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Crossroads of The Revolution Heritage Area Gains Momentum

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Vanderveer House & Pluckemin Artillery Key components
to Crossroad National Heritage Area

Crossroads of the American Revolution

While New Jersey is referred to as the "Cockpit of the American Revolution", Somerset County is the cockpit of the cockpit."

Or so said Thomas D'Amico at a recent gathering of the Crossroads of the American Revolution Heritage Area who met throughout New Jersey in June to set the agenda for the next stage of the heritage master plan.

The Friends of the Vanderveer House steward two key efforts with the Jacobus Vanderveer house and the Pluckemin Artillery Park and Cantonment, which are two landmark properties on the state and national historic registers that play a key roll in telling the stories of the American revolution in New Jersey.

Pluckemin, a small hamlet of Bedminster New Jersey, held the distinction of hosting General Knox in 1779 while he formed his first military training academy in what was known as the Pluckemin Artillery Park. (see details).

Not only the prelude to West Point and America's first military training facility, the area also served as one of the largest military hospitals during the revolutionary war.

The Friends of JVH stand firmly behind the Crossroads efforts and looks forward to presenting their case to be a premiere participant of the Crossroads Heritage Area.

The latest meeting was held on Thursday, June 18th at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, The Haggerty Education Center, 53 Hanover Avenue, Whippany, NJ - Details - See supporting organizations - Click Here

Cate Litvack, Crossroads director, said the meetings will help lay the groundwork for the Heritage Area's future initiatives, including preservation, interpretation, education, recreation and community revitalization based on New Jersey's Revolutionary War heritage. The meetings were hosted by Peter Benton and Elizabeth Watson of Heritage Strategies and Jim Klein of Lardner/Klein Landscape Architects. The three has extensive experience in the management and planning of heritage areas, including the Shenandoah Valley, Delaware and Lehigh and the Journey Through Hallowed Ground.

The Crossroads Mission

The Crossroads of the American Revolution Association is to foster the conservation, preservation and interpretation of New Jersey’s Revolutionary War sites and landscapes in ways that enhance public understanding about the people, places and events that transformed the course of American and New Jersey history.

To learn more about the Crossroads National Heritage Area - Click Here

About the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area

In October 2006, President Bush signed legislation designating the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area in New Jersey. This journey toward recognition by the Federal Government of our state’s significant role in the American Revolution began in 2000 when Congress directed the National Park Service to determine whether remaining resources related to the American Revolution in central New Jersey were of national significance

Non-Profit Incorporation

The Friends of the Vanderveer House and the Crossroads of the American Revolution are both non-profit organizations.

Submitted: June 19, 2009
Submitted: Brooks Betz
Last Updated : June 19, 2009
Photos/Images: Crossroads of American Revolution / Brooks Betz

About the Vanderveer/Knox House & Museum
& the Pluckemin Artillery Cantonment

For over two centuries, the Jacobus Vanderveer House has been at the center of Bedminster Township’s rich and colorful history. The house is the last surviving building in Bedminster associated with the Vanderveer's, a family prominent in Bedminster Township history from its earliest settlement through the mid 19th century.

The Vanderveer house served as headquarters for General Henry Knox during the winter of 1778-79, when the Continental Army artillery was located in the village of Pluckemin during the Revolutionary War's Second Middlebrook Encampment. The house is the only known building still standing that was associated with the Pluckemin Artillery Cantonment. The artillery park and military academy is considered to be the first installation in America to train officers in engineering and artillery and predates the United States Military Academy at West Point (est.1802) by twenty four years.

The Vanderveer family house was later enlarged with two additions in the nineteenth century, remodeled in the twentieth century, and subsequently abandoned. The Township of Bedminster purchased the home and the surrounding area as part of River Road Park in 1989. The home has been restored by The Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House, a non-profit group of inspired volunteers dedicated to use the home as a museum and educational center.


*The Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House*
P.O. Box 723, Bedminster, New Jersey 07921-0723 908 - 212 - 7000 ext. 611
www.jvanderveerhouse.org	info@jvanderveerhouse.com
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The Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House received an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, division of the Department of State.