Misplaced Pages

#526473

20-700: Washington Crossing Historic Park is a 500-acre (2 km) state park operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in partnership with the Friends of Washington Crossing Park. The park is divided into two sections. One section of the park, the "lower park," is headquartered in the village of Washington Crossing located in Upper Makefield Township in Bucks County , Pennsylvania . It marks

40-554: Is located north of Yardley, Pennsylvania and Trenton, New Jersey . The main commemorative sites are located north of the Washington Crossing Bridge spanning the river. A reenactment of the crossing is performed every December. Washington Crossing Historic Park encapsulates the crossing site on the Pennsylvania side. Covering about 500 acres (200 ha), it includes the actual embarkation site for

60-524: Is open for guided tours Monday through Sundays from 10am – 4pm, April 1 – December 31. The recreational areas of the park, including the picnic pavilions, are open to the public from dawn to dusk all year. The park holds a reenactment of General Washington's nighttime crossing every year, plus other public programs on related themes throughout the year. The park was included in the Washington's Crossing National Historic Landmark designation in 1961, and

80-790: The Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve and the surrounding area is the natural habitat for many native plants, trees, animals and birds. Today the park serves to preserve and interpret the site of the Washington's Crossing of the Delaware. The park is administered by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). Cuts in funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania forced the PHMC to reduce park staffing, which resulted in closing

100-683: The Continental Army , Congress and the general population. On the morning of December 26, at the Battle of Trenton , they were able to force the Hessian soldiers to surrender, without any American casualties. The ferry was first established by Henry Baker in 1684. His grandson, Samuel Baker Jr., sold it to Samuel McConkey (also spelled McKonkey) on December 5, 1774. McConkey sold it to Benjamin Taylor on March 21, 1777. The corresponding ferry on

120-576: The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is completely independent of the Pennsylvania Game Commission . Both agencies are independent of DCNR, but work in cooperation with each other. DCNR ranger responsibilities have three primary elements: The DCNR is host to many different environmental education programs throughout the summer months. These range from topics such as " Leave No Trace " hiking/camping policy to

140-569: The "Turning point of the American Revolution." The commission's first objective was to develop the site as a historical shrine and its second objective was to preserve its natural beauty and develop its areas for recreational use. Bowman's Hill Tower was built to commemorate what may have been a lookout point for General George Washington's troops to watch the banks of the Delaware River for enemy activity. The park also contains

160-474: The "upper park." In its 100-acre area it contains (0.4 km) Bowman's Hill Tower and the Thompson-Neely House , which was used as a military hospital during Washington's encampment in the area, and the graves of an estimated 40 to 60 soldiers who died there. The exact location of the graves is unknown, though they were partially unearthed during the construction of the nearby Delaware Canal in

180-540: The Delaware River at the time of the Revolution and these boats, along with the ferries and others, were used to transport soldiers, horses, and equipment across the river on the night of December 25–26, 1776. The replica boats are used each year when the nighttime crossing is reenacted in the park. Located 4.5 miles away in Solebury Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is the park's northern section,

200-641: The McConkey's Ferry Inn. The park also has obtained a full size digital copy of Emanuel Leutze 's 1851 painting, Washington Crossing the Delaware , from the Metropolitan Museum of Art , that is hanging in the auditorium. The park was created in 1917 and the Washington Crossing Park Commission was established in 1919 to administer and develop the park. The park was formed to commemorate the famous Crossing as

220-762: The New Jersey side of the Delaware River was known as Johnson's Ferry . Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources The department was formed on July 1, 1995 when then-governor Tom Ridge split the Department of Environmental Resources (DER) into the DCNR and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The DCNR comprises the following subunits: Pennsylvania DCNR rangers act much like National Park Rangers do. They routinely check on cabins and campsites, offer insightful answers to visitors questions, and help to maintain calmness throughout

SECTION 10

#1732802630527

240-489: The New Jersey side of the crossing site. It is at over 3,500 acres (1,400 ha), much larger than the Pennsylvania park. It includes a broader array of recreational amenities, including a visitors center, nature center, astronomical observatory, campground, and open-air theater. Elements specifically relating to the crossing including the Johnson Ferry House and a stretch of the original roadway traversed by

260-705: The different wildlife and plant species of many of the state parks. Washington%27s Crossing Washington's Crossing is the location of George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River on the night of December 25–26, 1776 in the American Revolutionary War . This maneuver led to victory in the Battle of Trenton . The site, a National Historic Landmark , is composed of U.S. state parks in Washington Crossing, New Jersey , and Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania , north of Trenton, New Jersey . The Washington's Crossing site

280-443: The early 19th century and during other nearby construction projects. Presently there are 23 memorial headstones as a reminder that the area is a gravesite. The lower park contains a visitor center, which was renovated from July 2011 to March 2013. The newly renovated visitor center was opened March 10, 2013. It features a small exhibition with some Revolutionary war artifacts, and an original letter written by George Washington while in

300-453: The location of George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River during the American Revolutionary War . The lower park includes 13 historic buildings including McConkey's Ferry Inn, where General George Washington and his aides ate dinner and made plans prior to the crossing. Among the historic buildings is a 20th-century barn that houses 5 replica Durham Boats . Durham boats were large, open boats that were used to transport pig iron along

320-432: The main crossing, and a 19th-century inn set on the foundation of an 18th-century inn that was present at the time of the crossing. A memorial marker indicates the site of the crossing. The park also includes a detached unit 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the crossing site, where Bowman's Hill Tower , the Thompson-Neely House , and a grist mill that served the army are located. Washington Crossing State Park includes

340-460: The park to the public in late November, 2009. In 2013, the Pennsylvania state budget and fiscal code mandated that the park transfer from PHMC to DCNR. The switch was finalized in early 2016. The Friends of Washington Crossing Park, a 501(c)(3) private, non-profit corporation, was incorporated in January 2010 to support the PHMC in operating Washington Crossing Historic Park, and the park re-opened to

360-687: The parks. They have full arrest powers while in park lands and carry side arms . However, they do not have primary jurisdiction over Pennsylvania State Game Lands , which are patrolled by Wildlife Conservation Officers employed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission , but do have the authority to enforce all Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Game Commission laws and regulations while on Pennsylvania State Game Lands. French Creek State Park and State Game Lands #43 are examples, as DCNR rangers regularly enforce PGC regulations giving tickets to offenders at PGC's public shooting range. DCNR rangers enforce game laws as well as fishing and boating laws in state parks. However,

380-474: The public in the spring of that same year. The Friends of Washington Crossing Park re-opened the park's gift shop in December 2010. Current full-time, on-site staffing consists of 2 museum professionals and 2 maintenance personnel provided by the PHMC, who work in conjunction with the part-time staff of historical interpreters provided by the Friends of Washington Crossing Park. Washington Crossing Historic Park

400-669: Was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. On the night of December 25–26, 1776, General George Washington and a small army of 2,400 men crossed the Delaware River at McConkey's Ferry , on their way to attack a Hessian garrison of 1,500 in Trenton, New Jersey . The crossing, made during a time when morale was at its lowest point during the American Revolution , renewed hope among

#526473