Special Event: Gordon Thomas Ward

Welcome to the Past

with nationally recognized presenter

Gordon Thomas Ward

~

Friday, June 8, from 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Morristown National Historical Park Museum Auditorium
~

Don’t miss this entertaining and informative evening of stories, songs, poetry, and history.


For Mr. Ward, the landscapes around us can be truly magical places where he considers the past to be very much alive and entwined with the present. In keeping with the Revolutionary theme of Morristown National Historical Park, Mr. Ward’s presentation Welcome to the Past will address the 1779-1780 encampment of the New Jersey Brigade, reveal the layers of history at the site, recount some personal tales from growing up in the area, and entertain you with original songs and a couple of colonial ghost stories that have their roots in the same location.


Following the show, Mr. Ward’s books about retracing the Lewis and Clark Trail, our significant links in local history, and the exploration of haunted, historic sites of central New Jersey will be available for signing and purchase.

Morristown Oddities and Curiosities: Lemon

MORR 5515

Believe it or not...


Mr. Theodore Little donated this fragment of George Washington's coffin and a lemon from a tree planted by Washington, all sealed in a small glass jar.



About This Series

This online exhibit series shows the type of objects the Washington Association of New Jersey collected in its early years. Collecting before any standards existed, the museum accepted donations based on the donor’s word. Today, the museum would conduct thorough research about the history and authenticity of these objects and then make the decision whether or not to accept them into the collection. This is a prime example of how standards changed as the museum field became professionalized. Although we adhere to different standards today, we are happy to share these oddities in our collection.




Exhibit curated by Joni Rowe, Museum Specialist.

Morristown Oddities and Curiosities: George and Martha's Hair

MORR 339 &340

accompanying document

Believe it or not...

According to the documentation, "the hair of General and Mrs. Washington given by Mrs. Washington to her niece Fanny Henley Lear and left by her top her neice Fanny Lear Henley Heighers." These items were donated by Mr. Lloyd W. Smith.



About This Series

This online exhibit series shows the type of objects the Washington Association of New Jersey collected in its early years. Collecting before any standards existed, the museum accepted donations based on the donor’s word. Today, the museum would conduct thorough research about the history and authenticity of these objects and then make the decision whether or not to accept them into the collection. This is a prime example of how standards changed as the museum field became professionalized. Although we adhere to different standards today, we are happy to share these oddities in our collection.




Exhibit curated by Joni Rowe, Museum Specialist.

Morristown Oddities and Curiosities: Grave Dust

MORR 5516

Believe it or not...

This small bottle suposedly contains the dust from the graves of soldiers who fell at the battle of Lexington.



About This Series

This online exhibit series shows the type of objects the Washington Association of New Jersey collected in its early years. Collecting before any standards existed, the museum accepted donations based on the donor’s word. Today, the museum would conduct thorough research about the history and authenticity of these objects and then make the decision whether or not to accept them into the collection. This is a prime example of how standards changed as the museum field became professionalized. Although we adhere to different standards today, we are happy to share these oddities in our collection.




Exhibit curated by Joni Rowe, Museum Specialist

Morristown Oddities and Curiosities: Washington Coffin

MORR 5494

Believe it or not...

This is reputed to be a piece of George Washington’s coffin.



About This Series

This online exhibit series shows the type of objects the Washington Association of New Jersey collected in its early years. Collecting before any standards existed, the museum accepted donations based on the donor’s word. Today, the museum would conduct thorough research about the history and authenticity of these objects and then make the decision whether or not to accept them into the collection. This is a prime example of how standards changed as the museum field became professionalized. Although we adhere to different standards today, we are happy to share these oddities in our collection.  



Exhibit curated by Joni Rowe, Museum Specialist

Presidents Day Blog Project: James Madison and the War of 1812

This year marks the two-hundredth anniversary of the War of 1812, a much forgotten conflict between the United States and Great Britain. This week’s feature as part of the Presidents Day Blog Project is a letter from President James Madison in November of 1814 to the Governor of New York, Daniel D. Tompkins, future Vice President under James Monroe. With the war over two years in, both sides were looking for a way to end hostilities. The Americans were in favor of returning to the status quo ante bellum, while the British were initially interested in preserving gains made in the war. The year 1814 would see more than just the burning of Washington; it would also see the completion of the negotiations at Ghent and the signing of a peace treaty that effectively put relations between the two countries back to their prewar status. Though Andrew Jackson would go on to fight at New Orleans in January of 1815, the war was semi-officially ended at the signing in December of 1814, and officially with President Madison’s declaration in February 1815.

