Morristown Oddities and Curiosities: Cornwallis Flag

MORR 5527

Believe it or not...


This small framed piece of British flag was purportedly taken from Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown in October 1781. This piece of flag was obtained in Alexandria, VA in 1862.




About This Series

This online exhibit series shows the type of objects the Washington Association of New Jersey collected in its early years. Collecting before any standards existed, the museum accepted donations based on the donor’s word. Today, the museum would conduct thorough research about the history and authenticity of these objects and then make the decision whether or not to accept them into the collection. This is a prime example of how standards changed as the museum field became professionalized. Although we adhere to different standards today, we are happy to share these oddities in our collection.




Exhibit curated by Joni Rowe, Museum Specialist.

Morristown Oddities and Curiosities: Ethan Allen's Tomb

MORR 5511 

Believe it or not...

The donor presented this stone to the Washington Association in 1933, claiming it was a fragment from the tomb of Ethan Allen.




About This Series

This online exhibit series shows the type of objects the Washington Association of New Jersey collected in its early years. Collecting before any standards existed, the museum accepted donations based on the donor’s word. Today, the museum would conduct thorough research about the history and authenticity of these objects and then make the decision whether or not to accept them into the collection. This is a prime example of how standards changed as the museum field became professionalized. Although we adhere to different standards today, we are happy to share these oddities in our collection.




Exhibit curated by Joni Rowe, Museum Specialist.

Morristown Oddities and Curiosities: Washington Profile

MORR 5525

Believe it or not...


Presented to the Washington Association in 1933, this "125 year old" wood panel carving forms a profile of George Washington.



About This Series

This online exhibit series shows the type of objects the Washington Association of New Jersey collected in its early years. Collecting before any standards existed, the museum accepted donations based on the donor’s word. Today, the museum would conduct thorough research about the history and authenticity of these objects and then make the decision whether or not to accept them into the collection. This is a prime example of how standards changed as the museum field became professionalized. Although we adhere to different standards today, we are happy to share these oddities in our collection.




Exhibit curated by Joni Rowe, Museum Specialist.

NAGPRA Consultation Conducted to Assess Native American Artifacts at Morristown

The visit, mandated under the NAGPRA legislation, was held at Morristown NHP for the first time on May 22, 2012.The purpose was to bring together tribes culturally associated with the artifacts in the park's collection. This consultation allowed the tribes a chance to review the collection in a "hands-on" way to determine if any were subject to repatriation under the NAGPRA legislation. It was determined during the consultation that more study was needed to more accurately understand the artifacts and whether or not they are subject to repatriation. The park will work with the regional ethnographer to ensure these studies are conducted in a timely manner.

Representatives from the Delaware Nation, Delaware Tribe, and Stockbridge-Munsee Community examine artifacts.

More about the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) HERE.

Special Event: Gordon Thomas Ward

Welcome to the Past

with nationally recognized presenter

Gordon Thomas Ward

~

Friday, June 8, from 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Morristown National Historical Park Museum Auditorium
~

Don’t miss this entertaining and informative evening of stories, songs, poetry, and history.


For Mr. Ward, the landscapes around us can be truly magical places where he considers the past to be very much alive and entwined with the present.  In keeping with the Revolutionary theme of Morristown National Historical Park, Mr. Ward’s presentation Welcome to the Past will address the 1779-1780 encampment of the New Jersey Brigade, reveal the layers of history at the site, recount some personal tales from growing up in the area, and entertain you with original songs and a couple of colonial ghost stories that have their roots in the same location.


Following the show, Mr. Ward’s books about retracing the Lewis and Clark Trail, our significant links in local history, and the exploration of haunted, historic sites of central New Jersey will be available for signing and purchase.

Morristown Oddities and Curiosities: Lemon

MORR 5515

Believe it or not...


Mr. Theodore Little donated this fragment of George Washington's coffin and a lemon from a tree planted by Washington, all sealed in a small glass jar.



About This Series


This online exhibit series shows the type of objects the Washington Association of New Jersey collected in its early years. Collecting before any standards existed, the museum accepted donations based on the donor’s word. Today, the museum would conduct thorough research about the history and authenticity of these objects and then make the decision whether or not to accept them into the collection. This is a prime example of how standards changed as the museum field became professionalized. Although we adhere to different standards today, we are happy to share these oddities in our collection.




Exhibit curated by Joni Rowe, Museum Specialist.

