At the Dey Mansion in Wayne, NJ.
I like a good guided historical tour. This docent was very informative. The home and surroundings land are part of a county owned park.
Washington lived here 2 different times for a total of around 3 months. He had 10 aids and around 100 trusted troops that acted as body guards. A sort of original secret service. The English felt if they killed or captured Washington, the revolt would end. Washington traveled with 2 slaves. 1 was his personal cook. The other was some sort of majordomo. They didn't mention where they slept. The 3 slaves of the homeowner slept above the kitchen. That was the warmest part of the home. The fire in the kitchen fireplace never went out.
While the tour guide mentioned slaves, it wasn't in a pontificating manor. He was very matter of fact. Even though NJ is north of the Mason/Dixon line, at 1 point 1/3 of the population of NJ were enslaved people.
The other people on the tour were asking a lot of questions about life at that time. It's amazing at how modern folks view living at that period. Things like bathing. Lukewarm baths where the entire family used the same bath water. Frequency was weekly to monthly depending on the season. The head of the house got first dibs and the youngest child washed last.
Washington's war effort was underfunded by Congress. The troops made due with what they could scrounge. The best guns were those taken from English soldiers. Things changed once France provided arms, money and trained troops. Louis XVI bankrupted France to assist American fight its' bitter foe, England.
You get this quick history lesson in 1 afternoon. I had flashbacks to what I was taught in history class in middle & high school.
The original restoration of the home was part of FDR's New Deal program. So that is 1 democrat program I support. 1 of the very few.
My other Jersey tourist experience was at the Sacred Heart Basilica in Newark, NJ of all places. This is a church in America built mostly by Italian immigrants in the European church style. Quite ornate. I doubt there are many craftsmen left that could reproduce this building. It took 56 years to complete. It's the 5th largest Catholic church in America.
My last sight was the exterior of the Lambert Castle located in Vrai's least favorite city we visited on our All American tour. Paterson, NJ.
If you are like me, and you left your hometown decades ago, go back and see it like a tourist. I'm amazed at just how much I missed while growing up in that area. It's full of Revolutionary War history and amazing architecture.
I like a good guided historical tour. This docent was very informative. The home and surroundings land are part of a county owned park.
Washington lived here 2 different times for a total of around 3 months. He had 10 aids and around 100 trusted troops that acted as body guards. A sort of original secret service. The English felt if they killed or captured Washington, the revolt would end. Washington traveled with 2 slaves. 1 was his personal cook. The other was some sort of majordomo. They didn't mention where they slept. The 3 slaves of the homeowner slept above the kitchen. That was the warmest part of the home. The fire in the kitchen fireplace never went out.
While the tour guide mentioned slaves, it wasn't in a pontificating manor. He was very matter of fact. Even though NJ is north of the Mason/Dixon line, at 1 point 1/3 of the population of NJ were enslaved people.
The other people on the tour were asking a lot of questions about life at that time. It's amazing at how modern folks view living at that period. Things like bathing. Lukewarm baths where the entire family used the same bath water. Frequency was weekly to monthly depending on the season. The head of the house got first dibs and the youngest child washed last.
Washington's war effort was underfunded by Congress. The troops made due with what they could scrounge. The best guns were those taken from English soldiers. Things changed once France provided arms, money and trained troops. Louis XVI bankrupted France to assist American fight its' bitter foe, England.
You get this quick history lesson in 1 afternoon. I had flashbacks to what I was taught in history class in middle & high school.
The original restoration of the home was part of FDR's New Deal program. So that is 1 democrat program I support. 1 of the very few.
My other Jersey tourist experience was at the Sacred Heart Basilica in Newark, NJ of all places. This is a church in America built mostly by Italian immigrants in the European church style. Quite ornate. I doubt there are many craftsmen left that could reproduce this building. It took 56 years to complete. It's the 5th largest Catholic church in America.
My last sight was the exterior of the Lambert Castle located in Vrai's least favorite city we visited on our All American tour. Paterson, NJ.
If you are like me, and you left your hometown decades ago, go back and see it like a tourist. I'm amazed at just how much I missed while growing up in that area. It's full of Revolutionary War history and amazing architecture.
But I did get Belmont Tavern, so that's something.
He gave me a rolled up wad of $400 and 4 very lightly used tires, no rims, when I turned 16. He never answered questions like, "where'd that come from?" or "how do you know him?" but he "used to know a guy" everywhere he went.