Tour of The Rockingham Historic House

84 Laurel Avenue,Franklin Township NJ 08528

07 January, 2022

Description

Come along on an exploration of Rockingham's history, with an emphasis on the period as General Washington's Headquarters in later 1783. While the Continental Congress was meeting in Princeton, Rockingham, home of the prominent Berrien family, served as General George Washington's final Revolutionary War headquarters for over two-and-one-half months in 1783. On October 31, 1783, Washington and Congress received the long awaited news—the final version of the Treaty of Paris had been signed and the thirteen colonies were indeed independent of Great Britain. For eight years Washington had served his country in the Revolutionary War and as one of his last official acts wrote the Farewell Orders to the Armies at Rockingham in late October, in which he expressed his deep admiration and appreciation for the American army and announced his return to civilian life—renouncing any thought of kingship and ensuring the newly-minted country was headed in the direction envisioned in the Declaration of Independence seven years before. Join us for a tour of Rockingham and its 18th-century period-furnished rooms, with a special focus on General Washington's stay, including who accompanied him and what occurred at that time in the house's history! Reservations must be made at least 24 hours before tour time. FACIAL COVERINGS are REQUIRED inside the house. Meet on the south (front) stone porch by the blue flag, facing the garden. Rockingham served as General George Washington’s final wartime headquarters in the latter half of 1783 while Congress met nearby in Princeton. Washington wrote his Farewell Orders to the Armies of the United States here just before receiving news that the definitive Treaty ending the Revolutionary War was signed. The earliest section of the house was built around 1710 and was added to in the 1760s by John Berrien, a trustee of the College of NJ (present Princeton U.) and colonial NJ assemblyman & Superior Court Justice. Rockingham is a NJ State-owned & -operated Historic Site that maintains a fine collection of 18th-century furnishings and Washington military reproductions, and includes a Colonial kitchen garden and Dutch barn.