Somerset 250 Top Events

Tour five historically important Somerset County homes, military headquarters during the Revolutionary War’s Middlebrook Cantonment in the winter of 1778-79, via the comfort of a heated premium coach and VOX audio system with personal headsets. Purchase buss passes with the Heritage Trail Association: https://heritagetrail.org/schedule

Join us Saturday, February 28th from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm for a FREE event at the RVCC Planetarium! Explore hands-on activities inspired by codes found in the song “Follow the Drinking Gourd” and in quilt squares to learn more about astronomy and the Underground Railroad, a secretive network of people and places that helped thousands of enslaved people move northward as far as Canada to escape slavery. Participants may explore hands-on activities and view displays about nature, codes, and African Americans who have made a difference. (Recommended for ages 6-12) No reservations required. For more information, please visit raritanval.edu/planetarium/public-shows or call (908) 231-8805.

Speakers & Presentations: • “George Washington Remembers Middlebrook” presented by David Emerson of History on the Hoof with Paul Soltis of Wallace House & Old Dutch Parsonage State Historic Sites • Leslie Bramlett: “Hannah Till, Witness to the Revolution” • Roger Williams: “The Legacy of the Forage War” • Dr. Robert Selig: “W3R at Middlebrook” • John Seidel: “The Legacy of the Pluckemin Artillery Camp” …and more! ?? Purchase tickets online from the Heritage Trail Association: https://heritagetrail.org/schedule Made possible by funds from the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission, a partner of the New Jersey Historical Commission. Supported by the New Jersey Society, Sons of the American Revolution; Friends of Bridgewater History; and Washington Camp Ground Association.

Celebrating the 250th! “Music of the American Revolution” featuring Colonial Musicians Anne and Ridley Enslow Saturday, March 14, 2026 1:30 PM ~ 4PM at the Abraham Staats House 17 von Steuben Lane, South Bound Brook, NJ 08880 Join Anne and Ridley Enslow for a concert of lively 18th-century songs about the struggle for American independence. The show will include “liberty songs,” humorous ballads lampooning the British troops, and songs celebrating American victories, plus drinking songs and a dance tune or two. There will even be a song by a signer of the Declaration of Independence about the so-called Battle of the Kegs. As always, Anne and Ridley perform in 18th-century dress and on instruments of the period—hammered dulcimer and a 1776 violin. They will have their little dancing man called a limberjack, who pleases audience members from 9 to 90! This program was created for the celebration of the U.S. Semiquincentennial. You’re invited! House open for seating at 1:30PM; performance at 2PM. Afterwards, tours of this historic house available until the house closes at 4PM. Admission: $10 per person with advance reservation / $15 at the door Seating is limited: Advance reservations encouraged at EventBrite or at www.staatshouse.org By Phone:

A Somerset County Treasure: The Atlantic Visiting Nurse Rummage Sale For more than a century, the rolling fields of the Far Hills Fairgrounds in Far Hills, New Jersey have hosted one of the state’s most cherished community traditions: the Atlantic Visiting Nurse Rummage Sale. Held twice each year in spring and fall, this beloved event draws thousands of bargain hunters, collectors, and neighbors from across New Jersey and beyond — all united by a shared spirit of community and generosity. Humble Beginnings and a Legacy of Service Rummage (as those in the know call it) traces its origins back to 1923, when volunteers at the Visiting Nurse Association of Somerset Hills organized a simple fundraising sale at the Far Hills Fairgrounds to support home health services. What started with just a few tables has grown into New Jersey’s oldest and largest rummage sale, a cornerstone event in Somerset County’s calendar. From the very beginning, the goal of Rummage has been to support quality health care at home and in the community, helping older adults, individuals recovering from illness or surgery, and those living with chronic conditions remain where they are most comfortable: in their own homes. That mission continues today

THIS IS A VIRTUAL SOMERSET COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM EVENT. JOIN WITH THIS LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87080738958 When we think of the American Revolution, we often picture a parochial drama: thirteen colonies squaring off against the British Crown in a spirited bid for independence. But this version of the story is only half the truth—and perhaps not even the most interesting half. In this riveting program, historian and author Richard Bell invites audiences to rediscover the Revolution as a world war that unleashed chaos, opportunity, and transformation across six continents. From the sugar fields of the Caribbean to the court of the King of Mysore, from refugee camps on the Canadian frontier to political uprisings in Sierra Leone and Peru, the war that gave birth to the United States was never simply America’s own. It was a seismic global event that redrew maps, toppled hierarchies, catalyzed migration, and accelerated new movements for liberty—and for empire. In this program, Bell traces the far-flung reverberations of the war through the lives of the people it displaced, empowered, or destroyed. Patrons will encounter a Native matriarch struggling to preserve a transatlantic military alliance, a Prussian officer reinventing himself in a foreign army, and a Boston schoolteacher

