Explore The Rev War During Break: See Historic Sites In The Caldwells And Essex County

THE CALDWELLS, NJ — Want to learn more about American (and New Jersey) history in a fun way? The Caldwells contain important historical sites.

New Jersey-based historian and author Al Frazza published a book earlier this year about his adventures in an old car driving to more than 600 historic sites around the Garden State. He says that the Caldwells are among the areas most worth seeing if you're looking to learn more about the Revolutionary War.

After seven and a half years of traveling, research, photography, and writing, Frazza published State of Revolution: My Seven-and-a-Half-Year Journey Through Revolutionary War New Jersey in February.

Frazza's website has a section featuring 33 historic sites in 10 towns in Essex County.

In Essex County, these include the Old Burying Ground, where Revolutionary War soldiers are buried.

They also include a monument to James Caldwell, "The Fighting Parson of the Revolution."

Caldwell has a place in history because, according to a bio, he "threw his full backing into the Patriot cause, and served first as an Army Chaplain, then as a commissary for New Jersey militia troops. His place in history was secured during the June 1780 Battle of Springfield, New Jersey, which was destined to be the last major engagement in the Northern part of the colonies during the war."

Frazza said, “Nothing creates an understanding of and excitement for history like standing in the actual locations where historic events occurred. New Jersey played a central and crucial role in the events of the Revolutionary War. Throughout the state, we are surrounded by links to that history. The First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell and its ["Old Burying Ground"] cemetery are examples of this.”

He added, “Throughout the years of the Revolutionary War, the lives of New Jersey citizens were dramatically affected by the events of the war which went on around them. Some of their houses and buildings are still standing; each of these structures has its own story.”

See the Essex County sites here.