These are a series of posts that provide local insight into Ken Burns’ American Revolution series and its ties to local history, which the Mr. Local History Project has been covering.
Here are all six episodes of Ken Burns’ The American Revolution and we’ve added in where we’ve covered some local aspects to the series to provide context.
Episode 1 – In Order to Be Free (May 1754 to May 1775)
Duration: 1 hour 56 minutes
This episode shows how political protest builds into open violence and how war begins to give the thirteen colonies a shared cause
- The Stamp Act and how Francis Bernard was forced to leave the country (Bernard Flees due to Stamp Act retribution.)
Episode 2 – An Asylum for Mankind (May 1775 to July 1776)
Duration: 2 hours 4 minutes
New Englanders surround the British army at Boston, George Washington takes command of the new Continental Army, and the Continental Congress declares American independence and claims the right of the people to resist tyranny.
- Dr. Joseph Warren’s death at the Battle of Bunker Hill: 25th minute (Name honored in Warren, NJ)
- Knox cannons from Fort Ticonderoga: 1hour 25 minutes in (The Forgotten General – Henry Knox)
Episode 3 – The Times That Try Mens Souls (July 1776 to January 1777)
Duration: 1 hour 55 minutes
The Revolution becomes a full war for independence as Washington struggles and largely fails to hold New York, then barely saves his army before regaining momentum with the surprise attack at Trenton.
- William Alexander’s Escape from Brooklyn Heights (Basking Ridge’s Most Famous Resident)
- General Lee’s Capture at Widow White’s Tavern in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, 1hr 30 minutes (Basking Ridge’s most historic event)
- Who was Widow White, and why was Lee there
Episode 4 – Conquer by a Drawn Game (January 1777 to February 1778)
Duration: 1 hour 56 minutes
British commanders drive on Albany and Philadelphia, defeating Washington at Brandywine and Germantown and forcing Congress to flee, while the American victory over Burgoyne at Saratoga opens the door to formal French support.
- 49th Minute – A new American Flag is needed – they say no one person is known to have made the first one. We disagree – (The Middlebrook Encampment and the Hopkinson Flag)
Episode 5 – The Soul of All America (December 1777 to May 1780)
Duration: 1 hour 54 minutes
Washington’s army emerges from Valley Forge to fight at Monmouth, and the new French-American alliance shifts the war to the seas, the Caribbean, Indian Country, and the South, where the British ultimately capture Charleston.
- The French Alliance of 1779 (a Pluckemin celebration)
Episode 6 – The Most Sacred Thing (May 1780 to Onward)
Cornwallis fails to pacify the southern states, allied American and French forces win at Yorktown, and with independence secured, Americans wrestle with what it means to build a more perfect union.
- French March through Liberty Corner on the way to Yorktown ( and Liberty Corner’s English Farm)
- 1 hr 49 minutes – Nova Scotia blacks emigrate back to Seria Leonne to a new town called Free Town, the new capital – it was Reverend John Finley’s American Colonization that started it all
Know that Voice?
Check at the end of this story which voice was used for each person in the series.
Mr. Local History’s American Revolution Series
“Janice Meredith” – 1924 Silent Film Showcases American Revolution
Views: 155 Back in 1924, silent films were all the rage. Bernardsville was just becoming a borough and separating from Bernards Township, but there was still only one movie theater, The Liberty Theater. How fortunate was the theater to feature…
Map Research & Archives: Sharing Local History with Maps
Views: 10,273 Researching Local History with Maps As a historian, I believe maps are one of the greatest sources of information, capturing a time and place. We use these maps to research history and find buildings, families, farms, or streets.…
New Jersey Rev War Series Mr. Local History Project
Views: 9,787 New Jersey is known as the “Cockpit of the American Revolution” for a reason – because it was. More battles, more encampments, more strategies took place in New Jersey than in any other colony of the original thirteen.…
What is (a) Jockey Hollow?
