George Washington Walked By Middletown

I like to regularly read the daily historical stories from the Middlesex County Historical Society.

A while back, they wrote about George Washington’s visit to Middletown in 1789. I looked out my window and thought about this. The house I live in was built in 1750 on what was then called the Boston Post Road and subsequently renamed to Washington Street.

George Washington most likely walked by our house. Perhaps he glanced in the windows the way I was looking out.

Years later, Benjamin Franklin’s son, who was the Tory governor of New Jersey spent a year in this same house under house arrest for treasonous activity.

Now, two hundred and twenty nine years later, it is interesting to think about what future great leaders may be walking by. Perhaps it is a Wesleyan student heading from campus to the North End to get some good food or to participate in an activity at the Green Street Arts Center. Perhaps it is a recipient of the Ida Masselli NAACP scholarship looking forward to their ongoing education.

While there aren’t a lot of houses still standing that George Washington once walked in front of, there are still great leaders being formed every day and we would do well to stop and think who the next great leaders are and how we might be able to assist them.

We should all stop to think about our history and our future.

Mark Masselli, life-long Middletown resident.