Courtesy Thomas Stone National Historic Park
Thomas Stone National Historic Park
Port Tobacco, Md.
No great battles of the American Revolution were fought in Maryland; however, the state was home to several signers of the Declaration of Independence.
One of them was Thomas Stone, a planter and lawyer, signed the declaration, worked on a committee that formed the Articles of Confederation and acted as president of Congress for a short period in 1784.
His home is part of the Thomas Stone National Historic Site, which also includes 322 acres of trails, outbuildings and a gravesite of the former residents. A short tour of his home tells of Stone’s background, beliefs and family life.
— www.nps.gov/thst —
Brandywine Battlefield
Chadds Ford, Pa.
Brandywine Battlefield, 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia, is the site of the British victory over Washington’s Continental Army that paved the way for their taking Philadelphia.
At the time, Quaker farmers occupied the Brandywine Valley, but in the aftermath of the battle, their crops and livestock were destroyed, and the Br itish occupied their homes. Today, these farmhouses, including the Gideon Gilpin House, have been restored and are filled with vintage Quaker furnishings.
Washington’s Headquarters can also be visited, and staff and volunteers from the Friends of Brandywine Battlefield offer tours of the park and battlefield from Wednesday to Sunday.
— www.brandywinebattlefield.org —
Monmouth Battlefield State Park
Manalapan, N.J.
The pastoral fields and forests in rural New Jersey were never the same after the epic Battle of Monmouth, one of the largest of the American Revolution. Every June, hundreds of costumed interpreters gather to re-enact the battle, but throughout the year interpretive and educational programs are available to tell the history of the bloody battlefield.
Working orchards, farms and the pastoral landscape can be explored on foot, and exhibits among the hills and hedgerows allow visitors to learn more about the battle.