who declined to serve on the Continental Congress. As interns from William Paterson University, we have both been able to utilize this opportunity at Morristown as a benefit to our futures. We are currently working through some 177 documents covering fifty-five of the ninety delegates who declined altogether. Included in the documents are some notable names, including George Mason, William Paterson, and James Bowdoin, whose collection of letters detail instructions for putting down Shay's Rebellion.

What surprised us foremost was the lack of any documents specifically mentioning an individual's election to the Congress. While some manuscripts predate the individuals election, and others postdate it significantly, the ones that are near to the time of election fail to mention it altogether. Nonetheless, Peter and I have been able to conclude for certain individuals why they rejected the call to serve. Some were ill, others far more attached to local politics and local responsibilities. The totality of the project has been far more intriguing than we could have imagined at the outset and is just one example of the hidden gems here at Morristown National Historical Park and Museum.

Blog entry by Bruce Spadaccini, William Paterson University.

Report 1: Greetings from the Archival Ambassadors!

2011-06-24T12:16:00.004-04:00

We are now wrapping up our first week working with the Lloyd W. Smith collection to put together a Traveling Archives unit box for high school students as well as a plan for when our students come to join us later on in the program. It has been a very successful week, full of brainstorming, planning, and researching the collection using microfilm and other sources. Together, we were able to come up with an overall theme for our project, focusing on the everyday lives of people (soldiers at rest, women, children, slaves, Indians, etc.) during wars and the behind-the-scenes workings of the military when both at war and peace. We’re interested in not only covering the Revolutionary War era, which is fitting given our location at Morristown, but also other wars overtime and various locations in order to provide a full understanding of colonial life in general.

So far, each of us has been focusing on various subsections of our overall theme in order to gather all the manuscripts and other documents in the collection that we can include in both the unit box and our time with the students. We have all been able to find a variety of interesting things that may end up being useful.

Andrea has been focusing on looking for manuscripts written by soldiers pertaining to any aspect of the workings of war (not including the battles themselves), as well as any letters or memoirs that can shed light on the lives of everyday people during the colonial period. She has also been looking into anything that may illustrate relations with Indians or the role religion played in the colonial period. Through looking through rolls of microfilm, Andrea has been able to find a couple of particularly useful documents, including a return of provisions and stores received for the use of General John Sullivan (who was stationed in Staten Island in 1777). This document is particularly important in understanding the types of goods soldiers would have needed during the war and how much they would have cost.

Peter has been focusing this week on the economic impact of the American Revolution. Because the military had very little money, they needed to borrow from local businesses and farms constantly, and luckily many of those transactions have been documented. Money for guns, powder, clothing, and food were all copiously transcribed by the Continentals, and much can be ascertained from their records. Peter found a very interesting set of transactions by a leading general in Quebec who wrote his accounts in both English and French. His ledger has been interesting not only because of the amount of materials he purchased, but also because we are able to compare his use of two languages side by side.

Elizabeth has been looking for maps and references to transportation. She has also been brainstorming ideas of activities for possible lesson plans to use with the students attending the program, as well as in the Traveling Archives Box. One neat document that Elizabeth has found is a map of Louisiana in French.

Lacey is focusing on various aspects of home life, including the experiences of women, children, indentured servants, and slaves. Since these groups tend to leave little in the way written documents, spaces themselves, such as the Ford Mansion, serve as excellent sources of information for clues as to the experiences of the eighteenth century home. Additionally, objects located in the gallery at the Washington Headquarters Museum, including dishes, clothing, and toys, provide insight into their owners' lives. Lacey has also had some success locating written documents about these subjects, some written by them and some only written about them. Types of sources she has found, and continues to search for, include family papers, personal letters, calling cards, deeds, and wills. A particularly meaningful source she found was the manumission documents of a slave owned by a woman. This document combines the experiences of both a person of color and a property-owning woman, two voices that are rarely heard in the written historical record.

Lauren is working on finding documents that contain poetry and other literary works. Some soldiers wrote beautiful moving letters. One letter that is particularly fascinating was one that was written by an ex-soldier to his friend that he met in prison. They were both captured by the British in the war. He finally recounted how he came to be captured and questioned by the British and escaped by digging a hole out of his cell. His story was moving and shows that there is always more to war than the battles. Also, Lauren is working on finding documents written by well-known people and finding another side of them that is rarely seen in public.

During the week the students are here, we will implement these documents and our process in explaining the role of a historian to them, so they can understand the process of formulating a broad topic based on their interests and then research it, shaping the topic to make it more refined and tight. Once they find good sources, they will learn how to analyze them to really understand the document and what it can tell us. Finally, after they have learned to analyze the documents they will be able to interpret them and learn how their interpretation of a document shapes how people perceive it. By the students putting together an exhibit of the documents and presenting their interpretations of them, they will be able to teach people who do not know about the documents. They will also learn about how sites and physical objects can also be interpreted and what the role of Morristown and other Historical National Parks is.

Meet the interns HERE.

This post written by the 2011 Archival Ambassadors Team.

Meet the Archival Ambassadors!

2011-06-22T12:18:00.005-04:00

Elizabeth Ambrose

"My name is Elizabeth Ambrose. I just finished my sophomore year at Kutztown University. I am working to get my Bachelors in history and secondary education. I am also volunteering at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm in Morristown this summer."

Andrea Mehler

"My name is Andrea Mehler and I am currently attending Drew University for my Masters degree in History and Culture. Having graduated from The College of New Jersey with a Bachelors in history and a minor in anthropology, I am particularly interested in cultural history and the preservation and use of historical documents and artifacts and how everyday people lived their lives. I am also interested in public history and museums and the way knowledge is disseminated to the general public. Through this program, I hope to develop my archiving, exhibit planning, and teaching skills in order to aide me in my career search. I look forward to working with everyone involved with the Archival Ambassadors program, especially the students!"

Lacey Sparks

"My name is Lacey Sparks and I'm currently pursuing my masters degree in women's and gender history at Rutgers University-Newark. I received my bachelors in history and French at Murray State University, a rural school in Kentucky, my home state. I'm interested in women's and gender history, feminist theory, critical race theory, and queer theory, especially within the context of imperial/ colonial history. Cultural history, or the history of everyday life, is of particular importance to me since I like to study groups who were previously left out of the historical record and don't leave many written documents behind. When I grow up I'd like to be a history professor. This program is an excellent fit for me because it combines historical research and teaching, the skills I'll use the most in my career in academia."

