May 2021

Crossroads Gazette

Planned Travel App to Share Revolutionary New Jersey Stories Crossroads introduced plans for its latest effort to help visitors and residents explore Revolutionary New Jersey during an online session conducted on April 28. The heritage travel smartphone app currently in development will draw from the state’s wealth of Revolutionary era stories to share the experiences of average residents during the eight long years of the war for independence. App users will be able to download each trail for use in the field, or to enjoy at home on their computer or tablet.   While guiding users along a route, the app will introduce them to New Jersey’s Revolutionary heritage sites and stories, with opportunities to stop, take museum tours, enjoy events or detour for dining and shopping in host communities. The initial trails, currently in development, will follow the Ten Crucial Days and the Road to Morristown, bringing users from the shores of the Delaware River to the site of the Continental Army’s 1777 encampment. Future trails are planned throughout the state as funding becomes available.   Crossroads’ technology partner for the app is TravelStorysGPS, a software-as-a-service company that has launched more than 170 tours in 36 states.

Crossroads Annual Meeting/Revolution NJ Update Replay Available Friends and members of New Jersey's history and heritage communities gathered virtually on April 8 for combined Crossroads of the American Revolution Annual Meeting and Revolution NJ quarterly update. A recording of the session is available here. During the program, Crossroads Executive Director Janice Selinger outlined projects conceived while the team's usual outreach work was affected by COVID, including our statewide travel app and the proposed Streetside Storytellers urban guide program. Crossroads Board Chair Sally Lane introduced eight new trustees who've joined the board in the past year: Edward Allison, David Capozzi, Iris Delgado, Jen Godoski, Michael Murphy, Patrick Murray, Tony Perry and Henry Rinder. Their accomplishments and backgrounds bring a broad range of expertise to the organization as we approach the nation's 250th anniversary. Read more about them on our website.  Selinger and New Jersey Historical Commission (NJHC) Executive Director Sara Cureton updated participants on first quarter progress on Revolution NJ. NJHC work included the project's strategic and interpretive frameworks, which will be introduced in greater detail during workshops in mid-May. The session also included guest speaker Sarah Lawrence College Associate Professor of History Dr. Eileen Ka-May Cheng presented insights on America’s First Civil War: The Loyalists and the American Revolution. Using a dialogue format between two 18th century Americans, she addressed the perspectives of both Loyalists and Revolutionaries and why they differed so sharply on the question of independence from Britain.

Crossroads Thanks Renewed Heritage Partners Crossroads gets its strength from the enthusiasm of more than 200 historic sites, historical societies and heritage organizations that help tell the story of the American Revolution in New Jersey. Whether they're long-established museums, interest groups working to preserve local history, lineage societies or Crossroads helps members enhance their visibility and build community engagement as they help visitors discover Revolutionary New Jersey. This month, a big thank you goes to the Belleville Historical Society and Ten Crucial Days for renewing their Crossroads Heritage Partner memberships. Whether your site currently offers online programs, isn't yet ready to welcome visitors or is somewhere in between, Crossroads can help. Contact our Program Manager, Amy Osterhout by email for more information, or visit our Heritage Partner membership webpage to join us.

Stay Updated with Crossroads All Month Long We're working to keep our social media and website updated with the latest information from our Heritage Partners' site and event status during the COVID-19 crisis. We're committed to be your source for rescheduled event dates and site re-openings as we receive them.   Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for site news, interesting facts and more throughout the season.

Board of Trustees Thomas H. Kean, Honorary Chair ● Sally Lane, Chair ● Edward Allison ● Steve Ayscue ●  David Capozzi, Esq. ●  Laura Crowley, CPA ● Iris Delgado ● Dale Florio ● Jennifer Godoski ●  Seth Hahn ● Joshua Henne ● Jeff Kaszerman● Patrick Murray ● Michael Murphy ● Tony Perry ● Rocky Peterson, Esq. ● Henry Rinder, CPA ● Laura Szwak Crossroads Staff Janice Selinger, Executive Director ● Sue Kaufmann, Communications Director ● Amy Osterhout, Program Manager ● Roseann Butterfield, Office Administrator