Volunteer Spotlight: Maria Ribaudo

Maria Ribaudo is the newest volunteer in the Division of Cultural Resources at Morristown. A graduate student in Biological Anthropology at the City University of New York (CUNY), Maria is highly interested in archaeology, biological anthropology applied to historical cases, and collections management. She is getting a taste of the material culture side of things in her first project, reshelving and cataloging rare books.

Maria will continue to work with us during the summer and is eager to share her expertise on future projects. She'll likely be blogging about her experiences, so stay tuned!

Welcome aboard, Maria!

Morristown Oddities and Curiosities: George & Martha's Hair

MORR 339 & 340

accompanying document

Believe it or not...


According to the documentation, "the hair of General and Mrs. Washington given by Mrs. Washington to her niece Fanny Henley Lear and left by her top her neice Fanny Lear Henley Heighers." These items were donated by Mr. Lloyd W. Smith



About This Series

This online exhibit series shows the type of objects the Washington Association of New Jersey collected in its early years. Collecting before any standards existed, the museum accepted donations based on the donor’s word. Today, the museum would conduct thorough research about the history and authenticity of these objects and then make the decision whether or not to accept them into the collection. This is a prime example of how standards changed as the museum field became professionalized. Although we adhere to different standards today, we are happy to share these oddities in our collection.




Exhibit curated by Joni Rowe, Museum Specialist.

Morristown Oddities and Curiosities: Grave Dust

MORR 5516

Believe it or not...


This small bottle supposedly contains the dust from the graves of soldiers who fell at the battle of Lexington.



About This Series


This online exhibit series shows the type of objects the Washington Association of New Jersey collected in its early years. Collecting before any standards existed, the museum accepted donations based on the donor’s word. Today, the museum would conduct thorough research about the history and authenticity of these objects and then make the decision whether or not to accept them into the collection. This is a prime example of how standards changed as the museum field became professionalized. Although we adhere to different standards today, we are happy to share these oddities in our collection.




Exhibit curated by Joni Rowe, Museum Specialist.

Featured Manuscript: Lidgerwood Passport

close up: description

Curator's Note:

Passport of global businessman William van Vleck Lidgerwood—one of the founders of the Washington Association of New Jersey. Lidgerwood spent most of his active business career traveling in Europe and South America and more than likely had more than one of these documents during his life. As a world traveler, Lidgerwood was exposed to the extensive history of Western Europe and the America’s and saw himself as an inheritor of that history and legacy.

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Lidgerwood grew up in Morristown and was well aware of the Ford mansion and the Washington stories associated with it. When the mansion and property became available at auction after the death of Henry Ford in 1872 (the last Ford family member to live in the mansion) Lidgerwood was one of the hundreds who attended to watch the spectacle of history for sale. Whether by advance planning or spontaneous happening, Lidgerwood and three other prominent New Jersey residents came together to bid on, and win, the mansion house itself. They tried to offer the building to the state of New Jersey to operate as a historic house museum. The state however was not interested. Lidgerwood and his colleagues then decided to form the Washington Association of New Jersey to operate the mansion as a memorial to George Washington and to commemorate his stay during the 1779-1780 winter encampment. The Washington Association ran the mansion until 1933 when they turned it over to the National Park Service to form part of the Morristown National Historical Park—the first historical park in the nation. The Washington Association today is a partner of the park. This document is the newest accession into the Morristown NHP museum collection.

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Morristown Oddities and Curiosities: Washington Coffin

MORR 5494

Believe it or not...

This is reputed to be a piece of George Washington’s coffin.



About This Series

This online exhibit series shows the type of objects the Washington Association of New Jersey collected in its early years. Collecting before any standards existed, the museum accepted donations based on the donor’s word. Today, the museum would conduct thorough research about the history and authenticity of these objects and then make the decision whether or not to accept them into the collection. This is a prime example of how standards changed as the museum field became professionalized. Although we adhere to different standards today, we are happy to share these oddities in our collection.




Exhibit curated by Joni Rowe, Museum Specialist.

Featured Manuscript: Stirke Diary

Connecting History Series

Volunteer researcher, Cynthia N., heads off this series by examining the diary of Lt. Henry Stirke and his connection to several fascinating historical events.

Ivory portrait of Lt. Stirke

 

BRITISH FRIGATE AUGUSTA
PROVIDES TIMBER FOR NSDAR ROOM

The Rare Books Collection of Morristown National Historical Park has in its collection a Revolutionary War Diary, written by British Lieutenant Henry Stirke during his assignment with the 10th Regiment of Foot, from 1776-1778.