Peter Mabli

"My name is Peter Mabli and I am a third year graduate student at Drew University. I currently am working on my Ph.D. in early American intellectual history, specifically the development of universities in the early American republic and their impact on the young nation’s culture and politics. I graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a Bachelors degree in history and a Masters degree in secondary education. In the past I have worked as both a high school history teacher and an adjunct professor. I hope to instill my excitement and passion for history with all the students in the Archival Ambassadors Program, and I look forward to working with everyone!"

Lauren Talley

"My name is Lauren Talley and I am a second year graduate student in the Masters History Program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. I received a Honors Baccalaureate degree in History for my undergraduate thesis on Vestal Virgins from the same university. My concentration is in public history but I am also greatly interested in European history. Experience has taught me that the way people perceive the past shapes the future and I feel that it is necessary for me to help people learn how to properly analyze and interpret history. The Archival Ambassadors program will help me learn how to guide and teach others as well as show me new and relatively untouched documents that make me interested in a part of history that I had previously not been interested in."

Learn more HERE.

Featured Manuscript: Lincoln Legal Papers

2011-06-13T11:05:00.006-04:00

side 1

Curator's Note:

Like most larger than life historical figures, Abraham Lincoln suffers from a condition of under-representation. In other words, he is known for one, single, solitary act of greatness at the expense of every other event or activity of his life. This syndrome is not unknown and is in some ways symptomatic of the way we as Americans like to take our history. We like one simple helping without too much context and extraneous material—something like a “meat and potatoes” approach to the smorgasbord of historical events.

While Lincoln was certainly the president during the Civil War (the beginning of which we commemorate this year), he had an entire life, a vocation, before entering on that final life episode which has made him a household name. His career as a lawyer, known in vague outline, is a subject which scholars have begun to explore more deeply in an effort to bring forth a more fully formed historical understanding of the man and his time.

side 2

side 3

side 4

Daniel Stowell, the editor of the Lincoln Papers Project in Springfield, IL contacted Morristown NHP two-and-a half years ago to schedule an appointment to view the Lincoln papers in the Lloyd W. Smith collection. Dr. Stowell was prepared for the perfunctory types of manuscripts usually found at institutions not directly related to the Lincoln story. The first folder he opened his jaw nearly dropped. Inside were four sheets of legal size paper filled with Lincoln’s answer (Lincoln represented the defendant and was thus “answering” to the charges of the plaintiff) in the case of Kelly v. Wells and Wells from Sangamon County Circuit Court, 1853. The Lincoln answer in the case had been presumed lost and was listed as such in the collected Lincoln Legal Papers. Of course now, a separate volume will probably need to be published at some point to contain all of the legal manuscripts located since the project ended in 2008.

Morristown NHP is proud to be part of the reason that a new volume will be necessary.

Welcome Interns!

2011-06-02T16:00:00.008-04:00

Morristown would like to welcome our 2011 Archival Ambassadors Interns.

Later this month, you can follow their progress as they share their experiences on this blog. In July, they will be joined by a talented group of high school students.

Stay Tuned!

From left to right: Peter Mabli, Andrea Mehler, Elizabeth Ambrose, Lacey Sparks, and Lauren Talley.

William Paterson's Notebook

2011-06-01T16:48:00.019-04:00

Jude Pfister explores Morristown's William Paterson notebook in the recent The Supreme Court Historical Society Quarterly. This featured manuscript is part of the Lloyd W. Smith Archival Collection.

{double click images to enlarge}

*Permission to republish kindly granted by The Supreme Court Historical Society.

The Supreme Court Historical Society Quarterly, Volume XXXIII, Number 1. 2011

Fun Summer Ahead: Check Out Our Ed Programs

2011-05-24T15:09:00.029-04:00

Primary Source Seminar, our archives-based educational program, has been steadily growing since 2008. We began as a two component program consisting of high school seminars and teacher workshops and have expanded our offerings to include a digital resources blog, Traveling Archives series, Teacher Reference Shelf, and Archival Ambassadors, a summer stewardship program. Primary Source Seminar was developed to utilize the diverse Lloyd W. Smith Archival Collection and bring historical documents out of archival storage and into the hands of young learners. We have successfully hosted ten student seminars and three teacher workshops, and we are moving forward with our Archival Ambassadors initiative.

We have an exciting summer ahead as we kick off our first session of Archival Ambassadors. Starting in June, a team of graduate-level history students and education majors will begin work on an extensive research project. Interns will develop a Traveling Archives curriculum unit, instruct high school Ambassadors, and create a temporary exhibit based on their studies. During the fourth week of the project, a group of high school Ambassadors will join the team for an enrichment program focused on artifact preservation, scholarly research, and primary document analysis. As part of this program, students will assist interns in assembling the exhibit and preparing activities for Community Day (Saturday, July 16). Archival Ambassadors was made possible, in part, by a one-time stewardship grant by the National Park Foundation. Preparation for this new initiative began in 2010 with the development of the prototype Traveling Archives unit by teaching fellow Laurie Schmid of Phillipsburg High School. Internship curriculum planning was completed by Archives Technician and Museum Educator, Sarah Minegar.

Follow coverage of this program HERE starting in June!

Primary Source Seminar's teacher resources are taking off as well. Schmid's summer 2010 contribution helped us get our Traveling Archives component rolling, and our first unit, "The Trials of the New Nation: 1789-1815," is now available for classroom loan. Teachers interested in learning more about integrating primary documents into their lesson plans may attend our annual fall teacher workshop (last year we focused on teaching Document-Based Questions or DBQs) or stop in and use our in-house Teacher Reference Shelf. For those who can't make a visit to the library and archives, our digital resources blog is updated bi-weekly with Mini Lessons and online primary source resources.

Pointers For Start-Up Educational Programs

2011-03-24T12:32:00.001-04:00

Archives Technician and Museum Educator, Sarah Minegar, discusses educational initiatives in the field of cultural resources in the recent issue of Archival Outlook.

