- Washington Crossing Historic Park
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Washington Crossing Historic Park's visitor center:"Not to be confused withWashington Crossing State Park , aNew Jersey State Park located across theDelaware River inTitusville, New Jersey "Washington Crossing Historic Park is a 500-acre (2 km²) site operated by the
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission that is part ofWashington's Crossing , a U.S.National Historic Landmark area. The park is headquartered in the village of Washington Crossing located in Upper Makefield Township in Bucks County,Pennsylvania . It marks the location of whereGeorge Washington crossed theDelaware River during theAmerican Revolutionary War .The park includes 13 historic buildings including McConkey's Ferry Inn, where General George Washington and his aides ate dinner and made plans prior to the crossing. Among the historic buildings is a 20th-century barn that houses several replica
Durham Boat s. Durham boats were large, open boats that were used to transport pig iron along the Delaware River at the time of the Revolution and these boats, along with others, were used to transport soldiers, horses, and equipment across the river on the night ofDecember 25 ,1776 . The replica boats are used eachChristmas when the famous crossing is re-enacted in the park.Located in the park's northern section is the 100-acre (0.4 km²) Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve and
Bowman's Hill Tower , the Thompson-Neely house, which was used as a military hospital during Washington's encampment in the area, and the graves of an estimated 40 to 60 soldiers who died there. The exact location of the graves is unknown, though they were partially unearthed during the construction of the nearby Delaware Canal in the early 1800s and during other nearby construction projects. Presently there are memorial headstones as a reminder that the area is a gravesite.History and mission of the park
The park was created in 1917 and the Washington Crossing Park Commission was established in 1919 to administer and develop the park.
The park was formed to commememorate the famous "Crossing" as the "Turning point of the American Revolution." The Commission's first objective was to develop the site as a historical shrine and its second objective was to preserve its natural beauty and develop its areas for recreational use. Bowman's Hill Tower was built to commemorate what may have been a lookout point for General George Washington's troops to watch the banks of the Delaware River for enemy activity. The park also contains the
Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve and the surrounding area is the natural habitat for many native plants, trees, animals and birds. Today the park serves to preserve and interpret the site of the Washington's Crossing of the Delaware.The Crossing
title=Washington Crossing the Delaware
artist=Emanuel Leutze
year=1851
type=Oil on canvas
height=378.5
width=647.7
height_inch=149
width_inch=255
city=New York City
museum=Metropolitan Museum of Art "Main Article"Washington's crossing of the Delaware On
December 25 ,1776 , GeneralGeorge Washington and a small army of 2,400 men crossed theDelaware River atMcKonkey's Ferry, Pennsylvania on their way to attack a Hessian garrison of 1,500 inTrenton, New Jersey . The crossing, made during a time when morale was at its lowest point during theAmerican Revolution , renewed hope among theContinental Army , Congress and the general population. .Famous people in Washington's Crossing of the Delaware
Two future Presidents:
*James Monroe
*George Washington One future Vice-President:
*Aaron Burr One future
Chief Justice of the United States :
*John Marshall Others:
*Alexander Hamilton , futureSecretary of the Treasury
*Prince Whipple , alleged by some sources but not proven
*John Glover (general) , was responsible for ferrying Washington's men
*Henry Knox , first Secretary of War
*Hugh Mercer , general who died days later at the Battle of Princetonee also
*
Washington's Crossing
*Bowman's Tower
*Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve , within the park
*Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania
*"The Crossing", a 2000 television movie starringJeff Daniels as George WashingtonReferences
* [http://www.ushistory.org/washingtoncrossing Official Site]
*Fisher, David Hackett. "Washington's Crossing." Oxford University Press USA, 2004, 576 pages. ISBN 0195170342
*Ketchum, Richard. "The Winter Soldiers: The Battles for Trenton and Princeton". Owl Books, 1999, 448 pages. ISBN 0805060987External links
* [http://www.cr.nps.gov/nR/travel/delaware/was.htm National Register of Historic Places-Washington Crossing Historic Park]
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