Creating a Crossroads of the American Revolution Heritage Area Pilot Project in the region surrounding Morristown National Historical Park.

Thursday, May 18, 2006 and Friday June 16, 2006*
*Please be aware of new dates

Morristown National Historical Park’s Temporary offices
Cross Estate
Jockey Hollow Road
Bernardsville, NJ
We urge participants to attend both the forums.

Visioning OUR HERITAGE AREA – two one-day forums at Morristown National
Historical Park – will bring together a wide range of invitees from the public and private sectors – environmental and historic conservationists, historic site representatives, land use planners, educators, travel and tourism people.

The two forums will be visioning sessions to create a Pilot Project for the Crossroads of the American Revolution Heritage Area in the Morristown National Historical Park region.

In the first forum, participants will be asked and develop collaborative strategies for historic and environmental resource protection, public education, advocacy and economic development through historic restoration and heritage tourism. You will also help set priorities that will be used to choose, design and develop shared interpretation of the American Revolution in the region. Three themes identified in a 2002 National Park Feasibility Study for the heritage area will be discussed for validation: 1) A Revolutionary Landscape, 2) Rendezvous for Rebellion and 3) Divided Loyalties.

The second forum will carefully match available interpretive tools to the tasks suggested in the first workshop. Participants will address a number of issues: which places (partners) go with which themes; given the themes and places, which interpretive media techniques makes the most sense; how do partners want or intend to participate in coordinated interpretation and collaborative strategies.

Our ultimate goal is to develop a pilot project in the region that will demonstrate the validity and advantages of developing collaborative strategies in the Heritage Area for more effective partnerships,

This project offers an opportunity to provide a template for other regions and for the entire Heritage Area.

*** Registration will be limited to the first 45 registrants so everyone can participate fully in the discussions. Participants are encouraged to attend both the April and May forums.

Register for Forum

Who is facilitating the forums?
Ron Thomson, spent 21 years as a National Park Service interpretive specialist and has 11 years experience as an interpretive planning consultant and writer. He recently facilitated interpretive planning workshops at Morristown National Historical Park and consulted on an interpretive plan for the Erie Canal Heritage Area. A former resident of Gloucester County, Mr. Thomson knows New Jersey well.

Who are the other professionals participating?
Steve Feldman has been the principal of Steve Feldman Design, LLC in Philadelphia for 16 years. The firm has designed numerous exhibitions extensively for historical and cultural museums and associations, including Winterthur, the State Museum in Harrisburg and the Princeton Historical Society.

Howard Green, is an historian and founder of Public History Partners, a consulting firm. For 26 years he worked with the New Jersey Historical Commission where he served as Program Director of the Oral History Program and then as Research Director. A prolific writer, he has consulted for many universities and non-profit organizations on public history issues.

Craig Johnson, principal in Talisman Interactive of Philadelphia, has created inventions and award-winning multi-media interactive exhibits ranging from the PhotoPan System, a dynamic panoramic recording and projection system for planetariums, to interactive multi-media exhibits at the Fairmount Waterworks Interpretive Center in Philadelphia and the New York Stock Exchange Visitors Center.

Who should attend? Anyone who is interested in the Crossroads of the American Revolution Heritage Area with a particular focus on the region surrounding Morristown National Historical Park. Historic and land conservationists, state, county and local officials, smart growth enthusiasts, historic site representatives, educators, business people in a variety of areas especially the travel and tourism industry.

When are the forums? Thursday, May 18, 2006 and Friday, June 16, 2006 – 9:00 am to 3:30 pm

What is the schedule?
9:00 – 9:30 Registration and Continental breakfast
9:30 – 12:30 Morning Session
12:30 - 1:30 Lunch
1:30 - 3:30 Afternoon Session

Where are the forums?  VISIONING OUR HERITAGE AREA will be held at the Morristown National Historical Park’s temporary headquarters at the Cross Estate on Jockey Hollow Road, Bernardsville.

Who is sponsoring the forums? Crossroads of the American Revolution Association and Morristown National Historical Park with a project grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.

Directions to the temporary offices of Morristown National Historical Park:

1. From Route 287 (north or south)
2. Take exit 30B, for Route 202 North
3. Turn right at the end of the ramp (coming from either north and south)
4. At the traffic light, turn right onto Route 202 North; look for brown and
   white signs JOCKEY HOLLOW
5. At the next traffic light, turn left on to Tempe Wick Road (the name of
   this same road to the right is Glen Alpin Road)
6. Follow Tempe Wick Road PAST the entrance to Jockey Hollow
   for about 1/2 mile, turn left on to Leddell Road. As you cross a short one way stone bridge you enter Bernards Township and the road becomes Jockey Hollow Road
7. Look for signs on the left for New Jersey Brigade, Cross Estate Gardens and National Park Service.
8. Turn off to the left – 61C Jockey Hollow Road.
9. Follow the visitors’ signs and park in front of the mansion; ring the front door bell