Keep Off the Green! (For just a few more weeks)

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One of the fun pastimes on the historic Morristown Green is watching visitors interact with General Washington and his illustrious friends, Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette.

DON'T FEED THE STATUES!  Much of the historic Morristown Green is fenced off for the month of April for re-seeding of the lawn. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
DON'T FEED THE STATUES! Much of the historic Morristown Green is fenced off for the month of April for re-seeding of the lawn. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

But for the next few weeks the statues will enjoy a respite.

Instead of posing for pictures like some sort of interactive history exhibit, they will be viewed from afar, protected by a fence, like residents of a zoo.

Large swaths of the two-acre square have been fenced off to allow plugging and re-seeding of the lawn, explained Douglas Greenberger, a trustee of the Green.

“There’s something calming about walking through a well kept lawn, trimmed all around with flowers,” Douglas said.

As Morristown continues to grow, so too do the demands on the Green.  Permits were issued last year for 39 events there, Douglas said.

But the biggest event was unscheduled. Hurricane Sandy sent  tree limbs crashing onto a Victorian-style water fountain and some benches, which also are in the process of being repaired, Douglas said.

“We want to put the Green into tip-top shape, as the busy season is at hand,” he said.

Fencing around the statues should come down by the end of April. Lawns at the south end of the Green, closer to the big fountain, should re-open a couple of weeks later, the trustee said.

The Green was owned by the Presbyterian Church from the 18th century until 1868, when it was deeded to the town for park use.  During the Revolution, George Washington did indeed spend time on the Green, which also saw its share of hangings. The last, in 1833, drew a huge crowd. Antoine LeBlanc, a ne’er do well from France, was executed for the “crime of the century,” the murders of a local couple and their servant girl.  A special gallows was erected for the hanging. Afterward, LeBlanc’s body was subjected to Frankenstein-like attempts at electrical reanimation… and then, it’s believed, his skin was sold as souvenir wallets

 

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