The diary begins with his journey from Halifax to New York in June of 1776, and ends with his departure to Cork, Ireland, from New York in 1778. The diary covers his experiences at the Battle of Long Island, and all the engagements as the British followed General George Washington across New Jersey and into Pennsylvania.

On October 23, 1777, Lt. Stirke made the following entry in his journal:

“This day we had the additional misfortune of loosing the Augusta Man of War of 64 Guns, which took fire by accident, as she had just got to her station before the Rebel works; most of the Crew were Sav’d”.

Excerpt from Stirke's Oct 23, 1777 entry.

In October, 1777, the British fleet was sailing up the Delaware River to attack Fort Mifflin at Philadelphia. According to the American account, the Americans repulsed the attack by the Augusta and 5 other ships. The Augusta blew up, whether by accident or as a result of being fired upon, is unknown. The engagement was known as the Battle of Red Bank.

After the Augusta sank, its timbers remained in place until 1869, when the ship was salvaged. There were hopes of finding a strong-box containing gold. The ship was taken to Gloucester City, New Jersey, and put on exhibit. After a period of time, only some of her ribs were visible.

The headquarters of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is in Washington. D.C. In Memorial Continental Hall, one of the buildings in the complex, there are several period rooms, which are representative of some of the states, and are sponsored by the state societies, individually or as a group of states. New Jersey is the sole sponsor of the New Jersey Room. 

Miss Ellen Mecum, seventh State Regent of the New Jersey Daughters of the American Revolution (1905-1908) wanted to make the New Jersey Room unique. She selected a proposal to use the remaining timbers of the British Frigate Augusta to furnish the New Jersey Room. The Augusta was sunk in the Delaware River, close to the property of Miss Mecum’s great-grandmother, Ann Cooper Whitall. The plan proposed that the timbers be used to create a reconstruction of the paneled Jacobean chamber that housed the books of the Water Commission in London, England.

One of the armchairs is a copy of an original oak chair dating back to 1689, from the Treasurer’s House in York, England. The original chair is still in the Treasurer’s House today. The woodwork, paneling and all of the furniture in the room were all constructed from the remaining timbers of the Augusta.  The New Jersey Room was opened to the public in 1910.

There are three stained glass windows in the room, each of which is dedicated to a geographical district of New Jersey. Washington’s Headquarters in Morristown, the site of the winter encampment of 1779-1780, is one of the historical sites depicted in the window representing northern New Jersey.

It’s possible to take a virtual tour of the New Jersey Room at NSDAR Headquarters by accessing the following URL: http://dar.org/omni/virtualtours/museum/NJ.html

The sinking of the Augusta was a dreadful loss to the British during the Revolutionary War. However, the use of its timbers to furnish the New Jersey Room at DAR Headquarters is a permanent reminder for future generations of the courage and fortitude of all the American patriots who fought and struggled to secure our cherished liberties.

DAR New Jersey Room

Blog entry by volunteer researcher, Cynthia N.

Presidents Day Blog Project: James Madison and the War of 1812

This year marks the two-hundredth anniversary of the War of 1812, a much forgotten conflict between the United States and Great Britain. This week’s feature as part of the Presidents Day Blog Project is a letter from President James Madison in November of 1814 to the Governor of New York, Daniel D. Tompkins, future Vice President under James Monroe. With the war over two years in, both sides were looking for a way to end hostilities. The Americans were in favor of returning to the status quo ante bellum, while the British were initially interested in preserving gains made in the war. The year 1814 would see more than just the burning of Washington; it would also see the completion of the negotiations at Ghent and the signing of a peace treaty that effectively put relations between the two countries back to their prewar status. Though Andrew Jackson would go on to fight at New Orleans in January of 1815, the war was semi-officially ended at the signing in December of 1814, and officially with President Madison’s declaration in February 1815.

This week’s document lends an interesting perspective from the state of New York on the prospects of ending the war, but also a larger example of the widespread yearn to bring the war to an end. The letter is from President James Madison to Governor Tompkins in response to a unanimous resolution passed by both Houses of the Legislature of New York “expressing the emotions with which they view the terms of peace proposed by the British commissioners at Ghent, and recommending the most vigorous measures for bringing the war to an honorable termination.” Madison expresses his gratitude to the unanimous resolution with “language [that] does great honor to the patriotism and just sentiments of the State…”

           

With the many anniversaries upon us these next few years, it is important to make sure the War of 1812 does not lack in proper attention, both to the artifacts that have survived from the conflict but also the historical significance of the event itself.

