George Washington and the Supreme Court

President Washington was instrumental in forming the foundations of the Supreme Court during his first term. He took his Constitutional role as President seriously in selecting jurists that would represent the evolving concept of American law. Curator Jude M. Pfister contributed an article about Washington's role in legal history to the Mount Vernon Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington.

Read his entry, HERE 🔔

Meet the Interns!

This summer we've been fortunate to line up a talented trio of historians. From left to right: Claire Du Laney, Phoebe Duke, and Meghan Kolbusch.













Claire Du Laney is a Drew University grad and current dual masters candidate in Public History (North Carolina State) and Library Science (University of NC, Chapel Hill). Her specialization in early twentieth-century British history will assist her in cataloging our WWI materials in preparation for this years' centennial celebration. Claire has enjoyed combing through postcards and letters and exploring a bit of cultural history along the way. Her brush with microfilm reels and digital finding aids will hopefully prove useful this coming semester! Claire's project will culminate in an exhibit this summer. Stay tuned for her blog posts.


Phoebe Duke is a Hamilton College junior, studying history. She actually found this internship when she pursued an academic interest in Alexander Hamilton. Her interest in the Hamilton story led her to this site where she discovered student researchers were needed. Giving museum and archival studies a try, Phoebe is working on rehousing and cataloging the Cobb Collection. The Cobbs, a prominent Morristown family during the revolution, were in correspondence with many notable figures, such a Philip Schuyler and William Livingston. These first-hand accounts are right up Phoebe's alley. She'll be blogging her finds.


Meghan Kolbusch, a double major in Political and Governmental Affairs and History, comes to us from Centenary University.  Meghan has the enviable task of examining our Alexander Hamilton materials.  Her exhibit will focus on Hamilton's time at Morristown and the years following the war. Meghan is interested in his relationship with General Washington and plans to explore the subtext of their correspondence. Her work and exhibit will also be featured on the blog.


WELCOME!

Finding Their Park

Student artists from Westside High School, Newark, New Jersey found their park at Morristown! After viewing their Dream Rocket exhibit, these talented teens wanted to explore the site that inspired their art...they had a little fun in the process!















The Morristown Dream Rocket theme is Ingenuity in the Face of Adversity, and our Westside artists were especially creative with their interpretations of what that means.

Hiking the yellow trail from the Wick House

to the soldier huts with Ranger Gilson. 

Before students even visited our site, they were given a creative prompt which taught them about the Park's history, the Revolution War events we commemorate, and the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) who helped lay the groundwork for historical parks around the country. With this information and the guidance of their outstanding teacher, Ms. Patricia Marinaro, students collaborated to see their artistic visions materialize.

See their work on our Flickr Album
(keyword Westside High School):

https://flic.kr/s/aHskoGuHyw

Students were allowed to pick rhubarb with the gardener's
permission. Here they are visiting the Wick House,
stalks in hand.

Journals in hand, students set out to explore the resources that inspired their work. The framing narrative for the day was "assumption versus evidence" and this tool helped us analyze everything from historic landscapes and structures to park careers, preservation, and climate change.



   Q.

Some questions we tackled...


Place Over Time

•What has happened here throughout time?

•How are we part of that history?

•How does understanding the past help us become more empathetic people?

•How will you mark your legacy?


Preserving Public Lands

Student explore the replica hut at the VC.

•What is natural and cultural stewardship?

•Why is it important? How can we help?

•What is involved in preserving and protecting landscapes and historic sites?

•What careers in science, public history, education, and engineering are available at parks?


Innovation in the Face of Adversity

•What is innovation?

•In what ways are you innovative in hard times?

•How do your struggles connect you with other people throughout time?

•How might you connect your story to the stories this park has to tell?


Making Preserved Landscapes Relevant

•What are the reasons a person might enjoy public lands?

•How might preserved landscapes be meaningful to people on a personal level?

Frog encounters.

Looking closely.

For four hours, students spent time immersed in the power of place. They spent time journaling, conducting science experiments, hiking, analyzing real world job scenarios, and exploring historic structures.

Ranger Gilson (a guest science educator from Gateway Parks) leads students
in a climate change simulation.

Sit spotting exercise.

Student posing with his work (his is in the center).

A little entertainment on the trails.

Thanks Ms. Marinaro for inspiring your talented troop and for helping them #FindTheirPark!

I think we might even have a few new recruits!

recruits

sit spotting and journal time

>The Dream Rocket exhibit runs now through Sept 4, 2017,
at our Jockey Hollow location.



✿ Big thanks to Ranger Kathryn Gilson and Ranger Abby Parsons! ✿

Art in the Park: Students Celebrate 'Ingenuity in the Face of Adversity' with Dream Rocket Collaboration

Free exhibit at Morristown National Historical Park, Jockey Hollow Visitor Center

June 1- September 4, 2017

during operation hours, Jockey Hollow Visitor Center


Morristown, NJ – Morristown National Historical Park debuts its first collaboration with Dream Rocket Project (DRP), a project of the International Fiber Collective, Inc (IFC), to collect thousands of artworks from kids around world and use those works to wrap a 385′ Space Launch System (SLS) rocket replica. DRP's aim is to expose kids to the importance of collaboration and the multi-disciplinary learning that inspires youth to "DREAM big, THINK big, and make a difference." Launched in 2009, this project hopes to collect over 9,000 submissions and estimates over 36,000 people will participate. 

For its part, Morristown NHP's participants focused on the theme of 'Ingenuity in the Face of Adversity," a nod to Morristown's storied history of endurance, inventiveness, and survival. In total 763 participants worked on 72 panels. The participants are from 59 classes throughout 17 schools in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Schools that participated include one in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and schools from the New Jersey cities and towns of  Bridgewater, Hackensack, Hackettstown, Leonia, Newark, Parsippany, Passaic, Paterson, Phillipsburg, Plainfield, Riverdale, Somerset, and Teaneck. Park Superintendent Thomas Ross stated, "The work of these talented young people has transformed our Visitor Center into a bustling art gallery. It is truly inspiring." 

This exhibit will remain open until September 4, 2017. Jockey Hollow Visitor Center (580- 600 Tempe Wick Road, Morristown, New Jersey).