Explore History All Around Caldwell, Essex County & NJ For July 4

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The following article comes courtesy of a Patch community member. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.

The 4th of July is a time when many people and families take an increased interest in exploring the history of the Revolutionary War era. And New Jersey has a rich Revolutionary War era history, with many physical locations still there to be explored. If you know where to look, you can stand in the same places that George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin once were.

With so much to explore, many people don’t know where to begin. To help them, New Jersey historian Al Frazza has created RevolutionaryWarNewJersey.com, an extensive online guide to finding and exploring these locations. It features photographs and information for 650 Revolutionary War historic sites throughout all twenty-one New Jersey counties. And because there are more than thirty Essex County historic locations featured, there are sure to be some locations nearby for everyone. There is something for every level of historic interest – the New Jersey historic sites range from major battlefield locations, to houses and churches, to monuments and roadside markers. The Caldwell section of the website features the First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell, which has a Revolutionary War history, and has Revolutionary War veterans buried in its cemetery.

RevolutionaryWarNewJersey.com is utilized by thousands of people every month to help them explore and learn about New Jersey local history, and it provides the perfect starting point for those looking to begin their own historic explorations for the 4th of July holiday.

Visiting and exploring these historic locations can help New Jersey residents make a connection to their past and build a justifiable pride in their home state’s history. As Frazza states on the website, “Nothing creates an understanding of and excitement for history like standing in the actual locations where historic events occurred.”

Al Frazza is a lifelong resident of North Jersey, whose work and photographs have been featured in a variety of New Jersey publications. He received the 2018 History Award from the Chinkchewunska Chapter of the New Jersey D.A.R. “in recognition of his outstanding dedication to the preservation and sharing of New Jersey History.” He is responsible for all of the research, writing and photography on RevolutionaryWarNewJersey.com, which he created between 2009 and 2017.

Al has also recently completed writing a book about the years he spent exploring New Jersey’s history, titled State of Revolution: My Seven-And-A-Half-Year Journey Through Revolutionary War New Jersey, which should see publication soon. Information about this upcoming book can be found at AlFrazza.com.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Sign up for Patch email newsletters.