Post By: Bruce Spadaccini Jr., Museum Technician
If you are interested in reading more on the material available here at Morristown National Historical Park on the War of 1812, feel free to contact the staff. More manuscripts may be featured in the future provided there is further interest in the subject.

Presidents Day Blog Project: Abraham Lincoln

In our "Presidents Day Blog Project" entry last week we took a look at some documents from George Washington. This week we turn to our 16^thpresident, Abraham Lincoln.

Sometimes the smallest notes mean the world to someone, and in this week’s letter we’ll see that. The above letter was written to President Lincoln on December 8^th, 1863 from the town of Janesville, Illinois. It asks for Lincoln’s interference in a court martial decision against “a young soldier” who was sentenced to death. The petitioners cite the soldier’s “extreme youth” and “his aged parents” as reasons for Lincoln’s clemency. Lincoln's note reads: "In this case, let the sentence of death be commuted to imprisonment at hard labor for life. A. Lincoln. Jan. 7, 1864."

William Blake had been convicted of murder and further telegrams from Lincoln tell and even deeper story. The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln and the Abraham Lincoln Association have published a telegram from Lincoln to Major General Butler, William Blake’s commander on December 21, 1863. The telegram read:

“It is said that William H. Blake is under sentence of death at Fort-Magruder, in your Department. Do not let him be executed without further order from me, & in the mean time have the record sent me. He is said to belong to the 1st. or 2nd. Pennsylvania Artillery. A. Lincoln.”[1]

Butler replied:

“General Butler replied on December 22: ``Private Wm. H. Blake Batty E 1st. Penn Artillery, is under sentence of death by hanging for murder. In my judgment a very deliberate one. He will not be executed without further orders from you."[2]

Interesting that General Butler found the accused murder “a very deliberate one”. Nonetheless, Blake’s sentence was commuted by Lincoln to life imprisonment with hard labor, as seen in our image above. Blake would then receive a presidential pardon in April of 1864.

For fans of Lincoln, the town of Janesville, Illinois might ring a bell: it was the town Lincoln’s parents settled in after moving to Illinois (first in Macon County, then to Janesville in Coles County) in 1830. Though Lincoln went off to work in New Salem, Illinois at this time, he returned to Janesville to visit. In 1851, with the death of his father, Thomas, Abraham continued to help maintain the homestead for his mother (Lincoln’s birth mother died when he was just 9). The important note in all of this is that Lincoln would have been known by the residents of Janesville, and he most certainly would have recognized the town heading the letter pictured above.

It might be said that the residents who drew up this petition thought they needed Lincoln to recognize the town it was coming from, which explains the overly large “J” at the top of the letter. This is only speculation, but such writing would presumably draw Lincoln’s attention, perhaps aiding their request of him.

Post by: Bruce Spadaccini (Museum Technician)

---

[1] Source: Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, Volume 7, Abraham Lincoln Association and the University of Michigan, available at: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/l/lincoln/

[2] Ibid.

Presidents Day Blog Project: George Washington

"To Colonel Benedict Arnold, Commander of the Detachment of the Continental Army destined against Quebec."

      

           With February commemorating Presidents Day, it seems fitting to feature some of the artifacts in our collection here at Morristown National Historical Park relating to past presidents. With the help of Lloyd W. Smith, MNHP has in its collection artifacts pertaining to the first thirty-two presidents, from George Washington to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. With several hundred items to choose from, it was difficult on deciding which to showcase this month. Naturally, we begin with George Washington, whose 280^th birthday is celebrated on the 22^nd of this month and officially commemorated on Presidents’ Day on the 21^st this month.

            Before jumping into this week’s article, let’s take a moment to review a note from our curator, Jude Pfister, D. Litt.:

"As with most prominent individuals of the time, and especially someone of Washington's prominence, he had a small army of copyists and writers who would prepare letters and correspondence for his signature and in some routine matters even sign for him. This was not unusual; in fact, it is even done today. This particular letter in the Morristown collection is an example of one of those letters. Naturally, this practice makes it difficult to determine what is an actual Washington letter. Fortunately, in terms of intrinsic, historical importance, we don't need to worry about whose pen this particular letter came from. The importance of this letter lies in its content."

