Morristown National Historical Park preserves one of the most important winter encampments of the American Revolutionary War and is often called the “military capital of the Revolution.” The park is made up of several separate sites including Jockey Hollow, the Ford Mansion, the Washington’s Headquarters Museum and Fort Nonsense. In the midst of the DOGE purge of federal employees, the Resistance Rangers organized protests at parks across the nation. I attended the rally at Ford Mansion.

I arrived early for the rally so I took the tour of Ford Mansion. The Ford Mansion in Morristown National Historical Park was built by Jacob Ford, Jr. in 1774. The home is considered a mansion because of its grand hall, formal parlor and palladian windows. These were meant to showcase the Fords’  wealth which was earned in the family’s iron forge business.

Ford served in the militia, but died of pneumonia in 1777. His wife, Theodosia, took ownership of the house and kept the family businesses running…unusual for a woman in those days. She rented the house to Continental Army soldiers and weathered a smallpox outbreak as a result.

George Washington arrived  in 1779 and paid to rent the Ford Mansion. He, his wife, aides and servants moved in while his army camped nearby in Jockey Hollow.Theodosia and her children lived in two downstairs rooms of the house while Washington was in residence.

The location was ideal for Washington and his troops as it was midway between Manhattan (capital for the British Army) and Philadelphia (the American capital.)The Ford businesses also provided critical resources for Washington’s army. Washington used the Ford Mansion as his headquarters until June of 1780.

After the tour, I joined the protestors in front of the mansion. One woman I met was a ranger whose position had been eliminated in the DOGE sweep. We held up signs and waved at passing cars. The reception was largely positive with passing motorists signaling their support.

Morristown Posts➢

• Jockey Hollow
• Ford Mansion
• Rally
• Fort Nonsense

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Location: 30 Washington Place, Morristown, NJ
Designation: National Historical Park
Date designated/established: March 2, 1933
Date of my visit: March 22, 2025