Attracted by the area's strategic location during the American Revolution, General George Washington twice chose Morristown, New Jersey, as the site of the main Continental Army's winter encampments. During the critical winters of 1777 and 1779-1780, Washington headquartered in the Ford Mansion in Morristown while the army camped about five miles away in Jockey Hollow.
The hard winter of 1779-1780, the most severe of the century, brought great suffering to the army of more than 10,000 soldiers. The troops first slept in tents, but the soldiers eventually built more than 1,000 huts. To increase morale, Washington ordered that enlisted men build and move into their huts before the officers moved into theirs. Camp life included inspection, drills, training, work details, and guard duty.
Four sites make up this national park: Washington's Headquarters, Fort Nonsense, Jockey Hollow, and the New Jersey Brigade Area.
