“Revolutionary Roads of Ramapo” with Joe Carey

George Washington and his army passed through our area again and again during the American Revolution.   But why? What made the roads through Ramapough so important to Washington’s strategy?

We’ll explore the people, places, and events that made this area a vital crossroads of the Revolution.

We'll meet not only the founding fathers who traveled through Ramapough but also Robert Erskine, the ironmaster who became Geographer and Surveyor General to the Continental Army. He operated a store just off today’s Island Road (and made sure to put it on every map he created).  You'll hear the story of our own local “Nathan Hale,” Andrew Hopper, who, according to local lore, traveled disguised into British-held New York and returned with valuable intelligence. Then Claudius Smith, the Loyalist terror of the countryside.

We’ll trace the route of the Ramapo Valley Road, the critical military highway that carried troops, supplies, and communications while serving as a vital link holding together the Colonies. 

We’ll follow the Clove Road, the little-known back passage through the Ramapo Mountains north towards the fortress at West Point, and south towards the outpost at Paramus.

And finally we’ll trace the route taken by Rochambeau’s French army in the summer of 1781 on its march toward the campaign that would end with the British surrender at Yorktown.  And learn what the French thought as they travelled through the countryside. 

Using period maps, firsthand accounts, local stories, and original documents, we’ll separate fact from legend and uncover the remarkable Revolutionary history hiding along roads many of us travel every day.

Join us for an enjoyable evening of local history and discover why the roads through Ramapough, Mahwah, and Ramsey played a surprisingly important role in George Washington’s larger strategy for winning American independence. 

About Joe Carey: 

 Joe Carey is a retired marketing and technology professional and a Ramsey resident for 36 years. He coached and directed several youth sports programs and served as Vice Chairman of the Ramsey Centennial Committee in 2008.

Joe served for 17 years on the Ramsey Planning Board and the Ramsey Environmental Commission.

A lifelong history enthusiast, Joe’s particular interest in the history of Ramapough grew out of his work on the Planning Board and Ramsey’s Master Plan. 

Carey’s research uses original maps, letters, military records and other primary sources to uncover the history that is still visible in the landscape around us.