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{{short description|Historic house in New Jersey, United States}}

{{Infobox NRHP
{{Infobox NRHP
| name =
| name = Jockey Hollow
| nrhp_type = cp | nocat = y
| nrhp_type = cp | nocat = y
| image = Wick House At Jockey Hollow.JPG
| image = Tempe Wick House, Jockey Hollow, NJ.jpg
| alt =
| alt =
| caption = Wick House at Jockey Hollow (July 2015)
| caption = Wick House at Jockey Hollow in 2016
| locmapin = USA New Jersey Morris County#New Jersey#USA
| locmapin = USA New Jersey Morris County#New Jersey#USA
| map_alt =
| map_alt =
Line 21: Line 23:
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
| designated_other1_color = #ffc94b
| designated_other1_color = #ffc94b
}}'''Jockey Hollow''' is the name of an area in southern [[Morris County, New Jersey]], which was farmed in the 18th century by the Wick, Guerin, and Kemble families.
}}'''Jockey Hollow''', also known as '''Wick House''' and '''Wick Hall''', was the traditional Wick family estate in New Jersey. Throughout the [[Revolutionary War (United States)|Revolutionary War]], it was used by the [[Continental Army]] as its main winter encampment, and it housed the entire Continental Army during the Winter at Jockey Hollow, the harshest winter of the War, from December 1779 to June 1780.
⚫
It is located in [[Harding Township, New Jersey|Harding Township]], [[Morris County, New Jersey]]. Since 1933, the Wick House has been part of [[Morristown National Historical Park]] in Morristown, New Jersey. Morristown National Historical Park is administered by the [[National Park Service]], U.S. Department of the Interior.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/morr/ |title=Morristown National Historical Park|publisher=[[National Park Service]]}}</ref>


The origin of the name is still uncertain, but it was a farming property during the [[American Revolution]]. For most of the [[American Revolutionary War]], it was used by portions of [[Continental Army]] as a winter camp site, and it housed the main Continental Army during the "Hard Winter" of 1779–80, believed to be the harshest winter in recorded history.
⚫
==Wick family==
Henry Wick was born October 23, 1707 in Bridgehampton, Suffolk County, New York to Justice John Wick and his wife Temperance Barnes, and was a grandson of the Pilgrim Father [[John Wickes|John Wicks]]. His father's family, the Wick family, were one of the first and oldest families in America, and his mother's family, the Barnes, were a wealthy Connecticut family related to the Drury, Calthorpe, and Stapleton families of England. Henry's brother John Wick was an ancestor of [[Hilton Wick]] and [[Frances Wick]], and was educated at [[Yale University]] according to the wishes of their father, and graduated with a B.A. in 1722. Unlike his brother John, Henry did not have the benefits of a university education, and decided to take up farming. On February 12, 1735, he married Mary Cooper, and together they had five children: Henry, Mary, James, Phebe, Temperance. Over time, it became clear the young Henry Wick was mentally unbalanced and likely insane. In 1746 Nathan Cooper, of Roxbury (Chester) township, and Henry Wick jointly bought 1,114 acres on the Passaic River, a property then known as Dick Tract, and which Wick later renamed Jockey Hollow. Wick and his family then migrated from Long Island to New Jersey, and built the Wick House some time between 1747 and 1750.
Local lore had it that the young Tempe (Temperance) Wick, moved the family's horses into the house to hide them from the British army, who were looking for horses to commandeer.


It is located in [[Harding Township, New Jersey|Harding Township]] and [[Mendham Township, New Jersey|Mendham Township]], in Morris County.
The Wick House imitates the Long Island style which Henry Wick was familiar with. The house itself is only one story with an attic. However, the Wick family were relatively wealthy, and unlike most homesteads in this area, which were constructed of logs, the Wick House was constructed using wood, which reflected the family's prosperity.


