Saturday, October 9, 2010

George Washington/Jockey Hollow

We are doing a unit study on our state, 
New Jersey.
We have been studying the history of New Jersey with regard to the
Revolutionary War.

We read a biography about George Washington.
We learned he liked hoecakes for breakfast.
So, yesterday morning, we made some hoecakes.  P blogged all about it!
They were Awesome (yes, Mama, Poppy and Uncle Tom, we will be sure to make them for you!)

Then, we headed out to Washington's Headquarters in Morristown.
It was a museum, so we couldn't take pictures inside.
But we did see a knee buckle worn by George Washington at his inauguration, and the sword that he carried at his inauguration.  We also saw Martha's shoes (she had tiny feet!).
I tried to really impress upon the girls that THIS was the FIRST President of our great country.
No one had ever done this before.
George Washington SET THE BAR.
A blogged about her experience and I think I was successful in conveying what being THE FIRST PRESIDENT MEANT.

After Washington's Headquarters, we headed to Jockey Hollow where we learned about General George Washington and his troops.  He refused to accept pay for being General of the US Army.  

The US Army camped out at Jockey Hollow two seperate winters.
The winter of 1777 and the winter of 1779-1780.
The winter of 1779-1780 there were a lot of storms and supplies were scarce.
The soldiers built these little huts.  Twelve men lived in one of these huts.
There were over a thousand of these built on approximately 1/3 of the Wick Family farm.
Jockey Hollow is a National Park, so the girls were able to fill out booklets about the place and earn their  first Junior Park Ranger badges.



Below is the room where Colonel St. Clair slept in the Wick house while the troops camped out in huts.
This building is not a replica of the original building, but the ACTUAL building from 1779.

Hiking around Jockey Hollow you really get a feel for what it would have been like to be a Confederate soldier hiking through the woods to your camp.

I had not seen this smile in so long.  Seeing this smile again lets me know we ARE doing the right thing for our girls.
notice the huts in the background




You have to know P...


Taking the Junior Park Ranger Pledge

P is very excited about her badge!