Read "No Money? No Time? No Problem! Get Your Low-Budget Educational Program Off the Ground" below.

{double click images to enlarge}

*Permission to publish was kindly granted by Archival Outlook.
Archival Outlook is a publication of the Society of American Archivists.

Featured Manuscript: By George! It's a Forgery!

2011-03-14T09:52:00.003-04:00

George Gordon, Lord Byron

Curator's Note:

At some point in his collecting career, Lloyd Smith purchased a letter identified as having been written by Lord Byron (1788-1824). We don’t know when he purchased the letter and we don’t know if it came as part of a lot or if it was purchased as an individual item. In any event, the letter came to the Morristown NHP in 1957, along with Smith’s entire 300,000 item archival and rare book collections, through his last will and testament. At the time, the park was thrilled to have this letter from one of the most recognizable and important poets in the English language.

For decades, the letter was occasionally brought out for special viewing and discussion and then put back into storage. Last year, Morristown NHP brought the letter to the attention of a nearby institution that was planning an exhibit on Byron in 2012. A scan of the park’s letter was provided to the institution for study and it was discovered that the letter is in fact a forgery. Nowhere in the park’s record does any indication exist which would lead anyone to think the letter was not authentic. Yet, scholarly analysis concludes the letter is in fact not from Lord Byron’s hand.

recto

verso

The forging of letters or other manuscripts is nothing new. It’s been around as long as paper and ink. Yet, it still comes as a shock when a particular manuscript is proven to be false. Without going into great detail, the Byron letter had a number of anomalies ranging from the signature, the date, and the types of words utilized by the forger. So, while the park can no longer say we have a Byron letter, the forged version still allows us an opportunity to educate the public on a mysterious corner of the antiquarian market which is rarely discussed. As the saying goes, caveat emptor.

Lloyd W. Smith and Collecting

During the course of his active collecting career, which spanned over forty years, Florham Park business executive Lloyd W. Smith (1873-1955) no doubt purchased more than one or two forgeries which were passed off as the genuine article. Smith, as any collector would have, relied heavily on his small group of manuscript dealers to provide him with the best examples and quality of items he wished to acquire. Smith had standing orders with a small group of antiquarian dealers in New York and regularly purchased items through this method. This “standing order” method of purchasing antiquarian material (or other collectibles) is still utilized by many high-end collectors.

catalog clipping from Smith's original folder

Naturally, this type of arrangement required trust on both sides. Consequently, dealers relied on their knowledge of the field which was everything from acquisition, selling, connoisseurship, and interpersonal skills in general to build their reputation. High-end dealers in essence sold their reputation to potential customers as an overall package which appealed to collectors with the means to undertake such relationships.

In Lloyd W. Smith’s case, we don’t know specifically which dealers he had these types of arrangements with. Although it is safe to say that he probably relied on those dealers that were well known. Smith and others would have relied on the good name and record of individual dealer’s and auction houses and this relationship would have lasted for years, and in some cases, decades.

Featured Interview

2011-02-16T08:48:00.000-05:00

Photo taken by George Tenney.

Curator Jude Pfister was recently interviewed about his work at Morristown by Drew University's Ted Johnsen.

to view the interview, click play:

Permission to republish image kindly granted by the Drew University publications office.

"Curator of a Revolution."
drew.edu

Drew Intern Sheds Light on Martha Washington Portrait

2011-02-14T14:50:00.001-05:00

Intern Rebecca Schild stands in front of the the new traveling exhibit panels.

This week, Mount Vernon's "The Many Faces of George Washington" traveling panel exhibition premiered at Morristown. This exhibit will be accessible to visitors February 15 through March 25, at the Washington's Headquarters museum site.

Anticipating its installation, Drew University Art History Major and Morristown NHP intern, Rebecca Schild, researched a John Wollaston portrait of the young Martha Washington (Martha Dandridge Custis) and prepared a pamphlet on her findings. Schild's project included contacting curators at Washington and Lee University and Mount Vernon to support evidence identifying the woman in the portrait as young Martha, and not another woman.

Schild examines John Wollaston's Martha Dandridge Custis portrait.

Wollaston's Martha portrait will be on exhibit during the six week duration, and is accompanied by a copy of a Martha Washington letter housed in our collection. See Martha Letter HERE.

Featured Manuscript: Martha Washington Letter

2011-01-12T15:48:00.001-05:00

side 1

verso, with signature

Curator's Note:

Often overlooked in the whirlwind of activity and commemoration surrounding her famous husband, Martha Washington nonetheless was a seminal figure who was quite involved in creating the image which we recognize today of George Washington. In fact, without the financial resources that Martha brought into their marriage the image we recognize today of George Washington would be much different.

The letter in the Morristown NHP collection is special for several reasons. The simple fact that the park has a letter in her hand is unique as it is well known that she destroyed nearly all of her correspondence. Second, the letter is specific to the Morristown story in that she wrote it after returning to Mount Vernon from her stay with her husband in the Ford mansion at Morristown. Third, the letter highlights the emotional toll the stress of the War was having on family members of those in the military. In the letter, Martha asks for her cousin's daughter to come stay with her for companionship at Mount Vernon due to her deep concern over the stressful circumstances in which she left her husband in Morristown. All in all, the letter offers an exceedingly rare glimpse into the private thoughts of an often overlooked figure in history whose contributions were significant.

NPS Photos. S.Minegar

National Council For History Education Features Primary Source Seminar

2011-01-05T17:03:00.001-05:00

The January issue of History Matters, the newsletter of the National Council for History Education, features an article by Archives Technician and Museum Educator, Sarah Minegar.

Double click the thumbnails to read.

*Permission to publish was kindly granted by History Matters and the National Council for History Education.

Jude Pfister's the Fords of New Jersey Released

2010-12-09T14:57:00.000-05:00

Experiencing triumph and defeat during some of the most complex times in American history, the Ford family of Morris County, New Jersey, left an indelible mark on their community. Though there were few opportunities available at the time, the Fords rose to prominence in colonial America through their devotion to principle and a commitment to family. In the nineteenth century, the Fords adapted to the shifting economic and cultural landscape with grace and ingenuity. The stately home of the family, which was once George Washington's headquarter, has now become a monument to the remarkable times in which they lived. Their story is not just of one family or one place. Their story, in miniature, reflects the larger story of Morris County, new Jersey, and America. (Description taken from The Fords of New Jersey: Power and Family During America's Founding, a History Press publication).

