Presidential Comments

There is little that is more important for an American citizen to know than the history and traditions of his country. Without such knowledge, he stands uncertain and defenseless before the world, knowing neither where he has come from nor where he is going. With such knowledge, he is no longer alone but draws a strength far greater than his own from the cumulative experience of the past and accumulative vision of the future.
Excerpt from John Kennedy's (1962) essay "On History"



I cannot but remember the place that New Jersey holds in our early history. In the early Revolutionary struggle, few of the States among the old Thirteen had more of the battlefields of the country within their limits than old New Jersey.… Away back in my childhood, the earliest days of my being able to read, I got hold of a small book…Weem’s "Life of Washington". I remember all the accounts there given on the battle fields and struggles for the liberties of the country, and none fixed themselves upon my imagination so deeply as the struggle here at Trenton, New Jersey. The crossing of the river, the contest with the Hessians, the great hardhips endured at that time, all fixed themselves on my memory more than any single revolutionary event; and you all know, for you all have been boys, how these early impressions last longer than any others. I recollect thinking then, boy even though I was, that there must have been something more than common that those men struggled for; that something even more than National Independence; that something that held out a great promise to all people of the world to all time to come.... Excerpt from Abraham Lincoln's speech to the NJ State Senate, February 21, 1861

Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage Association Membership Information

Please visit our new website, www.wallacehouseassociation.com to learn more about our organization. Events and news about the sites will be posted there as well as on the blog. Thank you to all our local friends and supporters for your contributions and loyal support over the years!






Sunday, November 2, 2008

WH & ODP featured in New CrossRoads Guide

On the evening of Oct 30, 2008, The Crossroads of the American Revolution Association unveiled their first publication, a guide to New Jersey's American Revolutionary War Sites. This attractive full color booklet is available for a small donation ($5). It is the first effort to promote the newly designated National Heritage Area, which will promote and market our state's (and region's) role in the struggle for American independence. The Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage are featured along with Morristown National Historical Park and a number of other sites between Morristown and Bound Brook in the section on Washington's "Mountain Refuges".
Members of the Board of WHODP Association were in attendance.

The release date was co-incided with a 225th Anniversary celebration held at the Governor's Mansion, marking the signing of the Treaty of Paris, 1873. The first and last (seal and signature) pages of the treaty were ondisplay for the event, courtesy of the State Archives. All pages have been scanned an uploaded for public viewing at the State Archive website. New Jersey has the only known surviving of 13 original copies of the document once provided to each state. There you can view the original signatures of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay, who signed for us all.