       

This week’s document lends an interesting perspective from the state of New York on the prospects of ending the war, but also a larger example of the widespread yearn to bring the war to an end. The letter is from President James Madison to Governor Tompkins in response to a unanimous resolution passed by both Houses of the Legislature of New York “expressing the emotions with which they view the terms of peace proposed by the British commissioners at Ghent, and recommending the most vigorous measures for bringing the war to an honorable termination.” Madison expresses his gratitude to the unanimous resolution with “language [that] does great honor to the patriotism and just sentiments of the State…”

           

With the many anniversaries upon us these next few years, it is important to make sure the War of 1812 does not lack in proper attention, both to the artifacts that have survived from the conflict but also the historical significance of the event itself.

Post By: Bruce Spadaccini Jr., Museum Technician
If you are interested in reading more on the material available here at Morristown National Historical Park on the War of 1812, feel free to contact the staff. More manuscripts may be featured in the future provided there is further interest in the subject.

Presidents Day Blog Project: Abraham Lincoln

In our "Presidents Day Blog Project" entry last week we took a look at some documents from George Washington. This week we turn to our 16^th president, Abraham Lincoln.

Sometimes the smallest notes mean the world to someone, and in this week’s letter we’ll see that. The above letter was written to President Lincoln on December 8^th, 1863 from the town of Janesville, Illinois. It asks for Lincoln’s interference in a court martial decision against “a young soldier” who was sentenced to death. The petitioners cite the soldier’s “extreme youth” and “his aged parents” as reasons for Lincoln’s clemency. Lincoln's note reads: "In this case, let the sentence of death be commuted to imprisonment at hard labor for life. A. Lincoln. Jan. 7, 1864."

William Blake had been convicted of murder and further telegrams from Lincoln tell and even deeper story. The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln and the Abraham Lincoln Association have published a telegram from Lincoln to Major General Butler, William Blake’s commander on December 21, 1863. The telegram read:

“It is said that William H. Blake is under sentence of death at Fort-Magruder, in your Department. Do not let him be executed without further order from me, & in the mean time have the record sent me. He is said to belong to the 1st. or 2nd. Pennsylvania Artillery. A. Lincoln.”[1]

Butler replied:

“General Butler replied on December 22: ``Private Wm. H. Blake Batty E 1st. Penn Artillery, is under sentence of death by hanging for murder. In my judgment a very deliberate one. He will not be executed without further orders from you."[2]

Interesting that General Butler found the accused murder “a very deliberate one”. Nonetheless, Blake’s sentence was commuted by Lincoln to life imprisonment with hard labor, as seen in our image above. Blake would then receive a presidential pardon in April of 1864.

For fans of Lincoln, the town of Janesville, Illinois might ring a bell: it was the town Lincoln’s parents settled in after moving to Illinois (first in Macon County, then to Janesville in Coles County) in 1830. Though Lincoln went off to work in New Salem, Illinois at this time, he returned to Janesville to visit. In 1851, with the death of his father, Thomas, Abraham continued to help maintain the homestead for his mother (Lincoln’s birth mother died when he was just 9). The important note in all of this is that Lincoln would have been known by the residents of Janesville, and he most certainly would have recognized the town heading the letter pictured above.

It might be said that the residents who drew up this petition thought they needed Lincoln to recognize the town it was coming from, which explains the overly large “J” at the top of the letter. This is only speculation, but such writing would presumably draw Lincoln’s attention, perhaps aiding their request of him.

Post by: Bruce Spadaccini (Museum Technician)

---

[1] Source: Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, Volume 7, Abraham Lincoln Association and the University of Michigan, available at: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/l/lincoln/

[2] Ibid.

Presidents Day Blog Project: George Washington

"To Colonel Benedict Arnold, Commander of the Detachment of the Continental Army destined against Quebec."

     

           With February commemorating Presidents Day, it seems fitting to feature some of the artifacts in our collection here at Morristown National Historical Park relating to past presidents. With the help of Lloyd W. Smith, MNHP has in its collection artifacts pertaining to the first thirty-two presidents, from George Washington to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. With several hundred items to choose from, it was difficult on deciding which to showcase this month. Naturally, we begin with George Washington, whose 280^th birthday is celebrated on the 22^nd of this month and officially commemorated on Presidents’ Day on the 21^st this month.

