Fort Lee Historic Park

            

           The public history exhibit I decided to choose is right near my backyard located in Fort Lee, New Jersey. I chose the Fort Lee Historic Park under the umbrella of the Palisades Interstate National Park Commission located mostly in North Jersey and a small section of New York. Brief information about Palisades Interstate Park, it was founded in 1900 under Theodore Roosevelt as a preservation site. The natural cliffs off the Palisades that stretch over 20 miles creates for beautiful views and thick forest filled areas for visitors to explore.  

The Palisades Interstate Park inherited Fort Lee Historic Park which was constructed in 1776 not long after America declared independence. The fort was named after General Charles Lee, its purpose was to block the British Navy on the west side of the Hudson River to block the British navy advancing North. Eventually on November 20th 1776 after a multiple day battle, British troops commandeered American defense at Fort Lee. Once Fort Lee Historic Park became a part of Palisades Interstate Park, the land and old military weapons were preserved as this park became public. 

As someone who lives only 2 miles from the Fort it is not a long trip, however even for myself and visitors from outside Bergen County, this park only has one entrance for vehicles and it borders the George Washington Bridge. So if you plan to visit this park ( Which I would recommend) try to arrive before rush hour since traffic in this area is very compact, however once you're in it’s like visiting a place out in west Jersey. On top of the hill there's open grassland with trees scattered around. The Visitor center itself is a brown building made with wood lying behind it old buildings and cannons from that time. The center requires no pay and is public so I just walked in and looked around and as soon in this post I took my own personal pictures. 

  

I walked in and saw an American soldier standing with his army gear accompanied by an old cannon on a wheel. The attire he is wearing is definitely modernized to appear as it would have looked back then, the cannon as well appears to be a modern replacement with its wheels being stainless and the cleaning rod seemed untouched. Also by this soldier in the same area there is a woman who is wearing female clothing for that time standing next to a glass shelf filled with Revolutionary era hats, shoes, feathers, gloves and other miscellaneous items. Also the two pictures behind this shelf depict battles that occurred during the war. 

My initial reaction saw this as a standard history exhibit since I feel that I get numb to articles of clothing and mannequins of people from older generations. Though as I walked into the center of the building which definitely impressed and for me is the selling point for this center. On the main floor as seen in the photos lies old replica cannons which are kept in good condition with note cards on them explaining their military usage and facts about cannon use during the Revolution. From the center of the floor you can see the railing of the second floor above you and see how this center took advantage of its limited space, giving the illusion like you are in a museum. At the corner of the floor is an audio and visual depiction of the Revolutionary War. A glass dome that sits in the corner allowing for visitors to press a button triggering audio, a person narrating famous battles and events during the war. Guiding this audio there are lit up candles that represent American versus British soldiers, candles move across the geography display when the narrator explains certain events.

 

Stuff that visitors can interact with always makes a public history more interesting, sometimes the look but no touch rule can get boring and after multiple visits leaves me less interested if I see the same thing. While this rule is important, things such as this I love and got me more interested in the Revolutionary war, which I hated studying in High School. For me I guess documentaries and old photos never did it for me, though for me this small center with its creativity started changing my mind. 

A source of creativity which I found cool to look at was the small statues and the in wall glass displays. Some of the photos I took are custom made figurines that are doll size, that represent british/american soldiers. The designs hooked me, I felt they were creative and definitely grabbed my attention. The display also provides words giving context for these soldiers, for the readers of history that may happen to visit. 

The glass displays with mini figures in war-like environments really brought back good memories. As a kid my grandfather used to take me out for drives and would take me antique shopping, one of his favorite hobbies. He was always into History and would buy small figures of soldiers and people throughout history. He was one of the main reasons why I got into history and some of my early memories came from him giving me history lectures in his living room. It really fascinates me how history really connects to people. Looking at these small but simple designs took my attention for a while scanning every detail and seeing each little person to see if any are unique. I became impressed with the set of built houses and tents these soldiers were inside of. My personal favorite would have to be the small set with British soldiers on boats approaching New Jersey land as they invade the west Hudson. Each person is detailed, water looks presentable, the actual land looks like a set from a movie. I know it seems silly for me to be obsessed over small things, though for me displaying history in these creative ways is what I love about public history, and even more gets me interested in the American Revolution.

  

 The visitor center is the first half of the Historic Park. The rest of the park is a trail that loops across a field which contains old buildings from that era. One of the buildings is an old wooden building that is probably used for shelter during rainy days or extra storage of ammunition outside the main fort. Always I found these cannons that were outside facing the Hudson pretty cool. While they are original, these elements of the outside exhibit makes this park more unique and gives people a more realistic feel to what the Revolutionary looked like instead of pictures and statues of old figures.

I don’t want to repeat too much but I really did enjoy this visit. I walk on trails in the Palisades Interstate park all the time and love the natural environment it presents. It is a great escape for me to visit the park and appreciate nature while also getting a front seat view of New York. This fort is just another great extension to this park that I appreciate very much and must say has given me some interest into the Revolutionary War with its creative use of its limited Space.

 

Sources I used for this project : 

https://www.njpalisades.org/fortlee.html 

https://www.njpalisades.org/pdfs/map.pdf