Vanderveer House Hosting Presentation on Pluckemin Cantonment

The Jacobus Vanderveer House and Museum in Bedminster is opening its doors for a presentation on the Pluckemin Cantonment, considered to be the first military training academy in America.

According to a release from the Friends of Jacobus Vanderveer House, General Henry Knox commanded the Pluckemin Cantonment while he stayed at the Jacobus Vanderveer House from 1778 to 1779 during the Revolutionary War.

The Cantonment itself, the release said, was said to be located in the area of town where the Hills of Bedminster is situated today.

Washington College professors John Seidel and Stewart Bruce are creating a virtual 3D model of the Cantonment, and they are planning to preview it during the upcoming presentation.

The presentation will be held Feb. 17 at 3:30 p.m. at the house off Route 202/206.

The Jacobus Vanderveer House will stay open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 17, as a historic re-enactor portrays Knox when the building is on the Heritage Trail Association’s “Five Generals Tour” as one of five Revolutionary War headquarters.

“The digital virtual Cantonment is an exciting use of 21st century technology to tell an important 18th century story,” said Leslie Mole, the latest past president of the Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House and chair of the Virtual Cantonment project. “This project will serve as the centerpiece for interpreting a significant lost treasure of the American Revolution.”

The presentation, which is free, is intended for people ages 14 and older.

Registration is requested by sending an email to leslie@foxchase.net.

The Jacobus Vanderveer House itself served as heaquarters for Knox during the war, and is the only known still standing building that was associated with the Pluckemin Artillery Cantonment.

The site is currently a National and New Jersey Historic Site.

For more information about the tours, visit heritagetrail.org.