The Ford Mansion in 1901/Library of Congress
Preservation work at Morristown National Historical Park in New Jersey, which tells of the brutal winter of 1779-80 when General George Washington and his ragtag Continental Army held their winter encampment there, begins Monday.
The work, which includes improving accessibility, will involve both Washington's headquarters in the Jacob Ford mansion and the grounds of Jockey Hollow, where the troops built hundreds of log cabins and endured one of the hardest winters. Five park structures will be impacted by the work: Ford Mansion, Washington’s Headquarters Museum, Guerin House, Jockey Hollow Visitor Center, and the Wick House, along with the cultural landscape at Washington’s Headquarters Area.
The projects will prepare the national historical park to receive increased visitation for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States in 2026 and reflect ongoing efforts by the National Park Service to maintain, improve accessibility, and preserve park infrastructure and facilities.
Work on the projects is scheduled to begin Monday with the removal of historic windows from the Ford Mansion and Wick House for their off-site repair. Plywood inserts will be installed in the window openings of the structures.
Exterior preservation and painting of the Ford Mansion, Headquarters Museum, and Guerin House is expected to start in early spring. The installation of accessible pathways at Washington’s Headquarters Area and a universal accessible ramp into the Ford Mansion will also get underway in the spring.
Meanwhile, the Jockey Hollow Visitor Center will have new ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible restroom doors installed along with automatic openers for those and the main doors into the visitor center.
“We are thrilled to undertake this extensive preservation work at the park ahead of America 250 to prepare our site for the anticipated increased visitation the anniversary will bring,” said Superintendent Tom Ross. “I’m mindful that these major projects will bring some short-term disruptions to our visitors, but the end result will not only improve the condition and aesthetics of our historic structures, but also make our facilities more accessible for all.”
Visitor access to the historic Ford Mansion and the Wick House in Jockey Hollow will be restricted while the windows are removed from those structures. The windows are anticipated to be reinstalled in May, and once they are the mansion will reopen to the public.