The Fords of New Jersey: Power and Family During America's Founding is now available for purchase at the Morristown NHP museum store and from all major book retailers.

Pfister is also the author of The Jacob Ford Jr. Mansion: The Storied History of a New Jersey Home (2009) and The First Decade of the United States Supreme Court (2007).

Morristown Manuscript and Educational Program Featured in SAA Publication

2010-10-04T10:31:00.001-04:00

The Division of Cultural Resources at Morristown had the privlege of being featured in the September/October issue of Archival Outlook.

Alessandro Scarlatti's La Giuditta, a Lloyd W. Smith Archival Collection treasure, appears on the cover of the issue, and an excellent writeup on our educational program, Primary Source Seminar, is highlighted on pages 7,8 and 39.

{click thumbnails to view cover and read article}

*Permission to publish was kindly granted by Archival Outlook.

Cover photo by Morristown NHP volunteer Steve Newfield.

Featured Manuscript: La Giuditta

2010-10-03T11:23:00.002-04:00

Curator's Note:

When Lino Bianchi researched and published his "definitive" study of Alessandro Scarlatti in the 1950s, he had no idea whatsoever that the first version of Scarlatti’s masterpiece La Giuditta from 1693 was sitting in a vault at the Morristown National Historical Park in New Jersey. He was not alone; who on earth would even think to look for Scarlatti at a National Park when the subsequent versions of Giuditta resided at Cambridge University and the Biblioteca del Conservatorio S. Pietro a Mariella in Naples? Indeed.

In 2008, Maestro Robert Butts edited, produced, and conducted the oratorio, and the Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey premiered the first live performance of this first edition in over 300 years, at the College of Saint Elizabeth.

Photographs by Morristown NHP volunteer Steve Newfield.

This manuscript is featured on the cover of the September/October issue of Archival Outlook. {read more here}

Fall Semester Intern Projects

2010-09-28T14:32:00.001-04:00

Intern Abigale Fischer retrieves artifacts from object storage.

The Division of Cultural Resources would like to welcome our newest interns, Abigale Fischer, Bruce Spadaccini, and Peter Blasevick.

Fischer, a Drew University Anthropology major, is working with the Native American artifacts within the Lloyd W. Smith Collection. Her project entails a collection wide inventory/analysis of the Native American collection.--a first for this collection. This project will help give the park a more comprehensive understanding of the collection, provide cataloging information, and give insight into the NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) issues involved. Items in this collection include utensils, arrowheads, tools, funerary objects, and pipes among other things.

Bruce Spadaccini and Peter Blasevick, History majors from William Paterson University, are conducting a joint research project pertaining to non-serving Continental Congress electees. The team will work to digest the 90 individuals elected who did not serve in the two Continental Congresses, and those papers housed in the Lloyd W. Smith Collection which pertain to the non-serving individuals. Their digesting project entails summarizing an extensive number of manuscripts and annotating them with relevant historical context.

Morristown on InsideNPS

2010-08-23T12:52:00.000-04:00

Sarah Minegar shares documents from the Lloyd W. Smith Archival Collection with Roxbury High School students.

Morristown National Historical Park continues to develop innovative ways to use their extensive library and archival collections.

Since the spring of 2009, Morristown's educational program, Primary Source Seminar, has hosted fifteen document-based student seminar and teacher workshops events.

Utilizing Morristown's Lloyd W. Smith Archival Collection, Primary Source Seminar guides participants through source use and analysis activities that promote effective and meaningful primary source investigation and develop historical thinking skills. Students and teachers work firsthand with authentic, unedited eighteenth- and nineteenth-century manuscripts while gaining practical research experience. This program and the park's archival collections have increased patronage and introduced a whole new audience to Morristown NHP.

This summer, with the help of a National Park Foundation Stewardship Grant, Primary Source Seminar is initiating an Archival Ambassadors program which will entail a graduate level internship and a collaborating high school stewardship component. Morristown hopes this initiative will increase park visibility and help inspire the next generation of park employees.

Enthusiastic response from recent Primary Source Seminar participants demonstrates the benefit of making historical resources available to young learners and giving them the tools to inquire. It also reinforces the significant role cultural heritage institutions, like Morristown National Historical Park, play in providing such opportunities.

click here for the article

Archival Ambassadors Initiative

2010-08-19T10:32:00.000-04:00

The Morristown National Historical Park continues to develop innovative ways to use their extensive library and archival collections. Since the spring of 2009, Morristown's educational program, Primary Source Seminar, has hosted fifteen document-based student seminar and teacher workshops events. Utilizing Morristown's Lloyd W. Smith Archival Collection, Primary Source Seminar guides participants through source use and analysis activities that promote effective and meaningful primary source investigation and develop historical thinking skills. Students and teachers work firsthand with authentic, unedited eighteenth- and nineteenth-century manuscripts while gaining practical research experience.

This summer, with the help of a National Park Foundation Stewardship Grant, Primary Source Seminar is initiating an Archival Ambassadors progam which will entail a graduate level internship and a collaborating high school stewardship component.

Read more about
Archival Ambassadors {here}

Primary Source Seminar at SAA

2010-08-06T19:37:00.000-04:00

Sarah Minegar will present her paper, "From Scratch: Building an Educational Program from the Archives Up" at the 2010 joint annual Archives and Records meeting in Washington DC next week. She is speaking during the Emerging Archivists Paper Session. Sarah's paper highlights the first year and a half of the Primary Source Seminar Archives Tutorial Program and the successes and roadblocks it has encountered as it develops into an increasingly valuable educational asset.

If you are attending, stop in to hear what she and her panel members have to share.

307- Emerging Archivists Paper Session

Friday, August 13

8:00 am

Save the Date: Primary Source Seminar Teacher Workshop

2010-06-18T21:33:00.001-04:00

{click on image to enlarge for printing}

Come join us for our annual fall teacher workshop. This fall, our workshop will focus on teaching Document Based Questions (DBQs).

