Nearly 100 history enthusiasts gathered at Morris Museum this week to watch “The Worst Winter of the Revolution: 1779-80,” an episode of the acclaimed PBS series Drive By History that argues the case the Continental Army’s most grueling winter encampment was at Morristown’s Jockey Hollow, not the better-known Valley Forge.
No one disputes that the army of the American Revolution, wherever the soldiers marched, fought and encamped, overcame overwhelming odds and unbearable conditions throughout the nation’s eight-year war for independence. But it was literally by a matter of bone-chilling degrees and relentless inches of snowfall that the Morristown encampment was the “The Worst Winter of the Revolution,” contended Drive By History creator and host, Ken Magos.
Magos, a Mendham resident, made his case in person at the Morris Museum special screening of his PBS episode, contending the famous painting, “The March to Valley Forge,” and a storyline perpetuated over generations probably made the brutal conditions as the Valley Forge encampment more famous. The event, arranged by the Morris County 250th Anniversary Celebrations Committee, included a discussion on Jockey Hollow and other misconceptions about the American Revolution.
“As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary this year, we should also pause to reflect on the sacrifices that secured our nation’s independence. We all know Morristown served as the military capital of the Revolutionary War not once, but twice,” Morris County Commissioner Christine Myers told the audience at the opening of the screening. “Here, soldiers and local residents alike endured extraordinary hardships and made sacrifices that helped lay the foundation for the nation — and county — we call home 250 years later.”
View The Worst Winter of the Revolution: 1779-80 Episode
View More Photos from the Screening at Morris Museum
Morris Museum Executive Director Tom Loughman welcomed guests at the start of the screening, which also was attended by county Commissioners Deborah Smith and Tom Mastrangelo as well as Morris County 250th Anniversary Celebrations Committee Executive Director Sarah Neibart.
“As we reframe the legacy of the American Revolution in this neck of the woods, there were plenty of calamities that didn’t involve bayonets or cannon fire,” said Loughman. “How lucky are we to have the talented and eminently approachable work of Ken Magos and his team to make the story of Jockey Hollow a part of his remarkable series.”