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Retreat Weekend 2024: November 23rd-24th

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Fort Lee NJ, the Brigade’s annual “Retreat Weekend” is back as we gear up for the 250th event of these historic moments in just 2 years! These are the darkest days of the Revolution to be portrayed, where not only thousands of lives were lost, but the desperate nature of the campaign led to the question of what is the cause and its’ worth… but from these days that tried men’s souls, a nation was ultimately cemented. 

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Fair Lawn Secures $537K Grant to Restore Historic Naugle House, Aiming for 2026 Completion

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Fair Lawn NJ, Fair Lawn has received a significant boost for the restoration of its historic Naugle House with a $537,000 state grant. This funding will support ongoing efforts to transform the Dutch Colonial-era home into a community meeting space and educational center focused on the American Revolution and the region’s underserved communities.

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Bergen County Historical Society: Baronfest a Family Friendly Hit

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

River Edge NJ, Bergen County Historical Society hosted Baronfest on Sunday October 1st . Historic New Bridge Landing, where the  Bergen County Historical Society is located on the west bank of the Hackensack River on Main Street, River Edge, was not flooded like many other spots in the county .

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Bergen County Historical Society: Baronfest at Historic New Bridge Landing

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photos courtesy of Bergen County Historical Society

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

River Edge NJ, overheard at a previous event: “I feel like I’m on a farm in Upstate New York.” But right here in Bergen County. Baronfest, Birthday Celebration of for Steuben, next Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, 1 pm to 6 pm. Join the Bergen County Historical Society for a family friendly event with Particle Theory band, Mott’s Artillery with cannon, Major General Baron von Steuben reenactor, 3 breweries, food, ice cream, games and tours of three 18th c. sandstone houses and barn and bridge tour.

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Commemorating Bergen County’s 250th Anniversary!

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Hackensack NJ, County Executive Jim Tedesco, the Board of Commissioners, and the County Parks Department announce the Revolutionary War Roundtable Speaker Series, a free lecture series that is the first of planned events by the Division of Cultural & Historic Affairs to commemorate Bergen County’s 250th anniversary. The first lecture in the series will take place on Wednesday, September 13th at 7pm in the One Bergen County Plaza 4th Floor Learning Center in Hackensack, NJ.

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Black History Month : Black Founders

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, In celebration of Black History Month the Ridgewood blog recognizes the contributions of Black Founders and Patriots who fought and contributed to the founding of this Great Nation .

Cyrus Bustill

Cyrus Bustill was born in Burlington in 1732. His father was an English lawyer and his mother a slave. Because the status of the child follows the status of the mother, this meant that Bustill was a slave. He was trained to be a baker by a Thomas Prior, who was a Quaker. At the age of 36, Bustill got his freedom. During the American Revolutiion he helped the army with something it had a great need for, bread. He was commended for this service and received a silver piece for General George Washington.

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Bergen County Historical Society : Washington’s Retreat to Victory

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photos courtesy of Bergen County Historical Society

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

River Edge NJ, the Bergen County Historical Society on Sunday, November 20th ,presented Retreat to Victory at New Bridge Landing:

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NEW SMARTPHONE-BASED AUDIO TOUR HELPS VISITORS ACCESS NEW JERSEY’S REVOLUTIONARY WAR HISTORY

George Washington

Trenton, NJ – Visitors and New Jerseyans alike can now use their smartphones to enjoy narrated travels in George Washington’s footsteps as the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area introduces its Ten Crucial Days audio tour. Travelers will follow the route of key events that turned the tide of the Revolutionary War in the very spots where they happened, starting with the launch point of Washington’s Christmas night Delaware River crossing in 1776 through the Continental Army victories at Trenton and Princeton. You will hear these events unfold through the experiences of the people who were there, in their own words.

