Lord Stirling 1770s Festival Returns to Basking Ridge

It's an event that some visitors prize for its historic authenticity, while others are just looking for some entertainment on a prime fall weekend in October.

In just a few weeks, the public will be invited for the sixth year in a row to step back in time to the Colonial period at the Somerset County Park Commission's annual Lord Stirling 1770s Festival. The festival is scheduled to take place on Sunday, Oct. 2 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Lord Stirling's pre-Revolutionary estate next to the Environmental Education Center, 190 Lord Stirling Road, in Basking Ridge.

It has become a tradition during the first week in October for the historic property and home site to come back to life as it might have been in the late 1700s.

Colonial craftspeople ply their trades, a town crier delivers the daily news, and Revolutionary War military detachments camp and conduct maneuvers on the former estate lawn, according to information from the Somerset County Park Commission. The event promotes historical and environmental education, highlighting what some historians cite as the unsung Revolutionary War hero William Alexander. Alexander, Lord Stirling, who lived at the estate and served under General George Washington.

The smell of musket smoke and period costumes worn by craftspeople demonstrating 18th-century skills lent an air of authenticity to the

History buffs then have an opportunity to wander into a time warp during an event that aims to recreate the days when Lord Stirling, William Alexander, lived in a manor on land next to the Environmental Education Center, with both facilities owned by the Somerset County Park Commission.

Lord Stirling supposedly hosted Washington as a guest for a council of war held at his Basking Ridge home.

Guests at the festival can meet the same sort of people and tradesmen who might have been nearby when Washington visited. All dressed in replicas of 1770s clothing true to the period, a blacksmith, tinsmith, broom maker, cooper, and other tradespeople of the times will either set up a booth or wander around the property at the festival.

Crafters will make toys, dolls, lace, decorative arts, woodcarvings, and spin wool into yarn, although they will be presented for entertainment and educational purposes, rather than sold, according to the county park commission.

Sheep, goats, and chickens, which were some of the staples of Colonial life in the 1770s, will be at the festival.

Children can try stenciling, quill writing, making clay pots, and playing Colonial games, according to information from the park commission.

Visitors can drink a cup of cider made on site at the working cider press and hop aboard the hay wagon for a ride around Lord Stirling's apple orchard. 

For those who really want to get into the swing of history, they can dress the part by trying on period style clothing, or spend a few minutes in the Somerset Gaoler's wooden pillory while friends and family take photographs.

The event is designed to provide an educational and enjoyable way to learn about Colonial times and the importance of New Jersey's role in the American Revolution. Visitors can question craftspeople about their trades, tour Lord Stirling's wine cellar, and enjoy the sights, sounds, and aromas of a colonial style autumn festival.

For example, planned music is Colonial ballads played on instruments of the period. 

Visit the camps of Heard's Brigade, Captain John Outwater's Militia, Past Muster, and the Donegal Riflemen. Watch as the militias conduct maneuvers and children can participate in a musket drill.  A professional Town Crier announces the events of the day and reads the Declaration of Independence. In the afternoon, meet Lord Stirling as he strolls around his estate.

Lord Stirling (the Scottish earldom and title acquired by William Alexander of Basking Ridge) was close friends with George Washington and served as a Major General directly under his command during the Revolutio, according to the park commisison.

Stirling built his manor house around 1762, the one which bears his name, and lived there for 20 years. An archeological team sponsored by the Somerset County Park Commission has excavated part of the site and has studied the recovered artifacts. A display is set up to show what they have found on the site and hear about the history associated with these artifacts. Part of the original Stirling manor house foundation still exists under the modern house now occupying the site and is open to the public for tours for the day.

Artifacts unearthed by the Lord Stirling Field Project represent well over 250 years of life during which the site was occupied.

For more information about the 1770s Festival, call the Environmental Education Center at 908-766-2489 or for Relay Service dial 711 for individuals with hearing impairments.

Information on this event and other Somerset County Park Commission activities may be found on the Somerset County Park Commission website.