Views: 5,000 Jockey Hollow is part of America’s first National Historical Park, Morristown National Historical Park which marks their 90th Anniversary in 2023. We also know there is a Jockey Hollow Bar and Kitchen, a four-part restaurant housed inside Morristown’s historic…
Liberty Corner & Bullion’s Tavern
Views: 3,055 Every great historical story starts with something like, “So we were at this tavern and……” This is one of those stories. America was in the final stages of the Revolutionary war. After an agreement with the French was…
Stirling Manor- 13 Colonies’ Most Prestigious Manor Was Right In Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Views: 1,459 Is William Alexander, aka The Earl & Lord of Stirling, Basking Ridge’s Most Famous Resident? Our researchers think so. Let’s see if we can answer that question. William Alexander (1726 – Jan 15, 1783) was the son of…
The Ross Farm Still Defends Liberty and Independence 250 years Later
Views: 2,566 Lewis – Boudinot – Southard- Ross Farm in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Twp., New Jersey. The Ross Farm in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, has a rich history of the Revolutionary War and played a notable role…
General Henry Knox – America’s Forgotten General
Views: 47,093 Father of the American Army ArtilleryFather of the American NavyFather of the Military Draft Fate has it often that those who put themselves in constant danger and face death every day are often spared until some freak accident takes…
The Stolen Lillie Drawing of Pluckemin Artillery Park
Views: 329 The wind that swept across the Somerset Hills in the bitter winter of 1779 carried more than snow and smoke. It carried the sound of hammers striking timber, the commands of officers echoing across the ridges, and the…
That Widow White – Mary Jarvis Whitaker Brown White
Views: 796 This is a story about a widow, a General, and a War for Independence. For over a decade, I’ve been researching the story behind the 1776 capture of one of General Washington’s head generals, but I never really…
Royal Governor Francis Bernard and the Stamp Act
Views: 168 These are a series of posts that provide local insight into Ken Burns’ American Revolution series and ties to local history that the Mr. Local History Project has been covering. Episode 1, titled “How Land, Taxes and Rebellion…
Middlesex County Volunteer Fifes and Drums Corp Marches thru Morristown and Somerville
Views: 495 It’s been on our radar to prepare a post and video since one of the nation’s top fife and drum units made their march into New Jersey during a warm spell in July 2023. First in Morristown at…
Share Bedminster Cantonment History With A Pocket Park – America 250 Ideas
Views: 648 With America’s 250th anniversary just around the corner, there’s no better time to recognize great American history about what we’ve coined “The Greatest Story Never Told” about the American Revolution – The Academy that came 24 years before…
Historic Moment at the Pluckemin Cantonment – Archeologist Finds His Mark
Views: 1,649 It was a cold, winterish April afternoon at the Jacobus Vanderveer House in Bedminster, New Jersey, as a very special guest came to tell his story about what has become a signature event in the history of the…
Basking Ridge’s Stirling Manor & Perth Amboy’s Proprietary House : Digging Around
Views: 8,802 The Mr. Local History Project is researching the thesis that another house, known as Stirling Manor in Basking Ridge, was built with similar architecture to the Proprietary House by England’s John Edward Pryor. Let us know what you…
Richard Stockton – Constitution Signer and a Basking Ridge Brother In Law
Views: 1,682 Suppose you have the chance to visit Basking Ridge, New Jersey’s Ross Farm for an outdoor concert or to help out in the giving garden, remember this story about the historic Boudinot (Boo-DE-Know) family estate on the hill…
Independence Day – Kudos to New Jersey Signers #jersey5
Views: 16,258 The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It was engrossed on parchment, and on August 2, 1776, delegates began signing it. Jefferson drafted the statement between June 11 and 28, submitted drafts to…
New Jersey Rev War Video Collection
Views: 1,839 Knowing that people are very busy, we’ve gathered a playlist of short videos that take your through some of the most prominent events of the Revolutionary War in New Jersey. Watch the ones you can, or bookmark the…
The Knox Trophy – West Point’s Oldest Military Award
Views: 8,516 The Knox Trophy is an award that was established on October 8, 1910, and given annually by the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York to the United States Military Academy cadet with the highest rating…
Widow White’s Tavern in Basking Ridge was more than a Grog Stop
Views: 26,731 Basking Ridge, New Jersey’s Most Famous Incident Yes, this historic event made the series, so look for it. The episode covering that timeframe is Episode 3: “The Times That Try Men’s Souls (July 1776 – January 1777)” about…
Widow White’s Tavern 7th Wooden Historic Village Keepsake
