America 250 Top 10

The Abraham Staats House Presents “Tory Jack Day” Celebrating Black History Month 2024 ~ Feb.10 Annual “Tory Jack Day” at Abraham Staats House at The Abraham Staats House The Friends of Abraham Staats House and South Bound Brook Historic Preservation Advisory Commission are delighted to once again present the “Tory Jack Day” program at the Abraham Staats House featuring a presentation by Joe Becton. Feb 10 @ 10:30 am – 1:30 pm The Abraham Staats House Presents “Tory Jack Day”  ~ Featuring:  Mr. Joseph Becton’s “African Americans During the American Revolution”  “An Award-Winning Program for Excellence in History & Education” ~ Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission Saturday, Feb.10, 2024      10:30AM – 1:30PM 17 von Steuben Lane, South Bound Brook, NJ 08880 The house will open for seating at 10:30AM.   At 11AM:  Our featured performer at this event for two decades, Joe Becton, renowned historian, and former National Park Service Interpretive Specialist, gives a special presentation, “African Americans During the American Revolution.”  Seating is limited, advance reservations encouraged.  After his program, enjoy light refreshments and tour the historic Abraham Staats House until close at 1:30PM. Admission – $10 (in-person or Zoom)   18 & under – Free. Advance Reservations encouraged for in-person or Zoom attendance,

Take a new look at the Old Dutch Parsonage for the Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage Association’s 2026 Washington’s Birthday Lecture. Michael Middleton, the State of New Jersey’s architectural consultant for Old Dutch Parsonage State Historic Site, shares architectural research on the historic house and introduces plans for historic rehabilitation due to begin construction later this year. Joining Li/Saltzman Architects in 2016 and Principal since 2025, Mr. Middleton is trained as an architect, preservationist, and historian with a decade of professional experience in the restoration and rehabilitation of historic buildings of varying types and scales. Mr. Middleton has distinguished himself for his technical and analytical skills and for his dedication to ensuring the best possible outcome for his projects, many of which have been the recipients of numerous awards. As a principal of the firm, he provides critical guidance as a project manager, performs intensive archival and historical research, ensures thorough documentation of existing conditions, develops appropriate restoration/rehabilitation programs and feasibility studies for historic properties, and oversees the production of design and construction documents. An avid collector of rare architecture books, Mr. Middleton draws on his knowledge of period architectural styles in his research of historic properties. The Old

Hold the date…Look for details about our upcoming ANNUAL MEETING in February…Saturday February 21st 1PM @ the Somerville Elks, 375 Union Avenue, Bridgewater, NJ 08807 Details to be added to Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1873739912821643/

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.

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

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.

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.

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

A famous revolutionary event in the Kingston section of Franklin Township will be recreated, for the first time, on January 4, 2026, following that morning’s annual reenactment of the Battle of Princeton. Known as “The Conference on Horseback,” General Washington and his senior officers met in Kingston soon after their victory at Princeton in January 1777 to decide their next move. The reenactment at 2:30 PM will be open to the public at no cost and will follow a ticketed lunch at 12:30 PM with Washington and his officers at Eno Terra restaurant in Kingston. Both events follow the annual Battle of Princeton reenactment at 9:30 AM. The lunch and The Conference on Horseback are being organized by the Millstone Valley Preservation Coalition in cooperation with the Franklin Township 250 Committee, the Princeton Battlefield Society, and the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association (W3R-US). “Franklin Township is very proud to have been the site of a War Council meeting on horseback on the last of the ‘Ten Crucial Days’ when the possibility of American independence was saved,” said Franklin Mayor Phil Kramer. “This reenactment will officially kick-off a robust schedule of events throughout 2026 to commemorate our nation’s 250th anniversary, with a

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.