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National Trails Day➤

For National Trails Day, I attended a program at the Wallace House & Old Dutch Parsonage State Historic Sites in Somerville, New Jersey. The event was Prince Rodgers Walk: African American Soldiers of the Civil War. It combined local history, a guided walk, and storytelling to highlight the military service of African Americans in New Jersey.

The program marked the 250th birthday of the United States Army and focused on the often-overlooked contributions of Black soldiers. Hosted in partnership with the Prince Rodgers African American Museum, the event centered on the Prince Rodgers family and their legacy of service. The walk also aligned with National Trails Day, held each year on the first Saturday in June. For more than thirty years, the American Hiking Society has encouraged people to explore trails and connect with the places where history and community intersect.

Prince Rodgers Walk➤

The event began at the Old Dutch Parsonage, one of Somerville’s oldest surviving buildings. Built in 1751, the Parsonage is a 2½-story brick house constructed by Dutch Reformed congregations in Somerville and Raritan. It housed early ministers, including Reverend John Frelinghuysen, who trained seminarians there. His son later served as a captain in the Continental Army. Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh lived in the house and went on to help found Queen’s College, now Rutgers University. The building remained a parsonage until 1810 and narrowly avoided demolition in 1913, when it was moved beside the Wallace House.

Inside, exhibits interpret eighteenth-century daily life, and a docent in period dress helped set the historical context. There were also special exhibits for the Prince Rodgers event celebrating the role of Black soldiers in the military. After exploring the parsonage, volunteers led a walk to Somerville’s “New Cemetery,” which dates to the nineteenth century. The walk covered about 3 miles and took around 2 hours.

At the cemetery, educator and local historian Davie Lyn Jones-Evans provided context and interpretation. She shared the story of Prince Rodgers, a formerly enslaved man who served in the Union Army during the Civil War. Rodgers later became a respected member of Somerset County’s Black community and helped establish the Prince Rodgers Cemetery in Bridgewater. Through her narration, the walk connected individual lives to broader themes of military service, freedom, and remembrance.

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Location: 77 Somerset St, Somerville, New Jersey
Designation: State Historic Site
Date designated/established: January 25, 1971
Date of my visit: June 7, 2025