            Before jumping into this week’s article, let’s take a moment to review a note from our curator, Jude Pfister, D. Litt.:

"As with most prominent individuals of the time, and especially someone of Washington's prominence, he had a small army of copyists and writers who would prepare letters and correspondence for his signature and in some routine matters even sign for him. This was not unusual; in fact, it is even done today. This particular letter in the Morristown collection is an example of one of those letters. Naturally, this practice makes it difficult to determine what is an actual Washington letter. Fortunately, in terms of intrinsic, historical importance, we don't need to worry about whose pen this particular letter came from. The importance of this letter lies in its content."

Pictured above you will see the headline “To Colonel Benedict Arnold Commander of the Detachment of the Continental Army destined against Quebec.” This intriguing document is a contemporary copy of a letter written from General George Washington to Colonel Benedict Arnold on September 14, 1775.

Washington makes note that Arnold’s command is “of the utmost consequence to the interest and liberties of America…” and the entire document is symbolic of the wider goal of attracting other British colonies to the cause of American independence. Washington warns Arnold to observe the strictest discipline and order in the ranks, and to “avoid all disrespect or contempt of the religion of the Country.” With religion a hotbed of tension between the Protestant colonies on the eastern seaboard and the French Catholics in Quebec (and throughout North America), it was clearly pertinent for the army to avoid all conflicts on the issue.

To the right is an image of another letter sent by Washington on that date of Arnold’s exact orders, “You are by every means in your power to endeavor to discover the real sentiments of the Canadians towards our cause, and particularly as to this expedition.”

In fourteen separate points, Washington details instructions for Arnold and his officers. For instance, Arnold is instructed to pay full price for all provisions (a task hardly accomplished throughout the war) so as not to insult or deprive the Canadians. In essence, Arnold needs to take extreme care in this expedition, as its aims are sensitive to the direction of the war. The last thing Washington wants is to “irritate our fellow-subjects against us.” If these inhabitants (Native Americans are included in this address) do not seem open to cooperation with the cause, “The expense of the expedition and the disappointment are not to be put in competition with the dangerous consequences which may ensue from irritating them against us, and detaching them from that neutrality which they have adopted.” High hopes were placed on Canada, and though history would play out differently, these documents attest to the important Washington and Congress placed on incorporating other British colonies in the cause of liberty.

Post by:
Bruce Spadaccini (Museum Technician)
Jude Pfister, D. Litt (Curator)

Object of the Month: President Hoover Artifact

Post by:
   Jude Pfister, D. Litt. (Curator)
   Bruce Spadaccini (Museum Technician)

Herbert Hoover’s legacy here at Morristown National Historical Park is a personal story. Forever linked with the Great Depression, an event which overshadowed his administration and cumulative legacy, Hoover was responsible for more than many Americans realize.

With the help of National Park Service director Horace Albright, mayor Clyde Potts of Morristown, NJ, and businessman Lloyd W. Smith, Hoover became responsible for the development of the historical park model within the National Park Service. Different than the traditional focus of America’s natural grandeur and wonders, this new model focused on historic preservation. Though nothing new in the United States, the concept of historic preservation had not been identified with the NPS or the federal government. The willful, unmitigated destruction of our nation’s heritage was a topic which drew NPS director Albright’s attention as a subject worthy of his agency and his talent and ambition.

The fruit of their labor was Morristown National Historical Park, the first park established under the new model. Focused initially on the Jockey Hollow encampment, the park soon grew to encompass both the Ford Mansion and the considerable museum and archival collection donated to MNHP by the Washington Association of New Jersey.

In order for the park to be established, however, an act of Congress was required: a bill passed and signed by the President into law. 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, is 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.


As an artifact, the pen is representative of this unique story here at Morristown, but also indicative of a new path for the National Park Service. The pen itself is inscribed with “Eagle Pencil Co N. Y. U.S.A” as well as with a number “2” and a crown. Featured prominently with an image of Hoover along with his signature, the pen is also accompanied by two letters: one from Senator W. Warren Barbour and another from Lawrence Richey, Secretary to the President (see images).

That simple act, of putting pen to paper, represented with the pen shown here, has dramatically altered the field of historic preservation and the involvement of the NPS over nearly eighty years.

Object of the Month: Edward Savage Painting

Edward Savage (1761-1817)
Portrait of George Washington
Circa 1795
Unsigned
Oil on canvas
25 X 30 inches
Morristown National Historical Park, MORR 3252

Physical Description:
This painting reveals the image of an austere and stately George Washington. The background is a dark brown bronze. In almost profile, his face bears a long nose, dark eyes, and a protruding chin. Two brown, arching eyebrows frame his slender features. Four horizontal rows, one above the other, depict his gray and white hair. In a three-quarter length bust portrait, George Washington wears a solid black coat. It is open enough to reveal a white linen shirt underneath. The linen appears to zigzag down Washington’s chest. An ornate, gilded frame adorns the oil portrait.

