New Bridge Landing facts for kids
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New Bridge was once a busy little town with a mill, built around a very important bridge over the Hackensack River. During the American Revolution, this bridge at New Bridge Landing was super important. General George Washington led his soldiers across it while retreating from British forces on November 20, 1776. In fact, there were eleven battles and skirmishes fought right here during the war!
Today, the bridge you see, called the Draw Bridge at New Bridge, was put in place in 1889. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 because of its history. New Bridge Landing is now a New Jersey historic site. It covers parts of New Milford, River Edge, Hackensack, and Teaneck in Bergen County, New Jersey.
Contents
Discovering New Bridge Landing's Past
New Bridge was first settled by people known as the Bergen Dutch. They were farmers who created a unique culture. Their language and way of life mixed ideas from Dutch, African, German, English, French, Scotch, and Scandinavian settlers.
The area was originally called Aschatking, meaning "where the river narrows." In 1682, a Swedish settler named Cornelius Mattyse bought 420 acres here. This land was at the spot where Tantaqua's Creek (now Cole's Brook) met the Hackensack River. It was known as Tantaqua's Plain, named after a local Native American leader. Later, in 1695, David Ackerman bought the land. His son, Johannes Ackerman, built a house there around 1713.
How the Mill Worked
A special mill was built on the Hackensack River. It was a "tidal gristmill," meaning it used the power of the tides! When the tide came in, water was trapped in a pond by a dam. As the tide went out in the river, the trapped water was slowly released through a waterwheel, making the mill work. Boats called Sloops could pull right up to the mill at New Bridge Landing. In 1744, a road was built to this new bridge, which is now Main Street in River Edge.
The Zabriskie Family and the Steuben House
Jan and Annetje (Ackerman) Zabriskie bought the mill and farm in 1745. This was soon after the first drawbridge was built at the river's narrowest point. People called it "New Bridge" to tell it apart from an older bridge about 1.5 miles upstream. In 1752, Jan Zabriskie built the oldest part of what is now known as the Steuben House. The Zabriskies became very rich because of the extra trade that happened during the French and Indian War (1756-1763).
New Bridge Landing became the main business hub for the upper Hackensack Valley. It was like the shopping mall of its time! Iron from furnaces in the Ramapo Mountains was brought here by ox-carts. Then, it was loaded onto boats and sent to markets. Flour and animal feed were also shipped from the mill. Boats returning from the city brought all sorts of goods. This location was perfect because the wide Hackensack Meadowlands downstream meant New Bridge was the closest river crossing to Newark Bay until 1790. All kinds of travelers, including farmers and stagecoaches, crossed the river here on their way to and from New York City.
The Great Retreat: Washington's Escape
After losing the Battle of Brooklyn, General George Washington and his troops were chased by the British towards Manhattan. On November 16, 1776, Fort Washington in New York fell to the British. Washington then moved his troops out of Fort Lee, which was on the other side of the Hudson River.
In the early morning of November 20, 1776, Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis led about 5,000 British and Hessian soldiers across the Hudson River. They landed at New Dock in New Jersey, planning to attack Fort Lee. About 2,500-3,000 American soldiers were defending Fort Lee. Washington quickly met with General Greene and led his troops in a fast retreat. They marched through what are now Fort Lee, Englewood, and Teaneck. They crossed the Hackensack River at New Bridge.
This quick escape across the Hackensack River saved the American soldiers from being trapped on the Bergen Neck. This is a narrow piece of land between the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers. The American troops kept moving west, crossing the Passaic River on the Acquakanonk Bridge. They even took apart that bridge to slow down the British!
A map from the Bergen County Historical Society shows just how close Washington came to being trapped. He continued his retreat through early December, going through Princeton and Trenton. Finally, he crossed the Delaware River into Pennsylvania.
Thomas Paine's Words
It is believed that Thomas Paine wrote the first part of his famous essays, The American Crisis, in Newark. These essays were meant to encourage Americans during the toughest times of the war. He supposedly used a drum for a desk and a campfire for light. Published on December 19, 1776, just six days before Washington's victory at Trenton, Paine's words gave people hope. Here's a part that talks about New Bridge:
Such was our situation and condition at Fort Lee on the morning of November 20, when an officer arrived with information that the enemy with 200 boats had landed about seven miles above. Major General Green, who commanded the garrison, immediately ordered them under arms, and sent express to General Washington at the town of Hackensack, distant by way of the ferry six miles.