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Bergen County Historical Society Feeds Reenactors Retracing the 7-mile Retreat of Washington’s Army from Fort Lee

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photos courtesy of the Bergen County Historical Society

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

New Bridge Landing NJ, marking the 245th Anniversary of this pivotal event during the Rev War, the Bergen County Historical Society, along with the Brigade of the American Revolution, co-sponsored a day of living history on Sunday, November 21st, 10 am-4 pm at Historic New Bridge Landing. The 3rd New Jersey Regiment, “Jersey Grays” marched, retracing the 7-mile retreat of Washington’s Army, arriving from Fort Lee around 10:30AM, then engaged in a skirmish with three other units for the bridge in a tactical weapons demonstration portraying the action that occurred when British troops forced the Continental Army away from the area and captured this vital crossing point over the Hackensack River. Up to the challenge of feeding an army, the Out Kitchen cooked for over 65 [reenactors from, I believe, four units present, along with the ladies] a hearty stew of 20 pounds of beef, 12 pounds of potatoes, 15 pounds of carrots, 8 onions, and a celery head in a tasty broth served with good crusty bread. Pictured are unit ladies who volunteered to serve.

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The Bergen County Historical Society : The 245th Anniversary of the British Invasion & American Retreat in Bergen County!

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by the Bergen County Historical Society

Historic New Bridge Landing , on November 20th, 1776, five thousand British, Hessian and Loyalist troops, under command of Lt. Gen. Lord Cornwallis, scaled the Palisades at Lower Closter Dock and marched against Fort Lee. Warned by an alert officer, the American garrison escaped entrapment by safely crossing the Hackensack River at New Bridge, now known as “the Bridge That Saved a Nation,” and lived to fight another day. To mark the 245th Anniversary of the “times that try men’s souls,” the Bergen County Historical Society, along with the Brigade of the American Revolution, will co-sponsor a day of living history on Sunday, November 21st 10 am-4 pm. 1201 Main Street, River Edge NJ.

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The 245th Anniversary of the British Invasion & American Retreat

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by the Bergen County Historical Society

Historic New Bridge Landing , on November 20th, 1776, five thousand British, Hessian and Loyalist troops, under command of Lt. Gen. Lord Cornwallis, scaled the Palisades at Lower Closter Dock and marched against Fort Lee. Warned by an alert officer, the American garrison escaped entrapment by safely crossing the Hackensack River at New Bridge, now known as “the Bridge That Saved a Nation,” and lived to fight another day. To mark the 245th Anniversary of the “times that try men’s souls,” the Bergen County Historical Society, along with the Brigade of the American Revolution, will co-sponsor a day of living history on Sunday, November 21st 10 am-4 pm. 1201 Main Street, River Edge NJ.

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Bergen’s Fort: The Post at Paulus Hook, 1776-1783

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Bergen County Historical Society
New Bridge Landing NJ, Paulus Hook, continuously occupied by troops for the bulk of the American Revolution. Lecture by Todd Braisted.
Sunday, February 21, 2021, 2 pm.

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George Washington’s Integrated Army

George Washington

On June 17, 1775, as British redcoats marched up the heights of Bunker Hill outside of Boston, Massachusetts, they were met with a hail of musketry from the defenders of the earthen redoubt. The defenders were a motley collection of colonists, from various New England colonies. Included in their ranks of 2,400 were approximately 120 Black militiamen, including Peter Salem. Peter Salem was a freed slave from Massachusetts who is known for mortally wounding British Major John Pitcairn during the fighting at Bunker Hill. Colonel William Prescott‘s militia held their own until ammunition ran low, repulsing the British from Bunker Hill.

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Bergen County Historical Society : the Stamp Act in Pictures with Writer Marta Black

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog
New bridge landing  NJ,  the Stamp Act in Pictures: Writer Marta Black will use cartoons and drawings from the 1700s to discuss the Stamp Act and the causes of the American Revolution. January 10, 2021, 2 pm.
BCHS Zoom Lecture – Free, no charge, option to make a donation.

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