Attribution:
The history of this George Washington portrait begins with debates about its attribution. Jennie Elizabeth Thompkins of Caldwell, New Jersey donated the painting to the Morristown National Historical Park (MNHP) on May 6, 1941. She believed Gilbert Stuart painted the portrait from life. In addition, she noted that Ebenezer Thayer, the portrait’s first owner, acquired the painting directly from Stuart in Boston or bought it from a Boston museum. The Chicago World’s Fair displayed the painting as a Gilbert Stuart; however, the Washington Centennial Exhibition at the Metropolitan Opera House exhibited the portrait under an unknown artist.[1]

After the portrait arrived in Morristown, the Frick Art Reference Library disputed the Stuart attribution. A letter from September 8, 1941, states: “[The portrait] bears no resemblance to any Stuart of which we find reproduction; it would seem, rather, to be nearer to the Edward Savage type of Washington Portrait.”[2] This letter illustrates that the Frick Art Reference Library compared the photograph of the Washington portrait from Morristown with examples of Stuart’s work. They noted that Washington’s eyes in the MNHP portrait appear dark while Gilbert Stuart’s paintings portray him with grey-blue or hazel eyes.[3] This detail, along with differences in style and technique, proved enough to discredit Gilbert Stuart’s attribution.

The park changed the official attribution to Edward Savage in 1942. The bust portrait of George Washington at the Morristown National Historical Park is an important painting in Savage’s oeuvre, or collective body of work. It displays the influence of Savage’s earlier portraits along with foreshadowing later paintings and mezzotints. While his contemporaries also painted portraits of George Washington, Savage’s portraits reflect his own unique style and technique. His paintings and engravings of George Washington have contributed to our national image of America’s first President.

[1] Information obtained from Mrs. Tompkins, April 28, 1941, MNHP, object file folder, Morr 3252.
[2] Letter from the Frick Art Reference Library to MNHP, September 8, 1941, MNHP, object file folder, Morr 3252.
[3] Letter from R. P. Tolman of the Smithsonian Institution to MNHP, September 20, 1941, MNHP, object file folder, Morr 3252.

Student Intern Exhibit Features Native American Artifacts

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.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow right in MNHP backyard?

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving, completes the Halloween season with its thrilling legends of Ichabod Crane, and his ultimate doom with the headless horsemen. But could this timeless supernatural tale have some local history behind it?

As much as Irving was a one of a kind story teller, he was also an avid historical researcher. While settling down in Terry town New York at his estate, Sunnyside, Irving wrote Life of George Washington. Morristown National Historical Park’s Lloyd W. Smith library located at the headquarters’ museum, currently houses the first edition of two of the three volume set, which was printed in 1855.

Allegedly, while Washington Irving was in New Jersey conducting research for his biography Life of George Washington, he came across a local legend dating back to the time of the American Revolution. This story evolved around a Hessian soldier in the “devil’s den” area of the Great Swamp in Morris and Somerset counties. Apparently killed by the Continental Army, a Hessian soldier’s head, nearly severed from the body, remained in the saddle as the horse ran into the swamp. The horseman has been reported over the years by residents who live in the area. Could this story be the original legend of sleepy hollow?

Like all legends, there are discrepancies with this local tale. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was printed between 1819 and 1820. Life of George Washington was first printed four years before Irving’s death. This means that Life of George Washington was printed thirty years after The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. But these dates do not necessarily mean that Life of George Washington took a short time to write. It is possible that before The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was published, Irving could have taken his time researching the man he was named after, George Washington. It is also possible that Washington Irving heard this story from the local town’s people while researching in New York years earlier, and did not hear it when he was in New Jersey.

When investigating this local legend for the park's newsletter, some sources that have published the article were not sure if the story was true. Shadowlands.com's audience sends in their stories to be published the shadowlands website, and so the people that run the site did not have enough manpower to research the story.

Other sources however, had not heard of this legend. The park historican herewas not at all familiar with the story. When discussing this story with a representitive from Historic Hudson Valley who runs Sunnyside, she did not find that the story was true, and believed that Irving most likely heard the tale when researching for his first book about the Hudson valley.

This last finding appears to be the true story...that its just a story.