Mail address: 347 Freehold Road, Manalapan, New Jersey 07726
Office Phone: (732)-462-9616 Fax: (732)- 577-8816
Visitor Center Phone: (732)-780-5782
Site of the longest battle of the American Revolution
Monmouth
Battlefield State Park preserves a splendid rural 18th-century
landscape of fields, orchards, woods and wetlands encompassing miles of
hiking and horseback riding trails, picnic areas, a restored
Revolutionary War farmhouse and a Visitor Center. The Visitor
Center. The visitors center stands on top of Combs Hill, which
was once commanded by the Continental Army artillery. Inside is
an interpretive display area and the park office. Artifacts
recovered in battlefield archaeology are also on display.
Annual Reenactment of the Battle of Monmouth This year's event will be held this year on June
18th and June 19th, 2005!
Though we always try to hold the event on the weekend closest to the
actual
date of the Battle June 28, 1778, this year's event was moved up to
prevent a conflict with another very special event. Though our event will be smaller than
usual, due to Springfield's 225th the following weekend, many special
activities have been scheduled so far and we are still working on
addittional ones!
Monmouth Battlefield State Park would like to invite
you to attend the 225th Annivesary of the Battle of Springfield, NJ.
This important event will be held on June
25th and 26th, 2005 and is hosted by the Third New Jersey Regiment
"Jersey Blues"!
History
of Battle of Springfield
Battle of Monmouth A Long Hot Battle in June
For several long, hot, and exhausting hours during the afternoon of June 28, the largest land artillery battle of the American Revolution raged. The Continental artillery won the battle forcing the British artillery to withdraw. General Washington moved fresh troops forward to resume the battle at dawn, but during the night, British forces slipped away, ending the last major battle of the north.
The Battle of Monmouth was a political triumph for the Continental Army and General George Washington. The Continental Army had met the British in open field and forced them to retreat. British casualties were two to three times greater than those of the American troops.
Before the Battle In the 1680s, Scottish and Dutch families began settling in the area. By the 1770s, seven well established farms occupied the park site. The farmers and their slaves grew wheat, rye, Indian corn, and oats. Horses, cattle, sheep, and hogs fed in pastures and fallow fields, and the men cut hay in the marshes along the brooks. Orchards provided fruit and cider. In the farmhouses and surrounding enclosures, the women gardened, made preserves, kept the dairy and poultry, and provided their families with meals and clothes.
The 1800s and 1900s During the 1800s, the last of the forests were cleared, the marshes were drained, and roads were straightened. The free African American farm workers built a church nearby. Some enlisted in the Union Army. A Civil War training camp, Camp Vredenburg, was constructed in a field next to the 1852 Freehold-Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad, where three New Jersey regiments were trained during 1862-63. A landscape restoration program will recreate Revolutionary War fences, lanes and a wood lot.
Related Structures Old Tennent Church (1751), which is adjacent to the battlefield; the Village Inn (1726) in Englishtown; St. Peter's Episcopal Church (1771); the Monmouth County Historical Association Museum; the Covenhoven House (c.1752) and the Monmouth Battle Monument in the town of Freehold, which was dedicated in 1884 to commemorate the Battle of Monmouth.
Craig House During the battle, this
farmhouse was the home of John and Ann Craig and their three
children. According to family tradition, the Craigs hid their
silverware in the well before fleeing their farm. During the
battle, thirsty British troops drained the well and found the silver at
the bottom. The 1746 kitchen is
Dutch framed, while the two-story addition is English frame with period
furnishings.
Battlefield Restoration Funds from the
New
Jersey Historic Trust and Green Acres program have restored the
exterior
of the Rhea-Applegate house, reconstructed 1.4 miles of "stake and
rider"
rail fencing, replanted a colonial wood lot and extended hiking trails
throughout
the battlefield.
Directions Located approximately 12 miles east of exit 8 of the NJ Turnpike on Route 33. From the Garden State Parkway, take exit 123 to Route 9 south for 15 miles to business Route 33 west. Park is located 1.5 miles on the right.
For other information on Monmouth Battlefield State Park, please see below:
Activities
Calendar of
Events
Historical
Interpretation
Park Map
Motels
Restaurants
Weather