THIS IS A VIRTUAL SOMERSET COUNTY LIBRARY EVENT. JOIN THE PROGRAM WITH THIS LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84635988283 For eight grueling years, American and British military forces struggled in a bloody war over colonial independence. This conflict also ensnared Native American warriors and the armies and navies of France, Spain, the Dutch Republic, and several German principalities. From frozen Canada to tropical Florida and as far west as the Mississippi River, the Revolutionary War included hundreds of campaigns, battles, and skirmishes on land and sea in which soldiers and sailors fought and died for causes, crowns, and comrades. In this masterful, yet accessible narrative of America’s fight for liberty, John R. Maass identifies the five decisive events that secured independence for the 13 hard-pressed but determined colonies. These include not only the obvious military victories such as Trenton, Princeton, and Yorktown but also the leadership and reforms that ensured Washington’s forces were capable of enduring the harsh conditions of the winter of 1778. Similarly, King Louis XVI’s decision to supply Continental troops during the Saratoga Campaign with desperately needed soldiers, arms, money, and fleets is also detailed as a key factor. These turning points, not all of them triumphs on the battlefield, delivered

250 years ago on July 2, 1776, Old Dutch Parsonage’s Frederick Frelinghuysen and Rev. Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh were among the delegates from Somerset County to the Provincial Congress of New Jersey in Burlington. They adopted New Jersey’s first Constitution, declaring New Jersey independent of Great Britain “for no other Cause than asserting their Just Rights.” Join a dramatic reading of New Jersey’s first Constitution of July 2, 1776 as the sun sets and the beacon is lit on the 250th anniversary of New Jersey’s Declaration of Independence. Wallace House & Old Dutch Parsonage State Historic Sites are supported by the Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage Association, Proud Partner of Revolution NJ. ? The Revitalization of Wallace House & Old Dutch Parsonage State Historic Sites is underway “Down the Brook” for Revolution NJ. The historic rehabilitation of Wallace House & Old Dutch Parsonage is supported in part by Semiquincentennial Grants from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. ? Revolution NJ is New Jersey’s official observance of the 250th anniversaries of New Jersey’s first Constitution July 2, 2026 and the American Revolution in New Jersey from 2024 – 2033.

The annual ceremony includes (times are approximate): 10 AM Bring lawn chairs and listen to patriotic music Welcome by Master of Ceremonies: 10:30 Flag raising 11:00: Welcome Address Reading of the Declaration of Independence Middlebrook Road, Bridgewater NJ Duration: 1 hr 5 min Public · Anyone on or off Facebook Location: 1761 Middlebrook Rd, Bridgewater NJ (just north of Route 22) (GPS location: 1776 Middlebrook Rd, Bridgewater, NJ) Admission is FREE. IF ATTENDING IN PERSON ARRIVE STARTING 10 AM IF WATCHING LIVE STREAM IT WILL START AT 10:25 AM on Washington Camp Ground Facebook page. Please bring a lawn chair. Please consider car pooling, walking or biking if able. Parking is limited and we’d like to save it for those who most need it.

250 years ago on July 4, 1776, New Jersey was among the Thirteen Colonies to “solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States.” Join a jubilee for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the United States at the Wallace House, a historic home built alongside the nation 250 years ago in 1776. Wallace House & Old Dutch Parsonage State Historic Sites are supported by the Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage Association, Proud Partner of Revolution NJ. ? The Revitalization of Wallace House & Old Dutch Parsonage State Historic Sites is underway “Down the Brook” for Revolution NJ. The historic rehabilitation of Wallace House & Old Dutch Parsonage is supported in part by Semiquincentennial Grants from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. ? Revolution NJ is New Jersey’s official observance of the 250th anniversaries of New Jersey’s first Constitution July 2, 2026 and the American Revolution in New Jersey from 2024 – 2033.

THIS EVENT TAKES PLACE AT BRIDGEWATER LIBRARY, 1 VOGT DRIVE, BRIDGEWATER, NJ 08807 In his new book, “Winning the Ten Crucial Days: The Keys to Victory in George Washington’s Legendary Winter Campaign,” David Price examines this pivotal moment in the War of Independence through an interpretive framework that centers around five key factors: leadership, geography, weather, artillery, and contingency. His focus differs from earlier works that are largely a chronological account. The confluence of these overlapping factors seemingly conspired to frustrate British designs at a critical moment in their effort to overpower the American rebellion. Although each was important in its own right, their aggregate influence on the course of events reflected the mutually reinforcing nature of these elements. They enabled George Washington’s army to win the “Ten Crucial Days” and propel the revolutionary cause into a lengthy war of attrition that eventuated in American independence. According to the author and historian, Edward G. Lengel, Price has given us “a timely and intriguing reappraisal of George Washington’s most outstanding military campaign.” Author and historian Mark Edward Lender notes, “the approach is novel and revealing.” Jack Kelly, author of several books on the Revolution, calls this “a fascinating and insightful look

THIS EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE AT MONTGOMERY LIBRARY, 100 COMMUNITY DRIVE, SKILLMAN, NJ 08558. Come learn about reading, writing and education in Colonial America with a hands-on display of original and reproduction books, newspapers, printing type, and more! Appropriate for ages 4+. Discover the science behind preserving historic documents, try your hand at creating your own document by writing with a hand-cut quill pen and ink made from an 18th century recipe, or fold and seal a letter to take home. Presenter: Ben Bartgis is a conservator based in Annapolis, MD who loves bringing conservation science out of the lab and into historic sites, schools, and more through living history demos and activities. They received their MA in Preventive Conservation from Northumbria University, a certificate from Rare Book School at the University of Virginia, and participated in the Revolution in Books NEH Summer Institute at Florida Atlantic University in 2022.