Views: 6,055 Be part of the Widow White’s Tavern limited edition run. Mr Local History is proud to announce the release of the 7th in the collectible series, the infamous 1776 Widow White’s Tavern in the village of Basking Ridge.…
New Jersey’s Gift to America 250 – A July 4 Celebration You Must See
Views: 3,149 RAIN or SHINE – EVERY July 4th at 10:30 am – Join friends and family on Independence Day as the Washington Camp Ground Association honors the American flag, the playing of the Star Spangled Banner, and the reading…
The Boylans American Journey to Build Liberty Corner, Pluckemin and Bernardsville
Views: 3,006 Research Update:Are the Boylans and the Bullions the same family in Liberty Corner? Before Liberty Corner was Liberty Corner, it was Annins Corner AND we also found it named Boylans Corner (Bullions Corner). And what about that Bernardsville…
Art and History – Looking for Artists To Interpret History to Celebrate NJ250
Views: 13,655 UPDATE: We are looking for art programs, non-profits, and elder program coordinators to consider programs where an entire art class works to create their own collection with ties to our collective local history. MLHP Education Coordinator The Mr.…
Warren was Bernards Township Then March 5, 1806 Happened
Views: 3,221 Bridgewater was chartered in 1749, and Bernards Township was chartered in 1760. After the Revolutionary War, no Royal Charters were issued, so you had to incorporate through a vote in the New Jersey legislature after submitting a petition…
Take 2 Minutes and 18 Seconds to Celebrate America
Views: 716 It takes around two minutes and eighteen seconds to sing God Bless America. Mr. Local History took a trip to the “Field of Honor,” an annual tradition at the Jacobus Vanderveer House in Bedminster, New Jersey. Sit back,…
General Washington’s Two Favorite Lookout Points
Views: 5,034 During the Middlebrook Encampment periods during the Revolutionary War, George Washington strategically utilized the Watchung Mountain Range for both his soldiers and his own advantage. The mountains provided a perfect view of the surrounding areas where the British…
John Morton – General Washington’s Rebel Banker Stashed in Basking Ridge
Views: 6,442 John Morton was a Colonel in the Continental Army. Still, he gave up his commission in 1761 to become a highly successful merchant, specializing in the trade of flax back home to his native Ulster in Northern Ireland,…
Rev War in Somerset County Means Middlebrook
Views: 6,104 Middlebrook is a know area in the Martinsville section of Bridgewater, Somerset County, New Jersey. We call it “Jersey’s Gift to America.” New Jersey is known as the “cockpit of the American revolution.” More battles were fought in…
Why EVERYONE Should Fly THIS American Flag & Don’t Ask Betsy Ross
Views: 9,668 Meet Francis Hopkinson – New Jersey signer #Jersey5 signer of the Declaration of Independence, who also designed, presented, and received the Continental Congress’s Approval as America’s First official flag on June 14, 1777, in Philadelphia. The Francis Hopkinson…
English Farm – Liberty Corner’s Historic Gem & Rochembeau’s Rev War Stopover
Views: 8,544 The Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (W3R) Goes Right Through Liberty Corner as the site of the English Farm that hosted 5000+ Soldiers During the Famous 1781 March to Yorktown. This march ended with defeating the British Army and…
Morristown National Historic Park Marks 90th Anniversary
Views: 4,091 America’s First Historic National ParkMorristown National Historical Park Marks 90th Anniversary Congratulations to the Morristown National Historical Park and your 90th anniversary. The park was the first national historical park in the country, deemed so by law on…
Ford Mansion Added to NJ Village Collection
Views: 1,027 The Mayor of New Jersey’s Historic Village has decreed two icons be added to the New Jersey Historic Wooden Village Collection recently in a bold move to expand the only set of New Jersey collectible icons. Produced in…
Historic Tavern Pub Tours of New Jersey / PA / New York City
Views: 39,287 Self-guided tours of some of the most historic pubs and taverns in the tri-state area. Who doesn’t like going on an adventure? The Mr. Local History Project has been building a list of historic pubs and taverns in…
THE First American Flag and Middlebrook, New Jersey
Views: 15,129 Isn’t it great when you think you know about something only to find out that someone else has shown up with a different answer? Well, I hate to admit it, but I think it’s been done to us…
T-SHIRT OFFER: Jersey Signers of the Declaration of Independence
Views: 2,923 Order now to show pride in the Jerseyans who signed the Declaration of Independence. Back for The Fourth of July Season Order via our Wear Local History Collection – CLICK HERE Also, Check out our “Wear Local Jersey…
Lord Stirling- Basking Ridge’s Most Famous Resident
Views: 16,765 Is William Alexander, aka The Earl & Lord of Stirling, Basking Ridge’s Most Famous Resident? Our researchers think so. Let’s see if we can answer that question. William Alexander (1726 – Jan 15, 1783) was the son of…