⚫
Since 1933, the Wick House has been part of [[Morristown National Historical Park]] in Morristown, New Jersey. Morristown National Historical Park is administered by the [[National Park Service]], U.S. Department of the Interior.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/morr/ |title=Morristown National Historical Park|publisher=[[National Park Service]]}}</ref>
On March 2, 1933, Morristown became the first National Historical Park, incorporating the Ford Mansion, Jockey Hollow, and the site of Fort Nonsense, as well as constructing the Washington Headquarters Museum, which was completed and opened in 1938.<ref>http://www.njskylands.com/hsmtnhp</ref>

In 1934, the Wick House was restored to its original condition for the purpose of tourism. The Wick House is the principal attraction of Morristown National Park.


==American Revolutionary War==
==American Revolutionary War==
During the [[Revolutionary War (United States)|Revolutionary War]], Henry Wick owned Jockey Hollow, which by then consisted of 1400 acres of timber and open field. He was also the Captain of the Morris County Cavalry, whose duty it was to protect Governor Livingston, the Privy Council, and the New Jersey government. For this reason, the Wick family was considered the ideal family to house the Army. The Wick estate was considered the ideal location, because the elevation of Jockey Hollow was several hundred feet above the British to the east. The mountainous range also allowed soldiers to detect British movement.<ref name=Adams>Adams, Hugh W., Morristown National Historic Park. Christine Retz. New Jersey: Washington Association of New Jersey, 1982</ref> During the winter of 1779-1780, nearly 600 acres of timber on Jockey Hollow were cut down by the soldiers to be used for the construction of huts and as firewood.<ref>http://rt23.com/american_revolution/wick_house.shtml
During the [[Revolutionary War (United States)|Revolutionary War]], Henry Wick possessed the largest portion of this area—his farm comprised 1400 acres of timber and open field. The Wick farm and his neighbors' property were considered the ideal location for a winter camp due to the distance from British forces in New York and the amount of timber needed for shelter and firewood for a large army, and the availability of houses for officers, mainly generals and their staff, to quarter.
</ref>


During the winter of 1779–1780, approximately 600 acres of timber in Wick land and about 2000 acres total in Jockey Hollow were cut down by the soldiers to be used for the construction of huts and as firewood.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://rt23.com/american_revolution/wick_house.shtml|title = Wick House - the Revolutionary War in North Jersey}}</ref>
==Army encampment==
Strategically, the Wick family were considered by the officers of the [[Continental Army]] to be one of the most reliable and patriotic families in America, so the Army never had any trouble quartering there, nor did the Wick family ever require compensation for the use of their land, which was especially important to [[Second Continental Congress|Congress]]. The [[Continental Army]] had wintered there in 1776-77 following Washington’s [[Crossing of the Delaware]] and the subsequent America victories at Trenton and Princeton. One fourth of the Army died from smallpox or dysentery. During that Winter, the Wicks hosted Captain Joseph Bloomfield.


⚫
==The Wick House==
Jockey Hollow had hosted prominent officers before the winter of 1779-1780. [[Alexander Hamilton]] was likely quartered at the Wick House at least once during the War. The Wicks would use one side of the house, and gave the other to the officers who were quartered with them, and the Wicks would share the kitchen and dining room with the officers.
In the spring of 1777, the Wick family hosted Captain Joseph Bloomfield.


⚫
During the Winter of 1779–1780, the Wicks housed General [[Arthur St. Clair]], who was then commander of the Pennsylvania Line, and several of his aides.
==The Winter at Jockey Hollow==
⚫
During the Winter of 1779-1780, the Wicks housed General [[Arthur St. Clair]], who was then commander of the Pennsylvania Line, and several of his aides.


