Declaring Independence for the 240th time… this time, on the Morristown Green

By Kevin Coughlin

Quick: When did the Continental Congress declare its split from England?

July Fourth 1776, right?  Wrong!  Watch our Facebook videos  from Monday’s Independence Day festivities on the Morristown Green for the real story.

Tom Winslow and Eric Olsen of the Morristown National Historical Park did their usual stellar jobs of rabble-rousing against King George, with fiery readings and interpretations of the Declaration of Independence…and a round of historical–and hysterical–toasts to these United States.

The event capped a Revolutionary Times Weekend organized by the Morris County Tourism Bureau, with help from the National Park Service, the Washington Association of New Jersey, and others.

As Tourism Executive Director Leslie Bensley acknowledged last week, this undertaking had lots of moving parts.

A brigade of re-enactors must have made a wrong turn somewhere; an expected encampment never encamped at the Ford Mansion. A military concert, meanwhile, marched at double-time, ending an hour early on Sunday.

Mere trifles. The weather was picture-perfect, Sunday’s fireworks were sensational, and Monday’s throng on the Green was among the most enthusiastic we’ve seen.

“It seemed as if patriotism had eroded for awhile. Now, it’s back,” Rep. Rodney Frelinghysen (R-11th Dist.) said after the festivities.

Paris Moore of Madison brought his family to the Green, and was moved by what they experienced.

“This brings history alive,” he said. “It’s very important for people to get the flavor and feeling of the times.”

“I like how they drew people in,” added his daughter, Savannah, 12, referring to the choruses of cheers, hisses and boos that punctuated the reading of the Declaration. “Interactivity is always fun.”

Hip, hip, Huzzah!

MORE COVERAGE OF REV TIMES 2016