Pictured above you will see the headline “To Colonel Benedict Arnold Commander of the Detachment of the Continental Army destined against Quebec.” This intriguing document is a contemporary copy of a letter written from General George Washington to Colonel Benedict Arnold on September 14, 1775.

Washington makes note that Arnold’s command is “of the utmost consequence to the interest and liberties of America…” and the entire document is symbolic of the wider goal of attracting other British colonies to the cause of American independence. Washington warns Arnold to observe the strictest discipline and order in the ranks, and to “avoid all disrespect or contempt of the religion of the Country.” With religion a hotbed of tension between the Protestant colonies on the eastern seaboard and the French Catholics in Quebec (and throughout North America), it was clearly pertinent for the army to avoid all conflicts on the issue.

To the right is an image of another letter sent by Washington on that date of Arnold’s exact orders, “You are by every means in your power to endeavor to discover the real sentiments of the Canadians towards our cause, and particularly as to this expedition.”

In fourteen separate points, Washington details instructions for Arnold and his officers. For instance, Arnold is instructed to pay full price for all provisions (a task hardly accomplished throughout the war) so as not to insult or deprive the Canadians. In essence, Arnold needs to take extreme care in this expedition, as its aims are sensitive to the direction of the war. The last thing Washington wants is to “irritate our fellow-subjects against us.” If these inhabitants (Native Americans are included in this address) do not seem open to cooperation with the cause, “The expense of the expedition and the disappointment are not to be put in competition with the dangerous consequences which may ensue from irritating them against us, and detaching them from that neutrality which they have adopted.” High hopes were placed on Canada, and though history would play out differently, these documents attest to the important Washington and Congress placed on incorporating other British colonies in the cause of liberty.


Post by:
Bruce Spadaccini (Museum Technician)
Jude Pfister, D. Litt (Curator)

Featured Manuscript: The Introduction of Historical Parks

Pen used by President Herbert Hoover to sign an Act to provide for the creation of Morristown National Historical Park.

Curator's Note:

Among American presidents, Herbert Hoover has endured his fair share of negative press. Rightly or wrongly, Hoover will forever be linked in history with the Great Depression, an event which overshadowed his administration and cumulative legacy. Nonetheless, Hoover lived a long and eventful life and had many accomplishments beyond the troubles he endured with the Great Depression.

One example, which may not readily come to most people’s memory, is Hoover’s role in the founding of the historical park model within the National Park Service (NPS). Until 1933, the NPS had operated national parks which still evoke the natural grandeur associated with unspoiled nature at its most pristine. Parks such as Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, and the Great Smokey Mountains, are examples of such natural wonders which the NPS manages for the benefit of all Americans. (continued below)

W. Warren Barbour letter to Clyde Potts, 1933.

Lawrence Richey letter to W. Warren Barbour, 1933.

Yet, America is certainly more than its magnificent natural wonders and in the late 1920s, NPS director Horace Albright began thinking about moving the agency into a new field—historic preservation. The concept of historic preservation was nothing new in the United States; what was new, however, was the idea that the NPS should perhaps get involved and leverage the power of the federal government to help safeguard America’s cultural patrimony. Historic sites throughout the country had been destroyed in what many believed was an almost criminal act. The willful, unmitigated destruction of our nation’s heritage was a topic which drew Albright’s attention as a subject worthy of his agency and his talent and ambition.

Prompted by such historic preservation efforts as Colonial Williamsburg, Albright searched for an opportunity to put his plan to a test. In Morristown, NJ, several prominent men, principle among them mayor Clyde Potts, and businessman Lloyd W. Smith, were independently working on an idea for forming some sort of memorial at the site of the Jockey Hollow Revolutionary War winter encampment in 1779-1780. Through their connections Smith and Potts found their way to Albright who welcomed their idea with gusto.

During the very early 1930s, Albright, Smith, and Potts, coalesced their individual ideas into a more coherent strategy and by 1932 had finished putting the final pieces into place to create a National Historical Park at Morristown focusing on the Jockey Hollow encampment. As this plan progressed through the bureaucratic process, the Washington Association of New Jersey, founded in 1874 and running the Ford Mansion as a historic site for nearly sixty years, decided to donate the Mansion (Washington’s headquarters during the 1779-1780 encampment) and their considerable museum and archival collection to the National Historical Park venture pursued by Albright, Smith, and Potts.