The house is now restored and is one of the historic structures maintained and open for viewing at the Morristown National Historical Park.
⚫
On October 17, 1779, the entire Continental Army, consisting of 13,000 men, encamped for the winter at Jockey Hollow. Soldiers camped at this location until June 1780, during which time they endured some of the harshest conditions of the war.<ref name=NPS>National Park Service, Morristown Pamphlet. Morristown National Historic Park, 2007</ref> In the days of horsepower, this was considered an impregnable redoubt. Another reason why the location was chosen was because the surrounding area held citizens, like the Wick family, who were the strongest patriots in the region and the most sympathetic to the rebel cause.<ref name=Adams/> The region was also home to many Huguenots, like Joshua Guerin, whose house is still preserved at the Park, but is inaccessible to Park visitors.


== Wick Kitchen Garden ==
⚫
The Winter at Jockey Hollow was the worst winter of the war, even worse than the Winter at Valley Forge two years before.<ref>{{cite book | author = Tolson, Jay |title = How Washington's Savvy Won the Day | publisher = US News and World Report | year = July 7–14, 2008}}</ref> Twelve men often shared one of over one thousand simple huts built in Jockey Hollow to house the Army.<ref name=NPS/> Desertions were frequent. The entire Pennsylvania Line successfully mutinied, and later 200 New Jersey soldiers attempted to emulate them. Several of the ringleaders of the latter were hanged.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Flexner |first=James Thomas |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=April 1984 |title= Washington "The Indispensable Man"|volume= |issue= |pages=154 |id= |url= |accessdate= |quote= }}</ref>
A kitchen garden next to the Wick House is maintained by the Northern New Jersey unit of Herb Society of America.


==The Legend of Tempe Wick==
==The "Hard Winter" at Jockey Hollow==
During the Winter of 1779–1780, the Wicks housed General [[Arthur St. Clair]], who was then commander of the Pennsylvania Line, and several of his aides.


⚫
In December 1779, over 10.000 Continental Army troops encamped for the winter at Jockey Hollow. Soldiers camped at this location until June 1780, during which time they endured some of the harshest conditions of the war.<ref name=NPS>National Park Service, Morristown Pamphlet. Morristown National Historic Park, 2007</ref> Due to the bad conditions of the dirt roads in the winter and spring, dependence on horsepower, distance from the enemy in New York plus the natural walls of protection provided by the present-day [[Watchung Mountains]], this was a secure area to camp the army.
[[File:A_Ride_Into_Morning,_Tempe_Wick,_Ann_Rinaldi.jpg|thumb|right|Front Cover of "A Ride Into Morning"]]


⚫
The Winter at Jockey Hollow was the worst winter of the war, even worse than the Winter at [[Valley Forge]] two years before.<ref>{{cite book | author = Tolson, Jay |title = How Washington's Savvy Won the Day | publisher = U.S. News & World Report | date = July 7–14, 2008}}</ref> Twelve men often shared one of over one thousand simple huts built in Jockey Hollow to house the Army.<ref name=NPS/> Amazingly, despite the difficult conditions and lack of food, fewer than 100 soldiers died and only one out of ten deserted.
On December 21, 1780, Henry Wick died at Jockey Hollow. In January 1781, the Pennsylvania soldiers under the command of General [[Anthony Wayne]] mutinied. The soldiers intended to gather food and other supplies, including horses. They supposedly intended to travel south to Philadelphia to march on Congress. They demanded higher pay and better living conditions for soldiers. Instead of heading south to Philadelphia, the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania negotiated with them, and the mutiny ended peacefully, and many of the soldiers agreed to stay in the army.
During that same winter, Mary Wick, the widow of Henry Wick, sent her daughter, [[Temperance Wick]], known locally as Temp, to get her brother-in-law, Dr. Leddel. Upon returning on her horse, Tempe was stopped by several soldiers and ordered to dismount and give them her horse. Tempe pretended to dismount, but tricked the soldiers, and escaped with her horse. When she returned to Jockey Hollow, she hid the horse in her bedroom using a feather bed to muffle the sound of the horses hooves.
Shortly thereafter, the soldiers came looking for the horse and searched the barn and in the woods surrounding the home, and never imagined that the horse was hidden inside the house. In one version of this legend, the horse remained hidden in the home for three weeks. This inspired Ann Rinaldi's famous novel, [[A Ride into Morning|A Ride Into Morning]], which combines several versions of the story together, told from the perspective of Mary Cooper, a cousin of Tempe Wick, who lived at Jockey Hollow during the Winter at Jockey Hollow.


