Historic Happenings Blog

Thursday, February 13 – Morris County     Eric Schnitzer is the speaker for the February 13 th  meeting of the North Jersey American Revolution Round Table at the Museum at the Morristown National Historical Park. Schnitzer will talk on his newly released book,  Don Troiani’s  Campaign to Saratoga – 1777 .      The Battles of Saratoga are often cited as a critical point in the Revolutionary War. Historical painter Don Troiani and historian Eric Schnitzer combined their talents in this new book. This illustrated history features many new artworks, previously unpublished eyewitness accounts, photographs of important artifacts, and a solid, detailed historical narrative including background on the campaigns leading up to Saratoga. Eric Schnitzer is park ranger/historian at Saratoga National Historical Park (Saratoga Battlefield), where he has worked since 1997. Schnitzer earned his degrees in History and Fine Art from the Uni...

Thursday, January 9 -- Morris County J American Revolution Round Table January Meeting: John Buchanan,  The Road to Charleston John Buchanan is the speaker at the January 9 meeting of the North Jersey American Revolution Round Table at the Museum at the Morristown National Historical Park. Since his retirement as Registrar at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Buchanan has published four notable works on Revolutionary and Jacksonian history as well as works of fiction. The Road to Charleston  is the long-awaited sequel to Jack Buchanan’s acclaimed military history,  The Road to Guilford Courthouse . Buchanan follows the story of Major General Nathanael Greene, a brilliant architect of the critical Southern Campaign of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War. Buchanan describes not only General Greene’s challenges with manpower, transportation, and supply (problems he had faced as Quartermaster General at Morristown), but a bloody civil war between “Patriots a...

Thursday, November 14 – Morris County North Jersey American Revolution Round Table     The next meeting of the North Jersey American Revolution Round Table (NJARRT) will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 14 when the speaker will be  Joel Farkas. Mr. Farkas’ topic is  “Remembering the American Revolution”  which explores our collective memory of historical events highlighting myths and truths of the American Founding.     Mr. Farkas is a graduate of The Ohio State University and a retired US Army officer. He is a student of the American Revolution and a popular lecturer on a variety of topics pertaining to the Revolutionary War and the early days of the Republic. He is a volunteer guide at the Ford Mansion at Morristown National Historical Park.    The meetings of the NJARRT take place in the Great Hall at the museum at Morristown NHP, 30 Washington Place, Morristown.   The public is invited....

Thursday, October 10 – Morris County     The October meeting of the North Jersey American Revolution Round Table (NJARRT) will be held on Thursday, October 10 at 7:00 pm. Meetings are held in the Great Hall of the museum at Washington’s Headquarters, Morristown National Historical Park, 30 Washington Place, Morristown.     The speaker for September is  Matthew Costello, a senior historian at the White House Historical Association. His topic will be “George Washington and White House History.”    Costello worked on the George Washington Bibliography Project for the George Washington Papers at the University of Virginia. His book,  The Property of the Nation: George Washington’s Tomb, Mount Vernon, and the Memory of the First President  will be published in fall 2019. He also teaches a course on White House history at American University.     Attendees are invited to their first NJARRT meeting f...

Thursday, September 12 – Morris County    The September meeting of the  North Jersey American Revolution Round Table (NJARRT)  will be held on September 12 th  at 7:00 pm. Meetings are held in the Great Hall of the museum at Washington’s Headquarters, Morristown National Historical Park, 30 Washington Place, Morristown.     The speaker for September is  Bruce Chadwick, author of several books on George Washington including  The General and Mrs. Washington . His topic will be “George and Martha, a Love Story.”     Chadwick holds a doctorate in American History from Rutgers University where he now teaches. Prior to his academic career, Chadwick was a journalist with the New York Daily News for 23 years.     Attendees are invited to their first NJARRT meeting free of charge. NJARRT membership is $40 for individuals and $50 for couples/families. Checks may be sent to PO Bo...

Tuesday, June 25 – Bergen County Bergen County The Revolution's Last Gasp? George Washington & the Campaign of 1780     This talk explores Washington's conduct of the 1780 campaign in New Jersey, at a time when the Revolution seemed nearly lost, by Dr. Edward Lengel, author and military historian. Dr. Lengel is the 2018 Revolutionary in Residence for Colonial Williamsburg. His previously published books focus on George Washington’s life and legacy. Where? At the  Iron Horse Restaurant, 20 Washington Avenue, Westwood NJ 07675 What Time? from 6 to 9 p.m. Cost? A $3 donation to cover Round Table expenses, plus an additional $30 for those who wish to have dinner.  

The North Jersey Revolution Round Table is sponsoring a trip to the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. DATE:  Saturday, June 15th  8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PRICE: $60 per person which includes the admission to the museum of $14.    We will depart the lower parking lot at Morristown National Historical Park Headquarters at 8:00 a.m. sharp. 10:00  Arrive at museum and spend about three hours  1:15 Arrive at City Tavern for lunch (cost on you). City Tavern is where the Continental Congress would meet after their day sessions to continue discussions.      3:00 Leave for Morristown to arrive at 5:00 p.m.  If you are interested, please send a check for $60 made out to NJARRT to Jeanne Florsheimer, 43 Orchard Road, Florham Park, NJ 07932 ASAP.   Feel free to call Jeanne at 973-377-7116 or Washington Association of New Jersey office at 973-292-1874. 

Thursday, June 13 – Morris County            The North Jersey American Revolution Round Table (NJARRT) holds its monthly meeting on June 13, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. The meeting is held in the auditorium of the museum at Morristown National Historic Park (Washington’s HQ), 30 Washington Place, Morristown, NJ 07960. The speaker for the June meeting is  Stephen Fried on the topic of Dr. Benjamin Rush.           Fried’s book,  Rush, Revolution, Madness, and the Visionary Doctor who Became a Founding Father was  published by Penguin Random House.  From improbable beginnings as the son of a Philadelphia blacksmith, Rush grew into an internationally renowned writer, reformer, and medical pioneer who touched virtually every page in the story of the nation’s founding. He was Franklin’s protégé, the editor of Common Sense, and Washington’s surgeon general. He was ...

Thursday, May 9 -- Morris County The North Jersey American Revolution Round Table (NJARRT) holds it monthly meeting on May 9, 2019 at 7:00 pm. The meeting is held in the auditorium of the museum at Morristown National Historic Park (Washington’s HQ), 30 Washington Place, Morristown, NJ 07960. The speaker for the May meeting is Phillip Papas on the topic of  Renegade Revolutionary, The Life of General Charles Lee.       Phillip Papas, History Department Chair at Union County College, is the author of  Renegade Revolutionary, The Life of General Charles Lee,  published in 2014 by NYU Press. General Lee was the contentious and controversial second in command to George Washington. Lee, a British Army veteran joined Washington in commanding the American army after the battle of Bunker Hill.  Lee was kidnapped in Basking Ridge in December 1776 and spent a year as a prisoner. He was relieved of command by Washingto...