Meet John and Abigail Adams - October 12, 2014

Meet John and Abigail Adams at Bedminster’s Jacobus Vanderveer House and Museum
Sunday, October 12, 2014

The Jacobus Vanderveer House, once the headquarters of General Henry Knox during the American Revolution, will be open for tours on Saturday, October 11, 2014 from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm and Sunday, October 12, 2014 from 12:00 noon - 4:00 pm during Somerset County’s 9th Annual Weekend Journey Through the Past. Sunday will include include guest appearances by John and Abigail Adams from 2:00 - 3:00 pm.

 Abigail and John Adams, portrayed by Kim Hanley and Peyton Dixon of the American Historical Theatre, Philadelphia.  Photo courtesy of The American Historical Theatre.

On Sunday, visitors to the Jacobus Vanderveer House will be transported back to year 1790 as re-enactors portraying John and Abigail Adams recount major events in their lives during the birth of our nation. John and Abigail Adams were active in American politics for most of their married lives. Their four children grew up during the Revolution and were beginning careers and families of their own. The Adams wanted their nation to remain independent and their children to hold responsible places in its future. Their spirited dialogue will offer unique insight into the couple’s keen minds and loving bond. John Adams will be played by Peyton Dixon and Abigail Adams by Kim Hanley, actors affiliated with the American Historical Theatre in Philadelphia.

Admission to the presentation is free, but space is limited.  To reserve a seat in advance, visit: http://jvanderveerhouse.givezooks.com/events/a-visit-with-john-and-abigail-adams or call 908-396-6053.

Tours of the Jacobus Vanderveer House throughout the weekend are free. For more information, visit www.jvanderveerhouse.org. The Jacobus Vanderveer House is located at 3055 River Road (in Bedminster’s River Road Park), Bedminster, NJ 07921.

Somerset County’s 9th Annual Weekend Journey through the Past, is an opportunity to step back in time and visit 26 historic sites countywide, which are open free to the public on Saturday, October 11, from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm and Sunday, October 12, from 12:00 noon - 4:00 pm. The annual autumn weekend features interpreted tours led by costumed docents; special collections and exhibitions; period military drills and encampments by living-history re-enactors; open-hearth cooking; colonial tavern life and games; and much more. For more information about Weekend Journey Through the Past visit: www.co.somerset.nj.us/schistoryweekend.


About The Jacobus Vanderveer House                                  

For more than two centuries, the Jacobus Vanderveer House, located in River Road Park, has been at the center of Bedminster Township’s rich and colorful history. It is situated on part of the 218 acres that make up River Road Park in Bedminster Township, Somerset County. 

Jacobus Vanderveer, Jr., son of Vanderveer, Sr., a wealthy Dutch miller, built a small Dutch frame-style farmhouse just west of the North Branch of the Raritan River on the northern outskirts of Pluckemin. In 1778, during the War of Independence, Vanderveer lent his home to General Henry Knox, who was to command a new artillery encampment and training academy being established by the Continental Army on a hillside above the village of Pluckemin. General Knox, along with his wife Lucy and family, occupied the house from the winter of 1778 through the summer of 1779.

The Vanderveer house is the only surviving building associated with the Pluckemin encampment, which is considered to be the first installation in America to train officers in engineering and artillery. General Knox established “The Academy” and subsequently created its successor, The United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.  

The Jacobus Vanderveer House and property were purchased by Bedminster Township in 1989 with the help of Green Acres funding. The house was listed in 1995 on the National and New Jersey Registers of Historic Places. The Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House is a nonprofit organization formed to restore and develop the historic site as an important educational and cultural resource. During the past decade, the Friends have restored the house, created historically accurate period room exhibitions, established historic collections, supported important research, and embarked on a program of education and interpretation to tell the stories of General Henry Knox, the Pluckemin military encampment and the community’s key role in the American Revolution.

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