With the inclusion of the Ford Mansion, the new National Historical Park at Morristown took on an added, dramatic dimension. The museum and archival collection of the Washington Association necessitated the building of a standalone museum building to house and exhibit the collection. That building of course still stands today as designed by noted architect John Russell Pope in 1936.

Finally, to create a National Historical Park, an act of Congress, creating a bill, had to be passed. And, for that bill to become law, it needed the signature of the president. When President Hoover put pen to paper to create the law establishing Morristown National Historical Park on March 2, 1933, he joined a long established tradition among president’s of having the pen utilized to create a law saved as a memento of the occasion. Particularly, pens used to sign legislation creating a new aspect of an agency, or a new agency altogether, are especially coveted.

Therefore, the pen used by President Hoover to create Morristown National Historical Park, the first historical park in the NPS system and representing a giant leap into the evolving field of historic preservation for the NPS, is preserved as a memento of the simple act of placing a signature on a piece of paper. That simple act, represented with the pen shown here, has dramatically altered the field of historic preservation and the involvement of the NPS over nearly eighty years.

Featured Manuscript: Edith Wharton

Happy Birthday, Edith!

Curator's Note:

Edith Newbold Jones Wharton was born January 24^th, 1862 (150 years ago) in New York City to Lucretia and George Jones, members of a prominent New York City family of great wealth. Her childhood was one of privilege and comforts both in the United States and during extended stays in Europe. She was tutored in the fashion of the time for a girl of her social status. She was not prepared for a career beyond marriage other than ultimately taking her place as a matron in society.

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verso

Events were however moving society as a whole faster than the conservative, insulated society she was born into. She had a conventional upbringing for a girl of her time and class and saw her life as already mapped out for her from a young age. Yet, even her insulated realm was coming under attack. While the country nearly tore itself apart during the Civil War, she and her family remained safely removed from the horrors of war. Try as they might though, outside events could not be totally removed from the family’s life.

Outside of the tight knit, structured, prescribed environment within which the Jones family lived, young Edith began to sense her life could be more than presented to her. While nothing compared to the women’s rights movement of nearly a hundred years later, women during the later nineteenth century did experience a relative boost in the freedom’s allowed them. Edith Jones was quick to perceive this, and this perception only intensified after her marriage to Edward Wharton in 1885. Edward “Teddy” Wharton was not what we would consider to be a “good catch,” yet he was totally true to his social status.

Nearly suffocated by what she saw as the artificial limitations of her social state, she began to explore the options available to her as a woman as early as 1875. One area she felt particularly drawn to was writing. She felt a natural affinity to the craft of the writer and began to explore on her own her varied interests which she anticipated writing about. She published works of fiction and poetry throughout the late 1870s and 1880s before her marriage. Her first major publication however was not in the field of fiction or poetry. She was a noted amateur designer highly influenced by Classical Renaissance adaptations and with noted architect Ogden Codman wrote The Decoration of Houses in 1897.

To promote her ideas, she embarked on a building plan to construct a new home for herself based on her principles of design. The result, built in 1902 and named The Mount, in Lenox, MA, is a masterpiece of inspiration considered one of the truly fine works of architecture in the United States. Edith Wharton went on to a stunning career as a novelist and short story writer and was the first woman awarded the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 1921 for her novel The Age of Innocence. She was a finalist for the Nobel Prize in 1927.

Why Morristown?

Morristown NHP is naturally best known for its association with George Washington, the Continental Army, and the terrible winter encampment of 1779-1780. But there is another side to the Morristown NHP story. In 1955, Lloyd W. Smith donated his vast rare book and manuscript collection to the park. While sometimes overlooked, the collection is a tremendous source of primary information. Among the hundreds of thousands of manuscripts is a short note from Edith Wharton to an editor and friend John Brisben Walker. The letter dates from July 19^th, 1900, and shows the life of a writer who is busy getting a work prepared for her publisher. Wharton is writing from Lenox, MA, not yet at The Mount, to Walker in New York. She asks Walker to send her a copy of the galleys for her short story “The Rembrandt.” The story was going to be published by Scribner’s and Wharton had left her galley copies in New York when she left for Lenox. She wanted to make final edits for Scribner’s before the deadline passed.

What this letter shows is not only the obvious, that Wharton was published by a major American publisher, Scribner’s, she was also actively involved with editing and preparation of her manuscripts. While a short letter overall, it does highlight several key points of the writer’s life which Edith Wharton is known for.

