Celebrate the Irish in Morristown
General George Washington brought the Continental Army to Morristown, New Jersey, for two winters, in 1777 and again in 1779-1780. The second winter encampment took place at Jockey Hollow, today part of Morristown National Historical Park (MNHP). Over 10,000 men took over parts of the Guerin and Wick farms and suffered immeasurably during the worst winter on record.
Of the 11 brigades encamped at Morristown, 7 of them had generals who had either been born in Ireland or had parents of Irish heritage. It was estimated that one quarter of the entire Continental Army had been born in Ireland. On March 17, 1780 General Washington ordered that generals were not to assign duty to any Son of St. Patrick, and the holiday marked their first day off that winter in Jockey Hollow. To commemorate the Irish contribution to the War for Independence a plaque was unveiled at Jockey Hollow in April 2010 by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Morris County.
The left side of the plaque has an illustration of soldiers around a campfire. The right of the marker features a picture of the “Independence of Ireland” flag. Below this is a picture of a clay pipe with Irish harp and shamrocks and has the caption “Image based on archeological fragment found in Jockey Hollow and now part of Morristown National Historical Park’s museum collection”. Take a spring hike through Jockey Hollow . nps.gov/morr
Morristown’s oldest church building is Assumption Church at 91 Maple Avenue. Mass was celebrated for the first time at Assumption on Christmas Day, 1848. The cornerstone for the current Gothic Revival-style structure was laid on June 30, 1872. Read about the mass at Assumption
The church interior was restored to its Victorian-era grandeur in 2007 and is well worth a visit. Near the church, stop at the corner of Madison Street and Macculloch Avenue. Read the Morris County Heritage Commission marker about the Dublin Neighborhood, installed and dedicated in March 2019. There is also historic signage about the development of the area. Do a self-guided tour of Dublin using the information at this link. Dublin