⚫
== Soldier housing==
Other versions of the story include Tempe Wick saving General Washington from mutineers during the [[Pennsylvania Line mutiny|Pennsylvania Line Mutiny]], passing letters through British lines, and acting as a spy. However, these versions of the story are generally regarded as erroneous.<ref>http://mentalfloss.com/article/63264/5-legends-americas-national-parks</ref>
⚫
[[File:Hut at Jockey Hollow.JPG|thumb|Reconstructed hut at Jockey Hollow (July 2015)]]
⚫
Soldiers had to build their own huts including surrounding trenches for drainage. The huts, made of log, were {{convert|14|by|16|ft}} and {{convert|6.5|ft}} high. Twelve men often shared one of over one thousand simple huts built in Jockey Hollow to house the army.<ref name="NPS" /> Inside the huts soldiers had a fireplace for warmth and cooking. To create a floor they packed the ground for an earthen floor. Soldiers also had to make their own furniture, including bunks and tables. Their bunks got covered with straw and each soldier was to be given one blanket, although Washington claimed that a quarter of the men "did not have the shadow of a blanket." . Soldiers huts were about 2 to 3&nbsp;ft (50–100&nbsp;cm) apart, with three rows of eight huts for each regiment. By 1780, soldiers had built about 1,200 huts in Jockey Hollow.<ref name="Adams">Adams, Hugh W., Morristown National Historic Park. Christine Retz. New Jersey: Washington Association of New Jersey, 1982</ref>


There are four replica huts on Sugar Loaf hill built in 1964.
==Wick garden==
Supposedly, the Wick garden at Jockey Hollow was the place where the [[Marquis de Lafayette]] delivered to [[George Washington|General George Washington]] the news that the French were sending a large fleet and army to reinforce the Continental Army in America. The French intervention would be the turning point of the War.


There is a 1932 marker to the "Jockey Hollow Hospital" just across the road from those replica huts—subsequent archeology done after Morristown National Historical Park was established found no evidence of graves there.
The Wick garden is still maintained by the Park Service, and, along with the Wick House, is considered one of New Jersey's primary tourist attractions.


==Pennsylvania Line mutiny of 1781==
⚫
== Soldier housing==
⚫
[[File:Hut at Jockey Hollow.JPG|thumb|Reconstructed hut at Jockey Hollow (July 2015)]]
⚫
Soldiers had to build their own huts including surrounding trenches for drainage. The huts, made of log, were {{convert|14|by|16|ft}} and {{convert|6.5|ft}} high. Twelve men often shared one of over one thousand simple huts built in Jockey Hollow to house the army.<ref name=NPS/> Inside the huts soldiers had a fireplace for warmth and cooking. To create a floor they packed the ground for an earthen floor. Soldiers also had to make their own furniture, including bunks and tables. Their bunks got covered with straw and each soldier was given one blanket. Soldiers huts were about 2 to 3&nbsp;ft (50–100&nbsp;cm) apart, with three rows of eight huts for each regiment. By 1780, soldiers had built about 1,200 huts in Jockey Hollow.<ref name=Adams/>


On December 21, 1780, Henry Wick died at Jockey Hollow. On the evening of January 1781, the Pennsylvania Line, then encamped in Jockey Hollow under the command of General [[Anthony Wayne]] mutinied. They supposedly intended to march to Philadelphia to complain to the state legislature. Many soldiers believed their enlistments in the army had expired with the new year, but the army claimed that their enlistment terms "two years or during the war" meant the end of the war was their true duration. The mutineers reached Princeton, New Jersey, where Pennsylvania's chief executive Joseph Reed and representatives of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania negotiated with them. The mutiny ended peacefully—some of the soldiers agreed to stay in the army. The event is believed to be the largest mutiny in the course of the American Revolutionary War.
Several monuments are dedicated and built over the mass graves of the soldiers who died at Jockey Hollow.