Lord Stirling’s Rev War Beacon Signal Towers
Views: 15,466 General Washington, the Continental Army, and General Lord Stirling of Basking Ridge drew inspiration from history and created a sophisticated communications network to track the British movement. They were called the “Beacons.” We start off with a classic…
History Dig: The Army Hospital was in Basking Ridge and NOT Jockey Hollow
Views: 9,766 The 1779-1780 Winter Encampment at Jockey HollowThe Story of the Hospital at Basking Ridge Weather conditions when the army arrived at Morristown in 1779 were just a prelude of what was yet to come, as the elements attacked…
Retrospective: President James Monroe Had Ties to Basking Ridge
Views: 7,879 James Monroe was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and “Founding Father” who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was the last president of the…
Before the West Point Military Academy (USMA) There was Pluckemin
Views: 196,443 America’s First Military Academy, the Pluckemin Academy (Dec.1778) was 24 Years BEFORE West Point (Mar. 16, 1802). One of the greatest untold stories of the American Revolution.The Pluckemin Winter Cantonment, part of the overall Middlebrook Encampment of 1778-1779.…
Bedminster Map Project Reveals Historic Pluckemin Artillery Park
Views: 10,038 Map Identifies Historic Properties, Owners, Building Locations, Local History Including the Often Ignored Pluckemin Artillery Park With over 2,000 hours of painstaking research and countless renderings, the landscaping firm of John Charles Smith & Associates of Far Hills…
Glen Beck Founding Fathers Series Needs General Henry Knox
Views: 15,426 Founding Fathers Series turns Glen Beck into a History Teacher. No one knew how popular the Glen Beck Show would become. Commonly referred to as a TV shock jock (sorry Howard), no matter how you feel about the…
The 13 Paintings at the Pluckemin Academy
Views: 11,485 The anniversary of America’s alliance with France was celebrated on the 18th of February at Pluckemin, at a very elegant entertainment and display of fireworks given by General Knox, and the officers of artillery. It was postponed to…
What Happened to Mary White and Widow White’s Tavern
Views: 27,034 Below are the original research notes as I had spent years researching contradicting information on the Widow White’s Tavern in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Often I like to post research in hopes that other researchers can see what’s…
1779 – Grand Alliance Ball – Pluckemin New Jersey
Views: 17,237 “The entertainment began with a discharge of 13 cannons at 4 o’clock in the afternoon.” The Grand Alliance Ball – Sunday, February 18, 1779 , Pluckemin, New Jersey Sunday, February 18, 1779 , Pluckemin, New Jersey One of…
Our Readers’ Top 10 MLH Posts this Week
Voices in the American Revolution Ken Burns’s Series
| Historical Figure | Voice Actor | Actor Noteriety |
| George Washington | Josh Brolin | Llewelyn Moss in No Country for Old Men and Dan White in Milk and Thanos in Avengers Infinity War and Avengers Endgame |
| John Adams | Paul Giamatti | John Adams in the HBO series John Adams and Miles Raymond in Sideways |
| Thomas Jefferson | Jeff Daniels | Harry Dunne in Dumb and Dumber and Will McAvoy in The Newsroom |
| Benjamin Franklin | Mandy Patinkin | Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride and Saul Berenson in Homeland |
| Thomas Paine | Matthew Rhys | Philip Jennings in The Americans and Perry Mason in Perry Mason |
| King George III | Damian Lewis | Nicholas Brody in Homeland and Bobby Axelrod in Billions and Richard Winters in Band of Brothers |
| Samuel Adams | Liev Schreiber | Ray Donovan in Ray Donovan and Marty Baron in Spotlight |
| Nathanael Greene | Liev Schreiber | Ray Donovan in Ray Donovan |
| Benedict Arnold | Michael Keaton | Bruce Wayne in Batman and Riggan Thomson in Birdman |
| Anthony Wayne | Ethan Hawke | Jake Hoyt in Training Day and Jesse in Before Sunrise |
| Marquis de Lafayette | Michael Mando | Nacho Varga in Better Call Saul and Vaas Montenegro in Far Cry |
| Lord Charles Cornwallis | Tobias Menzies | Prince Philip in The Crown and Frank Randall and Jonathan Randall in Outlander |
| William Howe | Dan Stevens | Matthew Crawley in Downton Abbey and the Beast in Beauty and the Beast |
| Henry Knox | Yul Vazquez | Petey in Severance and Lenny in Russian Doll |
| Joseph Brant | Michael Greyeyes | Terry Thomas in Rutherford Falls and Qaletaqa Walker in Fear the Walking Dead |
| Mercy Otis Warren | Meryl Streep | Sophie Zawistowska in Sophies Choice and Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady and Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada |
| Abigail Adams | Claire Danes | Carrie Mathison in Homeland and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Temple Grandin in Temple Grandin |
| Phillis Wheatley | Amanda Gorman | Amanda Gorman as herself reciting The Hill We Climb |
| Olaudah Equiano | David Oyelowo | Martin Luther King Junior in Selma and Louis Gaines in The Butler |
| Series narrator | Peter Coyote | Keys in E T the Extra Terrestrial and narrator of many Ken Burns documentaries |