• Wharton, Edith. 1900, July 19. Lloyd W. Smith Archival Collection. LWS 2703. Morristown National Historical Park, Morristown, NJ.
  
  
• Edith Wharton Estate & Gardens

Featured Artifact: Edward Savage Painting

Edward Savage (1761-1817)
Portrait of George Washington
Circa 1795
Unsigned
Oil on canvas
25 X 30 inches
Morristown National Historical Park, MORR 3252


Physical Description:
This painting reveals the image of an austere and stately George Washington. The background is a dark brown bronze. In almost profile, his face bears a long nose, dark eyes, and a protruding chin. Two brown, arching eyebrows frame his slender features. Four horizontal rows, one above the other, depict his gray and white hair. In a three-quarter length bust portrait, George Washington wears a solid black coat. It is open enough to reveal a white linen shirt underneath. The linen appears to zigzag down Washington’s chest. An ornate, gilded frame adorns the oil portrait.

Attribution:The history of this George Washington portrait begins with debates about its attribution. Jennie Elizabeth Thompkins of Caldwell, New Jersey donated the painting to the Morristown National Historical Park (MNHP) on May 6, 1941. She believed Gilbert Stuart painted the portrait from life. In addition, she noted that Ebenezer Thayer, the portrait’s first owner, acquired the painting directly from Stuart in Boston or bought it from a Boston museum. The Chicago World’s Fair displayed the painting as a Gilbert Stuart; however, the Washington Centennial Exhibition at the Metropolitan Opera House exhibited the portrait under an unknown artist.[1]

After the portrait arrived in Morristown, the Frick Art Reference Library disputed the Stuart attribution. A letter from September 8, 1941, states: “[The portrait] bears no resemblance to any Stuart of which we find reproduction; it would seem, rather, to be nearer to the Edward Savage type of Washington Portrait.”[2] This letter illustrates that the Frick Art Reference Library compared the photograph of the Washington portrait from Morristown with examples of Stuart’s work. They noted that Washington’s eyes in the MNHP portrait appear dark while Gilbert Stuart’s paintings portray him with grey-blue or hazel eyes.[3] This detail, along with differences in style and technique, proved enough to discredit Gilbert Stuart’s attribution.

The park changed the official attribution to Edward Savage in 1942. The bust portrait of George Washington at the Morristown National Historical Park is an important painting in Savage’s oeuvre, or collective body of work. It displays the influence of Savage’s earlier portraits along with foreshadowing later paintings and mezzotints. While his contemporaries also painted portraits of George Washington, Savage’s portraits reflect his own unique style and technique. His paintings and engravings of George Washington have contributed to our national image of America’s first President.

[1] Information obtained from Mrs. Tompkins, April 28, 1941, MNHP, object file folder, Morr 3252.
[2] Letter from the Frick Art Reference Library to MNHP, September 8, 1941, MNHP, object file folder, Morr 3252.
[3] Letter from R. P. Tolman of the Smithsonian Institution to MNHP, September 20, 1941, MNHP, object file folder, Morr 3252.

Student Intern Exhibit Features Native American Artifacts

In the fall of 2011, during an internship here at Morristown National Historical Park Museum, archaeology and anthropology major Brian Williams from Drew University utilized the Native American collection on site to create a temporary exhibit now on display at the museum. Through tedious research as well as some help from the staff here at Morristown National Historical Park, Brian created a fascinating exhibit showcasing some of the collection’s most unique artifacts.

Of the 20,000 Native American artifacts in the collection ranging from local tribes such as the Lenne Lenape to artifacts from across the Midwest and South, Brian focused in on a process called “knapping”. The tool-making process of Native Americans through knapping involved lithic reduction. This was done by striking workable material with a much harder tool, such as a rock. It was through this process that Native American tool making took a giant step forward during prehistoric times in North America. Through knapping, Native Americans formed sharper and more useful tools and weapons, some of which are exhibited in Brian’s display. Arrowheads are the most well-known products of knapping and are some of the most fascinating to look at.

The exhibit consists of two display cases, the first of which exhibits the tools used for the knapping process, while the second shows the process and end results of knapping. Included in the exhibit are some examples created by Brian himself in order to replicate the process while others are the actual artifacts in MNHP’s collection. Through Brian’s work in one short semester, we are now able to showcase some of the more unique artifacts in collection here at Morristown National Historical Park Museum.

Exhibit by Brian Williams, Drew University.