The most famous account of this mutiny is Carl Van Doren's book, Mutiny in January, published in 1943.


==Facilities==
==Facilities==
Line 76: Line 72:


==Activities==
==Activities==
*Biking
*Biking (road only)
*Bird Watching
*Bird Watching
*Hiking
*Hiking
Line 89: Line 85:
*[[Hilton Wick]]
*[[Hilton Wick]]
*[[Valley Forge]]
*[[Valley Forge]]
*[[Craig House (New Jersey)|Craig House]]
*[[Washington Rock State Park]]


==Notes==
==Notes==
Line 96: Line 94:
* [http://www.njskylands.com/hsmtnhp.htm Morristown National Historical Park: The Great Story]
* [http://www.njskylands.com/hsmtnhp.htm Morristown National Historical Park: The Great Story]
* [http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/hh/7/hh7c1.htm The Hard Winter of 1779–80]
* [http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/hh/7/hh7c1.htm The Hard Winter of 1779–80]

{{New Jersey Historic Sites}}
{{New Jersey in the American Revolutionary War}}


[[Category:American Revolutionary War sites]]
[[Category:American Revolutionary War sites]]
[[Category:Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Harding Township, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Harding Township, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Mendham Township, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Historic house museums in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Historic house museums in New Jersey]]
[[Category:American Revolutionary War museums in New Jersey]]
[[Category:American Revolutionary War museums in New Jersey]]

Latest revision as of 17:34, 9 June 2024

Jockey Hollow
Wick House at Jockey Hollow in 2016
Jockey Hollow is located in Morris County, New Jersey
Jockey Hollow
Jockey Hollow is located in New Jersey
Jockey Hollow
Jockey Hollow is located in the United States
Jockey Hollow
Coordinates40°45′41″N 74°32′33″W / 40.76139°N 74.54250°W / 40.76139; -74.54250
Area1,307.49 acres (5.2912 km2)
Part ofMorristown National Historical Park (ID66000053[1])
NJRHP No.3381[2]
Significant dates
Designated CPOctober 15, 2000
Designated NJRHPMay 27, 1971

Jockey Hollow is the name of an area in southern Morris County, New Jersey, which was farmed in the 18th century by the Wick, Guerin, and Kemble families.

The origin of the name is still uncertain, but it was a farming property during the American Revolution. For most of the American Revolutionary War, it was used by portions of Continental Army as a winter camp site, and it housed the main Continental Army during the "Hard Winter" of 1779–80, believed to be the harshest winter in recorded history.

It is located in Harding Township and Mendham Township, in Morris County.

Since 1933, the Wick House has been part of Morristown National Historical Park in Morristown, New Jersey. Morristown National Historical Park is administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.[3]

American Revolutionary War

[edit]

During the Revolutionary War, Henry Wick possessed the largest portion of this area—his farm comprised 1400 acres of timber and open field. The Wick farm and his neighbors' property were considered the ideal location for a winter camp due to the distance from British forces in New York and the amount of timber needed for shelter and firewood for a large army, and the availability of houses for officers, mainly generals and their staff, to quarter.

During the winter of 1779–1780, approximately 600 acres of timber in Wick land and about 2000 acres total in Jockey Hollow were cut down by the soldiers to be used for the construction of huts and as firewood.[4]

The Wick House

[edit]

In the spring of 1777, the Wick family hosted Captain Joseph Bloomfield.

During the Winter of 1779–1780, the Wicks housed General Arthur St. Clair, who was then commander of the Pennsylvania Line, and several of his aides.

The house is now restored and is one of the historic structures maintained and open for viewing at the Morristown National Historical Park.