November 10, 2010

Workshops are FREE to teachers and education majors, and participating teachers will receive professional development certificates.

Save the Date: George Washington Teacher Workshops

2010-06-17T09:14:00.000-04:00

{click on image to enlarge for printing}

North Jersey: Friday, October 22, 2010- Morristown NHP
George Washington and the War for Independence in New Jersey

South Jersey: Friday, October 29, 2010- Wheaton Arts, Millville
"The Exertions of Skills and Genius": Establishing Agriculture, Commerce, and Manufactures

Phillipsburg High School Teacher Laurie Johnson to Participate in Park Stewards Program at Morristown NHP

2010-06-08T13:58:00.000-04:00

National Park Foundation Grants nearly $300,000 to 20 Park Steward Programs across the Country

Morristown, NJ – As area students begin their summer vacations, Laurie Johnson of Phillipsburg High School is heading to Morristown National Historical Park (NHP) to plan immersive learning experiences that the park will turn into service-based educational programs for students next fall. It’s all part of the National Park Foundation’s Park Stewards program,which helps build a deeper connection and sense of stewardship for nationalparks among high school students.

"This program is important to us because it will allow us to expand our Primary Source Seminar, which utilizes the park’s extensive archival collections, to benefit the students and the park as well" said Dr. Jude Pfister, Chief of Cultural Resources at Morristown NHP. "With Ms. Johnson’s expertise, we will develop new Primary Source Seminar lesson plans and web activities, and initiate our Archival Ambassadors Program." said Sarah Minegar, Archives Technician and Museum Educator.

"The Park Stewards program creates a ripple effect as each teacher becomes a conduit for bringing classrooms of students into their parks year after year," said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation. "This program is an introduction for many students to their parks, and the service learning that they do can spark a connection to the parks that will last a lifetime."

Teachers begin their summer sessions by familiarizing themselves with their local national park, its resources, and responsibilities of the park staff. Together, teachers and staff then work to develop service learning activities for their high school students that advance the park’s mission, yet are broad enough to be applicable to local, state, and national education standards. Through the service learning activities the students apply academic knowledge and critical thinking skills, in addition to physical skills as appropriate, to address genuine needs of the park.

A complete listing of national parks participating in the 2010 Park Stewards program is available at http://www.nationalparks.org/npf-at-work/our-programs/stewards/ .

The Park Stewards Program is made possible with generous support from Bank of America and other private donors to the National Park Foundation.

About Morristown National Historical Park

During two critical winters of the Revolutionary War, 1777 and 1779–80, the countryside in and around Morristown, New Jersey, sheltered the main encampments of the American Continental Army and served as the headquarters of its commander-in-chief, General George Washington. The National Park Service at Morristown National Historical Park preserves sites in the Morristown area occupied by the Continental Army and interprets the history and subsequent commemoration of these encampments and the extraordinary fortitude of the officers and enlisted men under Washington’s leadership.

Additionally, the park maintains and extensive library and archival collection which is utilized for the Primary Source Seminar and this collection will form the basis of the "Archival Ambassador" program which the National Park Foundation grant will fund.

About the National Park Foundation

You are the part-owner of 84 million acres of the world’s most treasured landscapes, ecosystems, and historical sites -- all protected in America’s nearly 400 national parks. Chartered by Congress, the National Park Foundation is the official charity of America's national parks.

We work hand in hand with the National Park Service to help connect you and all Americans to the parks, and to make sure that they are preserved for the generations who will follow. Join us – This is Your Land.

FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/nationalpark
TWITTER http://twitter.com/goparks

Morristown NHP on the web:
http://www.nps.gov/morr
http://www.morristownnhplibrary.blogspot.com/
http://www.primarysourceseminar.blogspot.com/
http://www.morristownnhpmuseum.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/MorristownNPS
http://www.flickr.com/photos/morristownnps/

Exciting Summer for Primary Source Seminar

2010-05-19T11:40:00.000-04:00

Primary Source Seminar has a full schedule ahead as we spend the summer developing our educational program.

We are fortunate to have two educators on board during the next few months to help develop our curriculum and expand our program offerings.

Karyn Pereny, intern and Rowan University student, is putting together a Traveling Archives unit for grades 4 and 5. Laurie Johnson, Park Stewards Fellow and veteran teacher from Phillipsburg High School, will focus on seminar curriculum and the development of our Archival Ambassadors initiative.

During their tenure, Karyn and Laurie will post as guest writers on the Primary Source Seminar blog.

Stay Tuned.

Temporary Exhibit Opens With Help of Drew Intern

2010-04-28T15:43:00.001-04:00

Intern Janine Billadello stands next to an exhibit she helped curate.

Our most recent temporary exhibit, featuring Native American tools and artifacts, opened just in time for the Naturalization ceremony held at Morristown April 16, 2010. This exhibit, located in the auditorium at our Washington's Headquarters site, will be on view until early summer.

During her tenure, Janine Billadello, Drew University Archaeology major, conducted research and created a brochure outlining the Pennsylvania line excavations that took place in 2006. The 2006 excavations were the most scientific excavations completed on this site to date.

Billadello also assisted in the curation of a temporary exhibit (pictured above and below) by preparing artifacts, text panels, and presentation displays.

MARAC Conference

2010-04-27T15:00:00.000-04:00

Sarah Minegar will present her poster "Starting at the Source: Teaching Historical Interrogation with Archival Documents" at the MARAC Wilmington, Delaware conference.

This poster describes the functions of our educational program Primary Source Seminar.

The session runs from 7:30-11:30 AM, Saturday, May 1st.

Revolutionary Times Weekend

2010-04-14T12:57:00.000-04:00

Join us April 16, 17 & 18, 2010 for Revolutionary Times Weekend!

Portions of our military gallery have been newly renovated and will be open during this event.

Featured documents pertain to the Sons of Liberty, the Stamp Act, and the Oath of Allegiance to George III among other topics.

For a detailed list of events see the Morris County Tourism Bureau website.

Check Out Our Museum Blog!

2010-03-02T16:19:00.000-05:00

NEW! For museum collections information, event updates, and special features visit:

{click} Morristown National Historical Park Museum Blog

It's Seminar Season!

