#80 Farewell Orders to the Armies Traditional Geocache

General George Washington stayed at Rockingham from August 23, 1783, to November 10, 1783. He was invited to the area by Congress, who were headquartered in Nassau Hall in Princeton while awaiting the news of the signing of the Treaty of Paris to officially end the Revolutionary War.

Washington was accompanied by three aides-de-camp, a troop of between twelve and twenty-four life guards, his servants and, until early October, his wife Martha Washington. He spent his time at Rockingham entertaining Congress and other local figures until word of the end of the War reached him on October 31. On November 2, Washington composed his Farewell Orders to the Armies of the United States at Rockingham, a document dismissing his troops and announcing his retirement from the Army.

Rockingham is a historic house that was the home of John Berrien and George Washington's final headquarters of the Revolutionary War. It is located at 84 Laurel Avenue, Franklin Township in Somerset County, New Jersey.

Rockingham is believed to be the 2nd oldest house in the Millstone River Valley. The first section was built around 1710 and was greatly expanded in the 1760s by John Berrien, a prominent NJ Superior Court justice and State legislator. At its peak, the property comprised over 350 acres and served as a gentleman's farm. Final touches of a second-story porch and attic were added in the early 1800s by the Cruser family.

The first reference to the house as "Rockingham" does not appear until a 1783 newspaper advertisement to sell the house, a name given most likely in honor of the Marquess of Rockingham.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 18, 1970 for its significance in military and social history.

The house was moved three times to save it from an encroaching quarry, beginning in 1897. The original site was about one-mile NNE from its present location. The farm homestead served as the final wartime headquarters (late August to early November, 1783) for General George Washington while Congress was meeting in Princeton.

It was here, in October, that he wrote his Farewell Orders to the Armies of the United States, shortly before receiving word that the Treaty of Paris had been signed on September 3, formally ending the Revolutionary War. The house contains period furnishings, reproductions of Washington military equipment and a life-size figure of Washington. An 18th-century-style kitchen garden is on site.

NOTE: "Currently closed for renovations" Normally Open for guided tours only: Wed-Sat 10 & 11 am, 1, 2, & 3 pm and Sunday 1, 2, & 3 pm. Tour size limited to 10 individuals and it is recommended to check the website when it will be open. You can then call and check with staff as to tour availability. Group tours by appointment only.

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