Discover Revolutionary New Jersey! 

CROSSROADS GAZETTE
Your resource for all things Revolutionary New Jersey!
April 2017
Spring has arrived at the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area! Get out and enjoy the season openings of many of our Heritage Partners, not to mention a weekend of events marking the 1777 Battle of Bound Brook. Bring the family, shake off the winter and make new memories in Revolutionary New Jersey! 
Battle of Bound Brook anniversary marked with full weekend of events

Patriots and British troops take to the streets of a Somerset County community on April 8 and 9 as the Abraham Staats House hosts the 240th anniversary of the Battle of Bound Brook. The annual event commemorates the April 13, 1777 surprise attack of 4,000 British Crown troops on a small American garrison of 500 troops in the area.
 
This year's event includes two full days of activities, and the street battle is just one part of it! Between the battle and drills, troops camped at the Staats house welcome you to their temporary homes to see what life was like for the average Revolutionary War soldier, including cooking, music of the times, sewing, weaving and other crafts. Other activities include breakfast with the soldiers, lectures with noted Revolutionary War scholars and tours of the 1740 Staats House, which was headquarters for General Baron von Steuben. Additional community and heritage groups get into the spirit with dances, dinners and exhibits. Check the event website for information on these activities and more.
    
Learn how to dress for success... Colonial style!

It's a hot ticket! Just a few seats are left for Crossroads' next Heritage Partner professional development seminar, The Art of Period Dress, to be held on April 21 at the Historic Hunterdon County Courthouse in Flemington.
 
Participants will start the day learning about men's and women's Revolutionary War-era clothing and uniforms from professionals including Mark Hutter and Sarah Woodyard from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and Eliza West of Fort Ticonderoga. Following lunch, Old Barracks Museum interpreters David Niescior and Asher Lurie will join Carrie Fellows of the Hunterdon County Cultural & Heritage Commission in presenting workshops on topics including dressing for the 18th century on a 21st century budget, and essentials every reenactor and historical interpreter needs to know for authenticity. 

We've also scheduled plenty of time for participants to ask questions and network with other interpreters and reenactors.
 
For more information and to register, visit our website Many thanks to our program sponsor, the Hunterdon County Cultural & Heritage Commission!
Mark your calendar: Crossroads returns to Somerset Patriots this July

Crossroads and the Somerset Patriots are joining forces once again this summer... with a Revolutionary Spirit night that will be even bigger and better than last year's!
 
The Patriots are hosting this year's Atlantic League of Professional Baseball All-Star game at TD Ball Park in Bridgewater on July 12, and fans from as far away as Texas will be welcomed with Revolutionary New Jersey flair.
 
Plans are still being finalized, and Crossroads and our partners are looking forward to introducing new friends to our Revolutionary heritage. Fans will arrive at the ball park to the sight of several reenactor groups encamped outside. Once inside the gates, they'll meet George Washington and other Revolutionary-era personalities. Crossroads Heritage Partner groups and craftspeople will demonstrate Colonial crafts and dancing. And, of course, reenactors will be bringing along muskets and artillery to make a big bang!
 
Watch our website and Facebook page for more information as the date draws nearer.
Patriotic Flag contest seeks entries

Central Jersey adults and students in grades 7 to 12 are invited to share their patriotic inspiration in the Somerville Elks 2017 Flag Day flag art, photography & digital image contest, open until May 1. Finalists' work will be showcased at the AT&T store at Bridgewater Commons Mall, with winners displayed at a Somerset Patriots ballgame. More information
Heritage Area Partners enjoy benefits of membership 

Heritage Area Partners are at the core of the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area. While each location and organization tells its own story, together they form a tapestry of experiences that make an indelible mark on our communities and neighbors.
 
Scores of sites and historic associations across New Jersey are already benefiting from the enhanced visibility that comes with a Heritage Area alliance. The Crossroads team is here to help, whether your site is open seven days a week or not ready to receive visitors, and we're happy to welcome our newest Heritage Area Partner, The Living History Shop.
 
We're also grateful for our renewing Heritage Area Partners:
 
For more information on how your organization can take part, contact our Program Manager, Kate Knowles-Brindle by e-mail or by phone at 609-341-3246.
Get Revolutionary at this month's Heritage Partner events
Enjoy a taste of spring at these events at our partners in the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area. Visit our website and Facebook page for even more activities through the month.
Gibbon House Greenwich
1730 Gibbon House reopens in Greenwich
April 2 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Venture to 18th century southern New Jersey as you explore this Colonial-era Flemish Bond brick home, built in the style of a London townhouse. Then enjoy strolling the charming Ye Greate Street.  More information.
Union Forge Heritage Assn
Tours at the 1760 Joseph Turner House in Hampton
April 2 and 16 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Learn the story of the Union Forge, which cast military hardware like cannonballs and rifle barrels for the Continental Army during the Revolution.  More information .
Battleground Tour of New Bridge Landing in River Edge
April 8 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon 

Walk in the footsteps of Washington and his troops as historian and author Todd Braisted explains how this spot on the Hackensack River played into the Continental Army's retreat across New Jersey in November 1776.   More information .
The Pirates of Chestnut Neck at Tuckerton Seaport in Tuckerton
April 12 at 12:30 p.m.

Stockton University's Steve Nagiewicz reveals how his marine archaeology class will use sophisticated sonar to map Colonial privateer wrecks in the Mullica River. Advance registration encouraged.  More information .
Annual Encampment Weekend at Morristown NHP
April 22 and 23 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Jockey Hollow is alive once again with troops, camp followers, artillery and more in this yearly event. The Second New Jersey Regiment is just one of several groups scheduled to be there.   More information .
Desecration to Restoration: A Tale of Cemetery Vandalism, at Snyder Academy in Elizabeth
April 23 at 2:00 p.m.

Cemetery historians Phil and Lorna Wooldridge share the challenges of protecting historic graveyards, along with stories of those that have been rescued.   More information .
Board of Trustees
Thomas H. Kean, Honorary Chair ● Patrick Murray, President ● Laura Szwak, Vice President ● David Siegfried, Treasurer ● Sally Lane, Secretary ● Leslie Bensley  ●  Richard Bousquet ● Dale Florio ●  John Hardiman ● Ira Jersey  ● Linda Kellner  Martha Lieblich ● John S. O'Donnell ● Chris Paladino ● Milly Silva 

Crossroads Staff
Noreen Bodman, Executive Director ● Tanika Jones, Office Administrator ● Kate Knowles-Brindle, Program Manager ● Sue Kaufmann, Communications and Social Media Coordinator 
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