Revolutionary War Lecture April 28 At Twin Lights

ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, NJ — Thousands of New Jerseyans travel Rte. 36 through Atlantic Highlands, Highlands, Middletown and Sea Bright every day, completely unaware that they are driving along the Revolutionary War military frontier line that separated the Patriot interior from British-held Sandy Hook and Raritan Bay.

On Sunday, April 28 at 4:00 p.m., historian Michael Adelberg — author of "The American Revolution In Monmouth County" — will present “The Battle of Navesink: A Profile of the Nearly 100 Monmouth County Patriots Killed or Captured on February 13, 1777.”

Adelberg is the first guest lecturer of the 2019 season in the Twin Lights Historical Society’s Sunday Afternoon Speaker Series. The program will take place in the South Tower Auditorium and is free to the public. Seating is limited and reservations are strongly recommended.

“With the British anchored in Sandy Hook Bay and using the hook as a base of operations, the Highlands found itself a frontier in the earliest days of the war,” said Adelberg. “The area along today’s Rte. 36 offered American militia a good view of their actions — a little too good, in fact. In the winter of 1777, the British decided to do something about it.”

As the dozens of roadside historical markers suggest, the British were extremely active in Monmouth County throughout the war, with good reason. It was a strategic and logistical linchpin of their military planning, but also a constant headache. Residents were made to choose sides, often pitting neighbor against neighbor. As the fortunes of war shifted, so too did allegiances. It is a messy, complicated story that takes an expert to tell.

“The Twin Lights has long been a destination for heritage tourism with more than 70,000 visitors a year,” says Tom Mullins, President of the Twin Lights Historical Society. “I think our museum does a good job telling important stories about all the famous ‘firsts’ that took place on this site. When we want to tell those stories with even greater depth and meaning, we bring in speakers of Michael’s caliber and reputation.”

For more information on the Sunday Afternoon Speaker Series or to reserve a seat for the lecture, email twinlightshistoricalsociety@gmail.com call (732) 872–1812.