Time: 11:30 am - 4:00 pm
Lord Stirling Park in Basking Ridge, NJ
Colonial history lives at the Somerset County Park Commission’s annual 1770s Festival when Lord Stirling’s grand manor house and estate come to life in Lord Stirling Park in Basking Ridge, NJ.
The event promotes historical and environmental education by familiarizing people with the rich local history of Basking Ridge, highlighting an unsung Revolutionary War hero, William Alexander (Lord Stirling), who lived on the site and served under General George Washington.
Each year on the first Sunday in October, Lord Stirling’s estate comes back to life on a typical autumn afternoon in 1770, with demonstrations of the colonial heritage of New Jersey. Colonial craftspeople ply their trades, a town crier delivers the daily news, and Revolutionary War military detachments set up camp and conduct maneuvers on the former estate lawn.
In 2001, the Lord Stirling 1770s Festival won the New Jersey Recreation and Park Association’s Excellence in Educational Programming Award. Nearly 50 people attired in replicas of 1770s clothing participate in the festival demonstrating their trades and crafts. Crafts such as buttons, rifles, brooms, furniture, lace, stained glass, red-ware pottery, and powder horns are on display. Other trades and crafts include a blacksmith, tinsmith, wool spinning, decoy carving, and colonial herbs. Note: no crafts are for sale.
Volunteers from The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills are on site to talk with you about the rich history of the area. Out-of-print books about the history of our area are available at our reception table located at the far entrance to Stirling Road.
An enjoyable time for children and adults of all ages.
Suggested donation: $5. Parking on site.
Sponsored by the Somerset County Park Commission