2010-01-28T10:08:00.000-05:00

Attention Teachers! We are currently scheduling student seminars.

If you are a high school teacher and have attended one of our fall teacher workshops, please sign your class up today!

Seminars may be scheduled for the spring semester: (Wednesdays weekly) January through May {click here for more scheduling details}

Registration Form {click}

Contact Sarah Minegar:
sarah_minegar(at)nps(dot)gov
973-539-2016 x 215

For more information about our teacher workshop program
{click here}

Congressman Frelinghuysen and his Youth Advisory Council Visit

2010-01-27T15:36:00.000-05:00

On Monday, January 26th, Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen and his Youth Advisory Council (YAC) were guests at our Library and Archives Primary Source Seminar presentation.

The hour long presentation included remarks by both Congressman Frelinghuysen and Dr. Jude Pfister, a primary source interrogation activity lead by Sarah Minegar, and a special viewing of select manuscripts from the Lloyd W. Smith Archival Collection.

We would like to thank the Congressman, his staff, and all of the twenty-eight students who were able to attend the event.

For more information about the Primary Source Seminar
{click here}

Jude Pfister Featured in The Supreme Court Historical Society Quarterly

2010-01-19T17:41:00.000-05:00

Curator Jude M. Pfister's article "Morristown NHP Supreme Court Manuscripts" was recently featured The Supreme Court Historical Society's Quarterly publication.

The article begins, "The Morristown National Historical Park (MNHP), located in Morristown, New Jersey, may not seem a destination point for anyone researching the history of the members of the Supreme Court. The park is noted more for being the site of two winter encampments during the Revolutionary War; one abbreviated stay in 1777, and a longer stay in 1779-1780. Morristown is also known as the first historical park in the National Park Service, having been signed into existence by President Herbert Hoover on March 2, 1933. Twenty years after the creation of the Park to commemorate the winter encampments, local investment banker Lloyd W. Smith, who had already donated over seven hundred acres of land to the park, decided to leave his vast book and manuscript collection to the park as well. The Park Service had little experience in running libraries and although MNHP staff made every effort to make the collection available to researchers, the vast majority of the archival collection has gone unnoticed for fifty years..."

For the full article in print, click on the images below.

Pfister, Jude M. "Morristown NHP Supreme Court Manuscripts." The Supreme Court Historical Society. Quarterly. Vol. 31. Number 4. 2009.

*Permission to publish was kindly granted by The Supreme Court Historical Society.

Temporary Archaeology Exhibit at Jockey Hollow

2009-12-10T13:52:00.001-05:00

The Division of Cultural Resources invites Park patrons to visit the archaeological treasures on display at the Jockey Hollow Visitor Center. This exhibit features objects that were unearthed in Jockey Hollow during one of our many surveys. Discarded and lost items like stoneware, pipes, grapeshot, spectacles, bayonets, buckles and tools are among the recovered artifacts.

Archaeological exploration at the park began in 1933, the year Morristown National Historical Park was founded, and the most recent excavation took place in 2006. Historical study of the found artifacts continues today.

{click images for larger view}

Exhibit curated by Krystal Poelstra.

Book Signing

2009-12-02T21:19:00.000-05:00

Dr. Jude M. Pfister, curator at the Morristown National Historical Park and author of The Jacob Ford Jr. Mansion: The Storied History of a New Jersey Home will hold a book signing this Saturday, December 5, 2009.

When: Saturday, December 5, 2009, from 12:00- 1:30pm

Where: Military Gallery
30 Washington Place, Morristown NJ, 07960

* Books for sale in the museum shop.

WANJ Papers Returned

2009-11-16T13:33:00.000-05:00

The Washington Association of New Jersey Papers have been returned to the Morristown NHP Library and Archives after being processed/rehoused and cataloged by the Northeast Museum Services Center. The manuscripts are currently available for researchers.

Sarah Minegar to Speak at Irish in New Jersey Symposium

2009-11-04T14:25:00.000-05:00

Archives Technician Sarah Minegar will present her paper "Discovering Irish Gems in Unexpected Places and Interrogating Historical Sources" at an upcoming symposium, Understanding the Irish in New Jersey, held on Drew University's campus Friday, Novemeber 6, 2009. Minegar's paper closely examines a New Jersey court record, from our own Lloyd W. Smith Archival Collection, pertaining to an Irish immigrant.

When: November 6, 2009
Where: Drew University, Mead Hall, Wendel Room
Time: 1:00 am-12:00 pm

For more information see Drew University info page {click here} or click on the flyer to right.

Revolutionary Approaches

2009-10-23T15:17:00.000-04:00

The Library and Archives will be making a special presentation at the New Jersey Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference as representatives of its new educational program Primary Source Seminar and the Crossroads of the American Revolution.

When: October 27, 2009
Where: Rutgers, Busch Campus Center, Rm 116AB
When: 12:00-1:00

MNHP Panelists: Jude Pfister, Sarah Minegar, Thomas Winslow*

Other panelists will include Sara Cureton of New Jersey Historical Commission, Joseph Klett of the New Jersey State Archives, and Cate Livack of the Crossroads of the American Revolution.

*Winslow will represent the Interpretation division's elementary ed. program

Iron Industry Papers Returned

2009-10-19T09:42:00.000-04:00

The New Jersey Iron Industry Papers have been returned to the Morristown National Historical Park Library and Archives after having been on long-term loan at the Joint Free Public Library of Morristown-Morris Township.

These papers which include the Oram Collection, Moses Tuttle Papers, Tuttle-Hoff Papers and the Cobb Collection cover the mid-eighteenth to mid-nineteenth centuries and include the personal and business papers of prominent family owned iron-works located in Morris County, NJ.

Microfilm is available for these papers.

Special Thanks to Teachers

2009-10-16T14:10:00.000-04:00

We would like to thank all of the teachers who participated in our recent Primary Source Seminar teacher workshop. It was great working with such an enthusiastic group of educators. We hope to see you and your students in the spring!

* For more information about our educational programs {click here}

Help Support the Library & Archives

2009-09-29T14:17:00.000-04:00

Curator Jude M. Pfister's recent book The Jacob Ford Jr. Mansion: The Storied History of a New Jersey Home is now available for purchase at the Morristown NHP museum store and from all major book retailers. All proceeds from the sale of the book support the Morristown NHP library and archival program.

