The year 2026 marks the 250^th anniversary of the American Revolution. New Jersey was the Crossroads of the Revolution, and sites in Passaic County played a major role in the fight for independence. George Washington stayed here twice, using Dey Mansion as his headquarters, and his troops made camp across the area. Ironworks at Long Pond and Ringwood provided vital supplies to the Patriot cause. Paterson Great Falls was the location of an idyllic picnic between some of the most significant people in the Revolution.

Follow our itinerary to the highlights of Passaic County’s revolutionary heritage, and get ready for the #Marchto250th as we get ready to celebrate the anniversary of America.

Did you know? General George Washington and the Continental Army spent more days in New Jersey during the American Revolution than any other state.

Dey Mansion Washington’s Headquarters

Wayne

Dey Mansion, built ca. 1770, was home to Theunis and Hester Dey, and served as General George Washington’s Headquarters during July, October, and November of 1780. The Deys were a prominent local family of Dutch heritage, with roots in colonial America back to 1641. Theunis served in the war as a colonel in the Bergen County Militia, while Hester involved herself in the Ladies of Trenton, a group of well-to-do women who raised funds for the Continental Army.

Washington used Dey Mansion as his headquarters twice in 1780. He liked using Passaic County’s outlooks over New York City to keep track of British movements there and appreciated how easy it was to forage for food in the area. With Dey’s stature in the local militia, he was in regular contact with Washington. Washington stayed here twice in 1780: from July 1st to 29th, and from October 9th to November 27th.

As Washington’s Headquarters, the site witnessed some of the most promising and treacherous moments of the war. In July, hopes for a quick victory burned bright with the arrival of the French army at Newport, Rhode Island. Washington left at the end of the month to meet them, hopeful for what was to come. However, upon Washington’s return to Wayne in October, Benedict Arnold’s treasonous plot to surrender West Point to the British had been revealed, and he handled the aftershocks at Dey Mansion. The home also hosted the famous Marquis de Lafayette, Alexander Hamilton, Henry Knox, and many others.

Today, the Dey Mansion promotes the exploration of life in Colonial America, the events and people of the American Revolution, and the need and importance of historic preservation.

Goffle Brook Park

Hawthorne

General Marquis de Lafayette and his troops were stationed in the lower end of Goffle Brook Park, near the brook (then known as Wagaraw Brook), in October and November of 1780. During Washington’s second stay at Dey Mansion, Lafayette and his Light Infantry Corps encamped on the property of John George Ryerson, a supporter of the American cause. The Light Infantry Corps would patrol the area and monitor British activity. Their position flanked the far northern end of Washington’s line and comprised much of the army’s elite troops.

John George Ryerson’s house, built around 1740, burned in 1950. A small plaque in Goffle Brook Park remembers the house and Lafayette’s stay.

Goffle Brook Park is situated in the heart of Hawthorne. The 103-acre Olmsted-designed public space features manicured meadows, sprawling greenways, paved walkways, athletic fields, playgrounds, a picturesque duck pond, and a dog run. Goffle Brook Park is especially popular in the winter, offering the ideal landscape for snow-day sledding. Visitors can stop by the Passaic County Arts Center at the John W. Rea House, located in a restored 1810 home and located within the park.

Long Pond Ironworks

Hewitt (West Milford)

Long Pond Ironworks was founded in 1766 by German ironmaster Peter Hasenclever as an ironworks “plantation” complete with an iron blast furnace, forge, houses, and farms. He brought more than 500 European workers and their families to staff ironmaking plantations in several locations in New Jersey.

Long Pond’s second ironmaster, the Scottish scientist and inventor Robert Erskine, served as surveyor-general to General George Washington during the American Revolution, acting as the chief mapmaker of the Continental Army. Erskine’s mapping agency produced over 200 accurate and detailed maps for the Continental Army, which are credited with giving Washington superior knowledge of the terrain and enabling him to outmaneuver the British on numerous occasions. He also operated the ironworks at Long Pond and Ringwood, which supplied armaments and goods for the Patriot cause.

Long Pond Ironworks later produced iron for the American forces during the War of 1812 and for the Union Army during the Civil War.

Long Pond Ironworks closed in 1882 when its older methods of metalmaking couldn’t keep up with Midwestern iron ore and new steelmaking techniques. In 1987, it opened to the public as Long Pond Ironworks State Park. The park offers hiking, mountain biking, boating, hunting, fishing, and nature and wildlife watching. You can take a self-guided tour of the Ironworks historic district and check out the museum and visitor’s center.

Paterson Great Falls

Paterson

The majestic Paterson Great Falls plunge 77 feet into a 300-foot-wide chasm and have long been a source of inspiration and power.

Paterson, the nation’s first planned industrial city, was founded in 1791 by Alexander Hamilton, who implemented an innovative hydropower system that used the Passaic River to power nearby mills. This ambitious plan’s success supported the United States’ economic independence — something Hamilton thought was vital to the long-term success of the new nation.

General George Washington picnicked by the waterfall with the Marquis de Lafayette, Alexander Hamilton, and James McHenry during the Revolutionary War on July 10, 1778. Fresh off of their victory at the Battle of Monmouth, they were heading north to survey British movements in New York City. McHenry wrote about the picnic in his diary:

“After viewing these falls we seated ourselves round the General under a large spreading oak within view of the spray and in hearing of the noise. A fine cool spring bubbled out most charmingly from the bottom of the tree. The travelling canteens were immediately emptied and a modest repast spread before us, of cold ham, tongue and some biscuit. With the assistance of a little spirit we composed some excellent grog. Then we chatted away a very cheerful half hour — and then took our leave of the friendly oak — it’s refreshing spring.”

Today, the natural oasis is surrounded by a unique urban park setting, and is managed by the National Park Service as part of Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park.

Robert Erskine’s Grave at Ringwood Manor

Ringwood

Nestled on the border of New Jersey and New York, the boundaries of Ringwood State Park hold a significant place in the history of the American Revolution. By 1776, the property was an Ironworks managed by Robert Erskine, who also managed Long Pond Ironworks. The Ringwood Ironworks were on a popular thorofare connecting Morristown, New Jersey to the military academy at West Point in New York.

Robert Erskine passed away on October 2, 1780, at 45 years old. The historic cemetery here is where both Erskine and his aide, Robert Monteath, are laid to rest. Both men died before the end of the Revolutionary War, but were integral to the success of George Washington and the Continental Army. The cemetery at Ringwood Manor is also the final resting spot of more than 150 pioneers, early iron workers, and Revolutionary War soldiers who died marching along the old military road that passed through the site.

Today, you can hike the blue Manor Trail at Ringwood State Park to traverse a small part of that vital thorofare and visit the cemetery.

Rifle Camp Park

Woodland Park

From October 9 to October 17, 1780, Major James Parr’s rifle corps based themselves in the area now known, appropriately, as Rifle Camp Park. Located in Woodland Park and Clifton, the area also served as a location for General George Washington’s troops to observe British movements during the American Revolution.

Washington relied heavily on the protection of the Watchung Mountains, which run from Mahwah in Bergen County to Bound Brook in Somerset County. They offered him ideal vantage points over New York City, which remained under British control for most of the Revolution, while providing an elevated, heavily-wooded, easily defended area for the Continental Army to camp and train. During his time staying at Dey Mansion, he utilized sections of the ridgeline in Passaic County as a lookout.

The park boasts panoramic views over a modern New York City, and sits near the vicinity of Garret Mountain Reservation.