Wick Kitchen Garden

[edit]

A kitchen garden next to the Wick House is maintained by the Northern New Jersey unit of Herb Society of America.

The "Hard Winter" at Jockey Hollow

[edit]

During the Winter of 1779–1780, the Wicks housed General Arthur St. Clair, who was then commander of the Pennsylvania Line, and several of his aides.

In December 1779, over 10.000 Continental Army troops encamped for the winter at Jockey Hollow. Soldiers camped at this location until June 1780, during which time they endured some of the harshest conditions of the war.[5] Due to the bad conditions of the dirt roads in the winter and spring, dependence on horsepower, distance from the enemy in New York plus the natural walls of protection provided by the present-day Watchung Mountains, this was a secure area to camp the army.

The Winter at Jockey Hollow was the worst winter of the war, even worse than the Winter at Valley Forge two years before.[6] Twelve men often shared one of over one thousand simple huts built in Jockey Hollow to house the Army.[5] Amazingly, despite the difficult conditions and lack of food, fewer than 100 soldiers died and only one out of ten deserted.

Soldier housing

[edit]
Reconstructed hut at Jockey Hollow (July 2015)

Soldiers had to build their own huts including surrounding trenches for drainage. The huts, made of log, were 14 by 16 feet (4.3 by 4.9 m) and 6.5 feet (2.0 m) high. Twelve men often shared one of over one thousand simple huts built in Jockey Hollow to house the army.[5] Inside the huts soldiers had a fireplace for warmth and cooking. To create a floor they packed the ground for an earthen floor. Soldiers also had to make their own furniture, including bunks and tables. Their bunks got covered with straw and each soldier was to be given one blanket, although Washington claimed that a quarter of the men "did not have the shadow of a blanket." . Soldiers huts were about 2 to 3 ft (50–100 cm) apart, with three rows of eight huts for each regiment. By 1780, soldiers had built about 1,200 huts in Jockey Hollow.[7]

There are four replica huts on Sugar Loaf hill built in 1964.

There is a 1932 marker to the "Jockey Hollow Hospital" just across the road from those replica huts—subsequent archeology done after Morristown National Historical Park was established found no evidence of graves there.

Pennsylvania Line mutiny of 1781

[edit]

On December 21, 1780, Henry Wick died at Jockey Hollow. On the evening of January 1781, the Pennsylvania Line, then encamped in Jockey Hollow under the command of General Anthony Wayne mutinied. They supposedly intended to march to Philadelphia to complain to the state legislature. Many soldiers believed their enlistments in the army had expired with the new year, but the army claimed that their enlistment terms "two years or during the war" meant the end of the war was their true duration. The mutineers reached Princeton, New Jersey, where Pennsylvania's chief executive Joseph Reed and representatives of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania negotiated with them. The mutiny ended peacefully—some of the soldiers agreed to stay in the army. The event is believed to be the largest mutiny in the course of the American Revolutionary War.

The most famous account of this mutiny is Carl Van Doren's book, Mutiny in January, published in 1943.

Facilities

[edit]
  • Jockey Hollow Visitor Center
  • Wick House: Park employee in period dress.

Activities

[edit]
  • Biking (road only)
  • Bird Watching
  • Hiking
  • Interpretive Programs
  • Snow Skiing
  • Children's Junior Ranger Program

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Morris County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Historic Preservation Office. November 28, 2016. p. 6.
  3. ^ "Morristown National Historical Park". National Park Service.
  4. ^ "Wick House - the Revolutionary War in North Jersey".
  5. ^ a b c National Park Service, Morristown Pamphlet. Morristown National Historic Park, 2007
  6. ^ Tolson, Jay (July 7–14, 2008). How Washington's Savvy Won the Day. U.S. News & World Report.
  7. ^ Adams, Hugh W., Morristown National Historic Park. Christine Retz. New Jersey: Washington Association of New Jersey, 1982
[edit]
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