Today I had the pleasure of speaking at the Morristown Book Festival, a wonderful event featuring various contemporary authors. I was delighted to speak to a large gathering assembled at the historic St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. It was an impressive venue that made you feel almost ministerial in addressing the congregation. I also enjoyed meeting some of our blog contingent at the book signing for The Indispensable Right.
It was a thrill to be back in Morristown, a town heavily steeped in history at every turn. I hope that some members of our blog community might take the time to visit this beautiful city and particularly the book festival.
St. Peter’s is a magnificent building erected in 1827, though the congregation can be traced back to the mid eighteenth century.
I was particularly drawn to the 100-year-old E.M. Skinner organ. It was actually designed by G. Donald Harrison who worked at Skinner and it is still working beautifully, including its manual pedal levels at the feet of an organist.
Morristown itself is simply a delight with beautiful green, wonderful restaurants and tons of history.
The Green has a statue showing the meeting of Washington, Hamilton, and Lafayette when the Frenchman informed Washington that France was entering the war on the side of the patriots. (Supposedly the statue shows the actual height of the three heroes of the Revolution). The Green was also used for public executions.
This is a city that saw some hard times and fighting. While Washington had previously visited the town, it was here in 1777 that Washington encamped after the victories at Trenton and Princeton. Situated between Philadelphia and New York, the town was strategically located. From December 1779 to June 1780, the Continental Army’s second encampment at Morristown faced brutal winter conditions. The combination of starvation and lack of pay would ultimately lead the entire Pennsylvania contingent to successfully mutiny. A later effort of New Jersey soldiers to mutiny was foiled.
I enjoyed meeting with everyone in Morristown and then having a wonderful breakfast on the edge of the Green. On a perfect fall day, it was easy to imagine the town back in the 1700s when the future of this nation was dangling in the balance. While it may not be a top destination for tourists, Morristown is worth the visit. In the Fall, the town and the surroundings are spellbinding.
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University and the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”
“The Green has a statue showing the meeting of . . .”
Thank you for introducing me to a great statue — “The Alliance.”
Beautiful venue. I wonder if this was just a convenient place or if the Episcopalians invited JT.
Just one of the wonderful venues contributing to amd used every year by the Morristown Festival of Book.
Thank you, sir. Those photos breathe the history of that area!
Went to school in Morristown and worked in the town as well as county library.
Anyone interested in history should visit the Ford Mansion where Washington spent the winter
and Jockey Hollow a few miles out of town. Both are run by the National Park service.
I was in Morristown in mid-August for a wedding and coincidentally my husband and I celebrated 15 years of engagement in the same beautiful town.
My brother used to work there at the Lois Berger Group and went to visit him for ask for his blessing.
Lovely memories and new ones, with my sister’s wedding with a native of this city but from the Jewish community, which is very large indeed.
We had the joy of walking with her mother-in-law who is a historian and we appreciated the history and historical importance of this town.
Forget plagiarism. Grammarly found six errors, not including “peddle” instead of “pedal”. All you had do is click Accept six times.
Clever
It’s a real shame you need Grammarly.
The Green was also used for public executions.
When violent crime rate was practically non-existent
Organist Liene Andreta Kalnciema impressively works the Walcker organ at Riga Cathedral. Notice her foot action. Real talent
Impressive organ and organist playing the world’s finest fugue.
Thanks.
* Odd how the soul can be scarred. After being used to the images of Christ and churches, the soul of a person can feel oddly uncomfortable after having witnessed so much blasphemy. Doritos communion, lgbtq unending, child abuses, and so much more, trans day at the WH on Easter day. It’s unhealthy.
It’s a lovely church but alas the Episcopalians have been scarred. Morristown looks lovely in comfortable autumn light.
Buying and selling in a house of God? Perhaps it’s been decommissioned.
Not decommissioned by any means…No buying and selling, just a wonderful moderated book talk in one of several venues of the book fair. Buying and selling take place in the book market tent nearby…
Should have left the cathedral in it’s anonymity….. when the jihadists discover it’s there, there will be a strange flammable event, that investigators will be unable to determine the origin of.