This Sunday: Re-enactment of a 1776 Basking Ridge Event That Changed History

The arrest of Revolutionary War Gen. Charles Lee — an historic event that put Basking Ridge on the map  _ will be recreated at 2 p.m. on Sunday in downtown Basking Ridge in a one-time-only production complete with a cast of 22, a rebuilt tavern, and riders on horses from nearby Lord Stirling Stable.

The free re-enactment of the British capture of Lee as he tarried at Widow White's Tavern will be held outdoors, no matter what the weather, at Astor Field behind the municipal building at 1 Collyer Lane.

It will be presented 234 years almost to the day after the actual event took place on Dec. 13, 1776 at the former location of Widow White's Tavern at the corner of Colonial Drive and South Finley Avenue.

The production will be co-hosted by the township's Trilogy Theater Repertory and Lord Stirling Stable, which is part of the Somerset County Park Commission, said Jaye Barre, one of the founders of the theater group. "There will be eight people on horseback," she said.

The re-enactment of the event will be the "jewel in the crown"  and final major celebration of Bernards Township's 250th anniversary year, Barre said.

The project took two years of research and planning, said Barre , who said she wrote the script after consulting with local historians June Kennedy and Brooks Betz, both from Basking Ridge. The production is not officially a part of the 250th anniversary committee's agenda, Barre said.

The website for the Historical Society of the Somerset Hills said, "What could be arguably the  most famous event EVER in Bernards Township history, the capture by the British of American General Charles Lee changed the face of the revolution forever."

Historians also were left wondering why Lee was spending the night at Widow White's Tavern when his army was encamped north in Vealtown (now known as Bernardsville).  "Some people said he went to see the ladies. Others said he went to see Lord Stirling's house (off Lord Stirling Road) to reproduce it at his home in Virginia," Barre said.

"Others said he just wanted to get away from his troops," she said. Barre said the re-enactment is not a romance. 

Barre said the arrogant Lee was busy writing letters against Gen. Washington before his arrest at Widow White's.

With Lee out of his way, Washington was able to garner support for his successful surprise crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas, 1776, Barre said.

The audience will be able to sit on bleachers at the field, she said.