Community Picnic & Field of Honor® in Bedminster's River Road Park - July 2, 2017

Community Picnic & Field of Honor® in Bedminster's River Road Park
Sunday, July 2, 2017

On Sunday, July 2, the Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House & Museum will welcome Congressman Leonard Lance, local officials, veterans, West Point alumni, and the public to a community picnic, featuring a Field of Honor® display of 200 3’ x 5’ American flags, at River Road Park from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. Live musical entertainment will be provided by the popular New Jersey band Hoi Polloi.  Admission is free, and food and beverages will be available for purchase.

Connor Sweeney, of Gladstone, and Emily Ray, of Bedminster stroll through last year's Field of Honor® in River Road Park, Bedminster. Photo courtesy Debbie Weisman.

During the Independence Day celebration, the public is invited to stroll through the Field of Honor®, which pays tribute to men and women who have served our country. The event, sponsored by Investors Bank, Far Hills Pharmacy, Ferriero Engineering, and Lighting Elysium, will benefit VetRest, a non-profit organization helping veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS).

Field of Honor® flags will be displayed in the North Field of River Road Park in Bedminster through Tuesday, July 4th. Each flag may include a personal dedication and can be picked up from River Road Park on Wednesday, July 5 after 4:00 pm.

About Field of Honor®
The Field of Honor® program is part of a national movement that began as a way to commemorate the lives lost on September 11, 2001. In just a short amount of time, the concept has grown and communities like ours across America are turning to Field of Honor® tributes to raise money and awareness for a growing array of causes. The Field of Honor® is a community project of remembrance, and an expression of humanity and patriotism.

About VetREST
VetRest is a non-profit organization that began in 2013 as an initiative to help veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS). Medical studies show that there is often a direct link between veterans suffering from PTS and suicides. With the help of several West Point graduates and friends concerned about veterans, Major General Dan York launched VetREST to facilitate Restoration, Encouragement, Solace and Training for our nation’s veterans. VetREST is committed to helping veterans identify the cause of their PTS in an environment to promote healing so they can live a healthy lifestyle. For more information about VetREST visit www.vetrest.org.

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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