The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1896-01-17
STILL STANDING
The House In Which Washington
Wrote His Farewell Address.
Some Interesting Facts About the Hls-
foric Structure Once Occupied By
the First President of the
United States.

The state Of New Jersey, as every
schoolboy knows, was the scene of
many stirring events during the revolu-
tion, and almost every city, town and
hamlet has, or claims to have, land
mark of which its inhabitants are very
proud and delight to point out to Wis.,
itors. AS in many other parts of the
country, however, some of these monr-
ments, which should have the greatest
claim on the American people from a
historical point of view, have been neg
lected, apparently forgotten and al
lowed to go to decay and ruin. One of
these is the old Berrian house at Rocky
Hill. 1t was in this house that Wash
ington resided for many months, and
among other acts wrote his farewell
address to the continental army The
house, says the New York Tribune, is
an old-fashioned structure, with large,
square rooms and low ceilings to re-
tain the heat from the hickory and
oak logs burned in the big, open fire.
places. At the time that Gen. Wash
ington occupied the house it was the
homestead of the family of Judge John
Berrian, one of the oldest families in the
state, which at that time owned vast
tracts of land, obtained by grants from
the crown. Judge Berrian, when the
clash came, remained loyal to the
American cause, and his house became
a refuge for Gen. Washington on more
than one occasion. The old Berrian
mansion is located about quarter of
mile from the village, on a steep bluff
overlooking the Milestone river. The
little village of Rocky Hill is about six
miles from Princeton as the crow flies
Off the old post road and located in
among the densely wooded hills of
Somerset county it was unknown to
Cornwallis or his soldiers, and after the
battles of Trenton and Princeton was
just the place for Washington and his
handful of continentals to retire to for
rest and refuge.
Washington afterward returned at
different periods to Rocky Hill during
the progress of the war, but the longest
time he resided in the Berrian house
was from June, 1883, to the following
November. This was just after con-
gress had adjourned at Trenton to meet
at Princeton in the old college build
ings, and here Washington was sum-
moned to meet them. Accompanied by
Mrs. Washington and part of his mill
itary family, Washington took up his
residence in the old Berrian house, The
general and his staff rode daily over
the seven miles of road to Princeton,
where congress was in session. Gen.
Washington evidently found life ex-
ceedingly restful and pleasant in the
Berrian house, and found time to in
dulge in the simple social recreations
OF the neighborhood. Among the peo-
pie he called upon was the family of
John Van Horn, wealthy farmer,
with whom was staying at the time the
noted painter, John Dunlap. The lat
ter, in his "reminiscences of Washing
ton, mentions the agreeable surprise
among the people over the pleasant
discovery that the great general pos
sessed a liking for social pleasures and
could appreciate joke by laughing as
heartily as other men. 1t was supposed
that Washington was always serious
and grave.
Gen. Washington and Mrs. Washing
ton were still living in the Berrian
house on November 2, 1888, and while
there the general wrote his farewell
address to the little army of patriots.
Washington left Rocky Hill at the end
of November and went to Newburg to
prepare for his triumphant entry with
his army into New York. 1t is prob
able that he never returned to the old
Berrian house on Rocky Hill although
.la Left behind him mary Interesting