Presidents' Day Means More At Manalapan-Area Historic Sites

MANALAPAN, NJ — If you want to mark Presidents' Day by learning more about George Washington, head out to Manalapan and Englishtown this Sunday.

The national celebration of Washington's birthday began while he was alive and continued after his death, notes the George Washington's Mount Vernon website.

While his birthday is still recognized to this day, "the parameters around it changed in the late 20th century, when it unofficially became known as 'Presidents’ Day,'" the website says.

Events to mark the births of Washington - or Abraham Lincoln - are surprisingly few in the area, observed John Fabiano, executive director of the Monmouth County Historical Commission.

And that's even with one of Washington's most famous engagements - the Battle of Monmouth - having taken place on a field in what today is Manalapan.

But the Friends of Monmouth Battlefield will be marking the first president's role with a lecture about the battle this Sunday.

And in Englishtown, the Village Inn will also host tours to learn more about the 18th-century inn where Washington is reputed to have rested before the battle.

Friends of Monmouth Battlefield

The Friends of Monmouth Battlefield Inc. was formed in 1990, devoted to "preserving, protecting and historically interpreting Monmouth Battlefield and historically related sites," its website says. The site was becoming overrun with vegetation and historic sites were on the verge of collapse.

History lovers concerned about deteriorating conditions at the state park, which opened in 1978, formed the organization. And beginning in 1990, as a way of bringing attention to the threatened national historic landmark, the Friends initiated the annual Battle of Monmouth re-enactment.

The re-enactment is observed on the third or fourth weekend of June each year. It has become the largest annual living history event in the state, the Friends website notes.

There is a visitor's center at the site, and this Sunday you can visit there for a lecture on Washington and the battle.

"George Washington Minute-by-Minute at Monmouth" will discuss Washington's movements and decisions at the engagement. It will take place from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the visitor center.

It is sponsored by Friends of Monmouth Battlefield and given by the organization's president, Dr. David Martin.

And the see-saw fortunes in the battle should make for an exciting talk.

According to battlefields.org, "On a hot and humid June 28, 1778, General George Washington and his subordinate, General Charles Lee, attacked rearguard elements of General Sir Henry Clinton’s British Army."

In short, Lee, despite having the greater forces, didn't press the advantage and the Americans were retreating. That's when Washington came upon the scene and rallied the troops and continued the battle all day. The next day, rather than engage the Revolutionary forces, the British withdrew to New York City.

Village Inn

Earlier on Sunday, there will be docent-led tours of the historic Village Inn in Englishtown, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Village Inn has its own, perhaps only legendary, connection to the Battle of Monmouth.

According to the Library of Congress, "the Village Inn has been prominent in local tradition as the place where George Washington stayed during the Battle of Monmouth and where he wrote the orders for the court-martial of General Charles Lee."

The site notes that research disclosed no documentary evidence to support this legend - but also none to contradict it.

But "the inn is significant in itself as an additive structure reflecting various building traditions and styles from the 18th through the early 20th centuries," the site notes.

Tours of this historic building begin on Feb. 19 at 1 p.m. through 4 p.m. The Village Inn is at 2 Water St. in Englishtown.

"Step back into the 18th century, and the time of the Battle of Monmouth," the Village Inn suggests.

Docents in period attire bring Revolutionary War times to life with stories, demonstrations and local excavated artifacts, said Dr. Marie J. Miczak, a member of the Battleground Historical Society that oversees the inn.

A requested donation is $3 for adults. Children under 12 are free. There is also an on-site gift shop. All donations go towards the maintenance and restoration of the property.