Auditorium Renovation Complete

2009-09-01T15:12:00.000-04:00

We are pleased to announce that our newly restored auditorium is now open. The auditorium has been restored to its 1937 appearance. The library staff will use this space to host archival workshops and seminars.

Fall 2009 Teacher Workshop Announcement

2009-08-31T10:57:00.000-04:00

The Primary Source Seminar at Morristown National Historical Park is pleased to announce our October 14, 2009 teacher workshop.

FALL 2009 Workshop

Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Location: 30 Washington Place, Morristown, New Jersey 07960-4299
*Please use the main entrance, located on the south side of the building

Contact: Sarah Minegar, Archives Technician/Primary Source Seminar Program Coordinator
Sarah_Minegar (at) nps (dot) gov
973-539-2016 x 215
973-539-8361 (fax)

Registration Form (pdf)
Fall 2009 Workshop Agenda (pdf)

Professional Development: The Primary Source Seminar Teacher Workshop is a full day workshop and counts toward 6 professional development hours.

Registration Required:RSVP no later than October 12, 2009.
(cost: free)

For more information, visit the Primary Source Seminar Blogsite:
www.primarysourceseminar.blogspot.com

A Note from Our Curator

2009-07-16T13:35:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the Morristown NHP Library and Archives and to our interactive blog. We hope to use this site to provide time sensitive information to our patrons and to provide them with directions on using our resources, either in person or electronically. We also intend to occasionally highlight significant finds in the collection as the work of processing continues. Check back frequently and feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.

Best Wishes and happy researching,
JMP

***

Finding Aides & Digests

2009-07-15T21:18:00.000-04:00

Collections

Lloyd W. Smith Archival Collection

Digests

The following files contain item level overviews:

George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
John Quincy Adams
US Supreme Court Justice
Signers of the Constitution
Alexander Hamilton
James Monroe, concerning Reynolds and Hamilton affair
James Monroe

Other

Jared Sparks Papers

Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin

Microfilm

A finding aide for our microfilmed materials is available on site.

Microfilm Guide

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What to Expect

2009-07-15T20:32:00.000-04:00

First Time Researchers

Make sure to bring a valid photo ID with you each time you visit.
As a first time researcher, you will be asked to sign a Researcher Information & Agreement Form and you will be assigned a researcher ID number and researcher card.
You will need to bring this card with you each time you visit. Your researcher card is valid for one year.
Your first time visiting, a member of the curatorial staff will conduct a brief research interview to help us meet your research needs.

The registration and interview process will take approximately 20 minutes, so it is a good idea to plan accordingly.

You will be required to wear a Temporary Research Pass while you are working in the library and archives research room.
You will be required to sign in and out when entering or exiting the research room.
You will be required to place your belongings in an assigned locker outside of the research room.
You will need to be familiar with the Researcher Rules and Regulations
To request items, you will need to fill out a reference retrieval slip. Depending on the number of staff present a pull make take 10 to 15 minutes.
To use approved electronic devices in the research room, you will need to obtain prior consent and complete an equipment receipt.
Because a large body of our manuscripts have been microfilmed, original manuscripts are rarely accessed.

Returning Researchers

Make sure to bring a valid photo ID and your Researcher ID Card with you each time to visit.
Be sure your researcher ID card is up-to-date-- if your card is expired, have it renewed.
If you are using electronic equipment, bring your equipment receipt with you (it is good for 90 days).
You can ask for materials to be held on reserve for up to three days.

Copies

At this time, we can only offer self-service printing from our microfilm/fiche reader. The cost is 50 cents per page. Upon approval, patrons may take non-flash digital photos of the microfilm/fiche reader screen.

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Scheduling a Visit

2009-07-15T20:28:00.000-04:00

Access to research material is by appointment only. Walk-in requests for collections access will not be honored.

For information or to make an appointment, please contact the library curator, Dr. Jude M. Pfister, at 973-539-2016 x 204 or jude_pfister (at) nps (dot) gov

Call or email your request at least one week prior to your intended visit, and wait for a confirmation phone call/email as we have limited capacity. Note: We do not have a reference librarian on staff so it is possible we will not be able to accommodate all requested research dates.
Please let us know the exact number of researchers in your party.
Please give us an idea of your interests or the materials you would like to view.
All non-staff researchers must provide a picture ID. Researchers eighteen and under will need their teacher to acknowledge their research project with library staff. Visitors under the age of fourteen will not be granted access to the research room.
Please refer to the Library and Archives Rules & What to Expect

We are located at:
30 Washington Place,
Morristown, New Jersey 07960

*Please use the main entrance, located on the south side of the building. A member of our Interpretation Staff will need to call down and let us know you have arrived.

***

Library Rules and Regulations

2009-07-15T20:01:00.000-04:00

All researchers, whether staff or non-staff, may only use the library during the posted operating hours by making an appointment with the library division. Walk-in requests for collections access will not be honored. Please contact the library staff at 973-984-2313 x204 or 203.
At no time will anyone beyond the library staff be allowed in the library storage area unescorted.
Large winter coats, bags, briefcases and other items are prohibited from the library. Large material should be stored in lockers provided. All items are subject to search.
Only pencils are allowed as a writing device. Tablets and laptop computers are permitted.
Photographic equipment (camera only) is allowed with prior arrangement. Cell phones with cameras may not be used for photography.
Photocopying is permitted by staff (on materials which can be safely photocopied) with the full acknowledgment of copyright rules being the burden of the researcher.
No drink, food or tobacco products are allowed within the library. Water may be placed in the lockers outside of the library.
Library staff will determine the amount of material given to a researcher at a given time. Access will be limited for fragile or damaged items.
Researchers will be required to fill out request slips for ALL materials (including microfilm), which staff will retrieve.
All non-staff researchers must provide a picture ID. Researchers eighteen and under will need their teacher to acknowledge their research project with library staff. Visitors under the age of fourteen will not be granted access to the research room.
While material is in the researchers care, it is their responsibility to ensure it is properly handled in accordance with these guidelines.
All researchers should avoid applying creams or lotions to their hands immediately before handling materials as the oils can transfer and cause considerable damage.
Researchers may not rearrange the order in which materials are delivered to them.
No marks are to be added or erased from any item.
Tracing and rubbings are not permitted.
Researchers should not lay paper or cards on an object when writing notes. This practice leaves an impression that will shorten the life of the material. Material should not be leaned on with elbows, marked, or folded.
Do not lay books open face down, or employ harmful bookmarks such as pencils, rulers, other books, etc. Broken spines and torn pages are the result of such treatment.
To mark a place, use paper flags; ask the library staff for assistance. NEVER use paperclips or post-it notes on materials.
Cell phones and pagers must be turned off or silenced in the library.
Permission to cite materials must be obtained in writing from Morristown NHP. All acknowledgments must read: Morristown National Historical Park.

