This program was recorded live at Plainfield Public Library on Saturday, August 24, 2024.

In December 1776, local Patriot Cornelius Vermeule allowed the construction of a militia post and fort on his plantation – the largest in the area. This encampment was key to protecting the southeastern flank of Washington’s Middlebrook encampment and played a noteworthy role in the 1777 Battle of Short Hills.

Join Nancy Piwowar, Historical Society of Plainfield president, and Rich Palmatier, Scotch Plains historian for a discussion of the creation and significant military importance of the Blue Hills Encampment and Vermeule Fort and the story of the journey of locating the exact location of the long-forgotten Militia Post. Primary source documentation, maps, video and creative graphics will be used to enhance the presentation.

Our programs are made possible in part by operating support grants from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State - additionally through a grant administered by the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, Department of Parks and Recreation; and by a 2024 HEART (History, Education, Arts Reaching Thousands) Grant from the Union County Board of County Commissioners.