Johnson Ferry House - Washington Crossing State Park - NJ
Posted by: 
94RedRover
N 40° 17.972 W 074° 52.092
18T E 511201 N 4461011
On December 25, 1776 General George Washington crossed the Delaware River, with 2,400 troops, artillery and supplies, setting the stage for the Battle of Trenton, a decisive victory for the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War.
Waymark Code: WM6R3N
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 07/11/2009
Views: 9
"WASHINGTON CROSSING, 6.9 m. (60 alt., 30 pop.), is a quiet hamlet that won a name and fame from 1776 sufficient to overshadow any future distinction the village may acquire. Its most interesting building is the small, white frame JOHNSON HOUSE (open daily 9-5; free), popularly known as the McKonkey House, which stands on a terrace (L) a few hundred feet north of the corner of State 29 and Pennington Rd. There is some evidence that this is not the original Johnson ferry house, but the Johnson Tavern; at any rate, it has been restored by the State. Here, more than 160 years ago, Washington is said to have found shelter on Christmas night when his troops were crossing the Delaware for the surprise attack on Trenton. In rooms with low, beamed ceilings and great fireplaces are preserved interesting relics of Revolutionary times."
--- New Jersey, A Guide to its Past and Present, 1939
Washington Crossing State Park has preserved this early 18th-century farmhouse once owned by Garret Johnson. Johnson ran the ferry service which brought Washington's Army across the Delaware River that Christmas night. As it was a very cold night, there is a high likelihood that Washington would have spent some time in the house as the rest of his army crossed.
The park has preserved the house with period furniture, and even a kitchen garden. The house sits just off Route 29 north of Washington Cross Pennington Road.