A Celebration 123 Years in the Making

The following article was submitted by the Washington Camp Ground Association about their 123rd Independence Day Celebration.

On the Fourth of July, several dozen patriots, history buffs, veterans, children, and others joined the Washington Camp Ground Association for its 123rd annual Independence Day celebration at the Middlebrook Camp Ground, located on Middlebrook Road in Bridgewater, just north of Bound Brook and just east of Vosseller Avenue.

The crowd began to assemble before 10 a.m. and the program commenced at 10:30 with the retirement of the old colors by the American Legion (Posts 63 and 12), and VFW (Post 6588), and the presentation of the new, by Boy Scouts (Troups 41 & 46) and Girl Scouts (Troup 811). 

Following the flag ceremony, the honor of this year's reading of the Declaration of Independence, was given to local author, teacher, and D&R canal historian Linda Barth. Dignitaries included John Haelig Jr., president of the Washington Camp Ground Association, Jamie Schleck, trustee of of the Washington Camp Ground Association, and Bridgewater Mayor Daniel Hayes. State Senator Michael Doherty also spoke and presented American Citizenship Awards to several area youth, including Lauren Mejivar (South Bound Brook), Axel Quesada (Bound Brook), Taryn Ross (Bridgewater), Julia Brickfield (Bridgewater), and Andrew Meisenbacher (Bridgewater) in honor of his Eagle Scout project in the East Grove of the Camp Ground. Renowned historian H. Kels Swan then followed with a reading (and just a bit of welcomed interpretation) of General Washington's detailed orders to attack the British on June 14, 1777. Raritan Borough Mayor Jo-Ann Liptak deliveredboth invocation and benediction to gathering. 

Not just another pretty area park, what makes the Washington Camp Ground truly unique is the 13 Stars and Stripes flag, adopted at the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, and first flown on this site–and continues to do so, 24 hours a day, by special order of Congress. In addition, the Middlebrook Encampment site entered the National Register of Historic Places on July 3, 1975.

Additional information, including membership information, can be found at http://donsnotes.com/nyc-nj/mdlbrk.html.