Our first object was to secure the bridge over the Hackensack, which laid up the river between the enemy and us, about six miles from us, and three from them. General Washington arrived in about three quarters of an hour, and marched at the head of the troops towards the bridge, which place I expected we should have a brush for; however, they did not choose to dispute it with us, and the greatest part of our troops went over the bridge, the rest over the ferry, except some which passed at a mill on a small creek, between the bridge and the ferry, and made their way through some marshy grounds up to the town of Hackensack, and there passed the river. We brought off as much baggage as the wagons could contain, the rest was lost. The simple object was to bring off the garrison and march them on till they could be strengthened by the Jersey and Pennsylvania militia, so as to be enabled to make a stand. We staid four days at Newark, collected our outposts with some of the Jersey militia, and marched out twice to meet the enemy, on being informed that they were advancing, though our numbers were greatly inferior to theirs.
The British failed to capture the American soldiers at Fort Lee. This was partly because British officers didn't realize how important New Bridge was. Local people who supported the British had warned them that "New Bridge was the key to the peninsula between the Hackensack and the Hudson."
Key Revolutionary War Events at New Bridge
New Bridge was a constant battleground during the war. Here are some important events that happened there:
- On November 21, 1776, British troops attacked the American rear guard and took the New Bridge. American engineers were trying to take it apart.
- British and Loyalist (Americans who supported the British) troops attacked about 40 local militiamen at New Bridge on May 18, 1779.
- Major Henry Lee led American troops from New Bridge on August 18, 1779. They went to attack British defenses at Paulus Hook.
- On March 23, 1780, American and local militia troops attacked 600 British and German soldiers at New Bridge. This happened as the British were retreating from Hackensack and Paramus. It took the British two hours to fix and cross the bridge.
- A group of 312 British, Loyalist, and German soldiers attacked an American outpost at New Bridge on April 15, 1780.
- On May 30, 1780, eight British soldiers were accidentally killed by their own side. This happened when British troops tried to attack local militia in the Zabriskie-Steuben House at New Bridge.
- Brigadier General Anthony Wayne led American troops from New Bridge on July 20, 1780. They raided a British blockhouse at Bull's Ferry.
- General Washington made the Zabriskie-Steuben House his headquarters from September 4–20, 1780. This was during a time when nearly 14,000 Continental Army soldiers were camped nearby.
Historic Homes You Can Visit
On December 23, 1783, the State of New Jersey gave a house, mill, and land to Major-General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben. This was a thank-you gift for his great service to the Continental Army. The house had been taken from Jan Zabriskie, who was a Loyalist, in 1781. This gift was one of many von Steuben received for training the Continental Army. This estate was considered the most valuable, and it's now known as the Steuben House.
The Steuben House Commission was created in 1926 to buy Baron Steuben's home. The State of New Jersey bought the historic house and about 1 acre of land for $9,000 on June 27, 1928. The Steuben House was fixed up and opened as a public museum in September 1939. It displays old items belonging to the Bergen County Historical Society. The Steuben House is listed on the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places. It is managed by the Historic New Bridge Landing Park Commission and is a state historic site.
The Historic New Bridge Landing Park Commission helps manage and protect this historic area. It works with different towns and groups that own parts of the land. The goal is to keep the historic village around New Bridge safe and to help people learn from it. The Bergen County Historical Society is a non-profit group that helps a lot. They own the most land and their volunteers run all the programs.
The Steuben House is now the main part of a larger historic site. Other old homes that were in danger, like the Campbell-Christie House and the Demarest House Museum, were moved here from New Milford. The Westervelt-Thomas Barn was also moved from Washington Township to be saved. The Bergen County Historical Society even built a working outdoor kitchen.
In April 2007, a big storm called a Nor'easter damaged the Steuben home and some of the old items inside.
New Bridge Landing Station
The New Bridge Landing train station is on the New Jersey Transit Pascack Valley Line. It used to be called North Hackensack. In 2008, it was renamed to honor this important historic site and bring back the old historical name to the area.
