REVOLUTIONARY WAR SITES IN ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY

Minuteman Monument
Elizabeth Ave. and High St.
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This very striking statue has a plaque that reads:
"Elizabethtown - On this spot, at daybreak June 7, 1780, began the fighting against the British forces moving toward Springfield. Here fell General Stirling at the head of the advancing Column, on June 8. After the British retreat from Springfield, General Hand here attacked and drove back the 22nd Regiment to the British main position at the point. Skirmishing on this ground continued until the British retreat to Staten Island, June 23rd." [1]

Belcher-Ogden Mansion
1046 East Jersey St.
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(908)351-2500
Tours By Appointment

The Belcher-Ogden Mansion was the residence of Governor Jonathan Belcher in the 1750s. Belcher sponsored the College of New Jersey, which became Princeton University.
Elisha Boudinot (brother of Elias Boudinot) was married here in 1778 to Catherine Peartree Smith. The wedding was attended by Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette. George Washington was also entertained at the house. [2]

Boxwood Hall (Boudinot Mansion)
1073 East Jersey St.
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(973) 648-4540
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 am to noon, and 1 PM to 5 PM

"Samuel Woodruff, Elizabethtown mayor, built Boxwood Hall about 1750. From 1772 to 1795 it was the home of Elias Boudinot (1740-1821), who served as president of the Continental Congress after the colonies signed a peace treaty with England, ending the Revolutionary War.
In 1789 George Washington took lunch here on his way to Manhattan to be sworn in as the United States' first president. Jonathan Dayton (1760-1824) a signer of the Constitution and later U.S. Senator from New Jersey lived here from 1795 to 1824."   [3]

Site of Dr. William Barnet House
Washington Inaugural Monument
Winfield Scott Plaza
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Winfield Scott plaza is name in honor General Winfield Scott, known for his role in the Mexican War and the Civil War. His house stood nearby at 1105 E. Jersey Street.  The house was razed in 1928.   [4]

In the Revolutionary War era, the house was occupied by Dr. William Barnet, a surgeon in the American Army. He lived in the house from 1763 to 1790. When his home was plundered by the British in 1781, Dr. Barnet reported: "They emptied my feather beds in the streets, broke in windows, smashed my mirrors and left our pantry and storeroom department bare. I could forgive them all that, but the rascals stole from my kitchen wall the finest string of red peppers in all Elizabeth."  [5]

Union County Courthouse
2 Broad St.
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In front of the courthouse is a sign marking the site of the Old Borough Courthouse, which was burned by the British in 1780.    [6]

There is a Revolutionary War cannon in front of the courthouse. A plaque explains its history:
"This gun, cast in Strasburg in 1758, was sent by Louis XV, King of France, to Canada for the defense of Quebec. Upon the surrender of that place in the following year, the gun fell into the hand of the British. In April, 1760, the French recaptured the gun, and in May the British re-took it. In the fall of 1775 this gun aided in the repulse of the Continental force under General Richard Montgomery, who was mortally wounded while attempting to capture it. In June 1779, Sir Henry Clinton captured Stony Point, and a month later General Anthony Wayne re-took it finding this gun among the trophies. General Washington presented the piece to troops from Elizabethtown who had acted as a reserve and it was brought here by them soon after."   [7]

First Presbyterian Church and Cemetery
42 Broad Street
Map / Directions to the First Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth
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(908) 353-1518 ‎

The sign near the entrance reads:
"This church was organized about 1664. The edifice which stood on this spot was burned by the British January 25, 1780. During the pastorate of Rev. James Caldwell, chaplain in the New Jersey brigade under Washington.
This building was completed in 1789.
Thirty-six commissioned officers, and many non-commissioned officers and privates from the congregation fought during the Revolution for American Independence." [8]

Site of the Old Academy
42 Broad St.
(In front of the Parish house of the First Presbyterian Church)
Map / Directions to the site of the Old Academy
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In front of the Parish house of the First Presbyterian Church (above listing) is a sign marking this as the site of the Old Academy, which was attended by Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Colonel Francis Barber was Principal at the outbreak of the Revolution. [9]