Monday, September 7, 2009

Summer Recap

Labor Day seems as good a time as any to recap where I’ve been so far. While all the sites I visited this summer are intriguing and worthwhile in their own right, a few really stand out in terms of their appeal for the casual historical tourist. These include:
-- East Jersey Olde Towne and the Cornelius Low House, just across the river from New Brunswick with its own Revolutionary War connections (not to mention bevy of great restaurants); and
-- the City of Burlington, which offers a veritable smorgasbord of historical sites spanning both the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Proprietary House in Perth Amboy and the Wallace House in Somerville are also worth a visit when they are open, as the cities in which they are located offer other attractions as well.

Some of the other sites may only be worth a visit if you are in the area and can verify they are open when you plan to go. However, I’d also like to see more visitor information available for places that are infrequently open – please see my Middlebrook entry for more on this. I think simply providing better, or indeed any, exterior interpretive signage can greatly enhance the experience of the serendipitous tourist, and thereby increase their desire to return again to the site.

OK, so I didn’t get to as many sites as I had hoped this summer. But if the Continental Army could hunker down in New Jersey for the harshest winter it experienced, I can certainly forge ahead with my own travels during the oncoming cooler seasons. Stay tuned!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I see that you are visiting every site in New Jersey that was pivotal in the American Revolution. I think you would enjoy visiting Jacobs Creek. This area was a major stumbling block for Washington and his men. After crossing the Delaware for hours and hours, they marched down Bear Tavern Road and came upon a steep ravine and another steep ravine with raging creek waters. They had to get 18 cannons through all of this. The men were tired, hungry, cold and wanted to turn back. Washington urged them to keep going. They followed him and when they got through this area, two men froze to death on the roadside. I hope you get to visit this historic site. Please post it on your site as we are trying to get the Victory Trail recognized as an important piece of American History. Currently the last part of the trail that still remains untouched is being threatened with a highway bridge span. Hurry!

Anonymous said...

As a NJ history enthusiast, I was most pleased to find this blog. Hope there will be more posts. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

go to www.savethevictorytrail.com
you will find the information on the historic Jacobs Creek crossing.
Hope you will join our cause and Save the Victory Trail!

Patrick Murray said...

I've heard about the Jacobs Creek crossing and intend to see it soon.

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