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Facilities and Services

2009-07-15T16:22:00.000-04:00

The Morristown National Historical Park Library is an active research institution. Researchers may contact us and arrange to use research materials.

The park library's book and manuscript collections have been cataloged and indexed in card catalogs available on site. Librarians and archivists have compiled additional finding aids to assist researchers, including printed guides to the Lloyd W. Smith, Park, Ford and Lidgerwood Hessian collections. Additionally, the library's manuscript holdings are listed in the National Union Catalog of Manuscripts.

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Holdings

2009-07-15T16:17:00.002-04:00

Library & Archival

While the vast majority of either collection deals with multiple facets of the Revolutionary War era, both collections are strong in the non-military realm as well. The collection ranges over five hundred years of western European and American history. Of note are over four hundred manuscripts from George Washington, over one hundred from Thomas Jefferson, nearly one hundred from the Adams family, and smaller groups of documents by nearly every figure who can be called a “founder.” Nearly every signer of the Declaration and Constitution is represented. Over four hundred legal manuscripts document nearly every United States Supreme Court Justice and also chronicle the early legal development of New Jersey. The collection represents historical figures from Ferdinand & Isabella to Calvin Coolidge. These manuscripts document the social, political, military, cultural, and domestic developments over the past five centuries. Beginning with the voyages of exploration and culminating with the founding of the American republic, and for over a century after, the story of the developing of the North American continent is a vast and moving tale.

Within the archival collection are a complete set of Hessian records (21,000 pages in German) consisting of correspondence, journals, orderly books and other records of German military units, which served with the British in the Revolutionary War. It is one of the handfuls of complete Hessian collections known to exist in both the original German, and in English translation. The archival collection also contains some of the earliest maps showing the western coast of what is today the United States. The map collection ranges in date from 1510 to 1800 and also includes many military maps. The library collection numbers nearly 50,000 volumes ranging from incunabula to modern monographs and narratives as well as current journals and newsletters from other repositories and institutions.

The Park Collection

This collection includes the original Washington Association library plus additional materials purchased for or donated to the library by the Washington Association members, friends, and the National Park Service. The collection numbers over 1400 manuscripts and thousands of rare books. Manuscript materials primarily consist of correspondence and other items relating to the Revolutionary era. The collection contains military records, civilian journals, diaries and account books. Printed works include contemporary bibles and prayer books, histories, journals and personal narratives, political monographs and religious tracts.

Ligerwood Hessian Transcripts

William Van Vleck Lidgerwood was a founding member of the Washington Association. While living in London between 1906 and 1914, Lidgerwood arranged for the transcription of records of German military units, which served in the Revolutionary War. These records include correspondence, journals and order books of units from the principalities of Hesse-Cassel, Hesse-Hanau and Brunswick. Most of the transcripts have been translated into English, although either version may be consulted.

The Ford Paper

These papers contain personal and business correspondence, accounts, and ledger books of the Ford family, who built and lived in the Ford Mansion (Washington’s Headquarters) from 1774 to 1873. The collection contains approximately 2,000 manuscripts, relating primarily to legal and business matters concerning the family’s interests in the Morris County iron industry.

Early New Jersey Iron Industry Papers

The library’s holdings also include the Oram Collection, Moses Tuttle Papers, Tuttle-Hoff Papers and the Cobb Collection. These collections cover the mid-18th to mid-19th centuries and include the personal and business papers of prominent family owned iron-works located in Morris County, NJ. The original documents in these collections were recently returned to MNHP after being on long-term loan to the Joint Free Public Library of Morristown-Morris Township for some years. Photocopies and microfilm of the original documents, as well and indexes and finding aids, are available in the park library.

Reference Material

The library’s collection includes reference works covering 18th century American military, domestic, commercial and religious history. Considerable material is also available on archaeology, cartography, costume, decorative and fine arts, religion and music.

Microfilm Collection

The library’s 1,000 reels of microfilm include the papers of Guy Carleton (British Headquarters Records), the Continental Congress, and Revolutionary War related manuscript materials from the Library of Congress, National Archives, Pennsylvania State Archives, and other repositories. Contemporary newspapers are also available on microfilm.

Periodicals

The library subscribes to an array of current periodicals covering archaeology, history, historic preservation, material culture and museum studies. The park also subscribes to Rotunda, the online version of the Washington Papers.

Museum Collection

Between 1873 and 1933, the Washington Association of New Jersey collected artifacts associated with George Washington, the Ford family, Colonial America and the Revolutionary War.

Most of these objects came from family collections in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The collections was acquired from the Association in 1933 and additional artifacts relating to the Revolutionary War, 18^th century American life and George Washington have been added through the years by gift, field collection and purchase.

The collection now number more than 40,000 objects. The collection is particularly strong in fine, decorative and useful objects made or used in the 18^th century New Jersey.

The park’s collection of Revolutionary War military weaponry and equipment is recognized as one of the finest in public hands. Roughly 10,000 excavated artifacts recovered during archaeological investigations at the park over the past fifty years are a material extension of both military and civilian life in Revolutionary War Morristown.

Researcher desiring access to museum collections should contact the park curator for an appointment (973-539-2016 ext 204 or 203). The museum galleries are open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. seven days a week.

No appointment is required to view the galleries and the historic furnishings in the Ford Mansion, located adjacent to the museum. Admission to the Ford Mansion however is only by guided tour.

***