REVOLUTIONARY WAR SITES IN MEHDHAM, NEW JERSEY

HILLTOP CHURCH AND CEMETERY

Hilltop Church
20 Hilltop Rd.
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The original Hilltop Church building at this site was built in 1745 and stood here at the time of the Revolutionary War. In early 1777, General George Washington and the Continental (American) Army were encamped seven miles from here at Morristown. When many of the soldiers took ill with small pox, some of them were taken here and the church was used as a hospital. Twenty-seven of these soldiers died while here and were buried in the church cemetery in a common grave.

The original 1745 Hilltop Church was replaced by a larger church building in 1817. That church burned down in 1835 and was replaced by another building which itself burned down in 1859. The current church structure which stands here today was built in 1860. [1]

LEBBEUS DOD HOUSE

Lebbeus Dod House
67 West Main St.
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This house is a private residence.
Please respect the privacy and property of the owners.

This house, which was built circa 1750, was the home of Lebbeus Dod (1739 -1816). Dodd served as a captain in the Morris County Militia during the Revolutionary War. [2]

As the historic sign mentions, Dod was also a craftsman who was well-known for the quality of clocks and mathematical instruments he created. One of the instruments he built is displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. [3]

RALSTON GRIST MILL HOUSE (Logan Grist Mill)
within the
RALSTON DISTRICT OF MENDHAM

Ralston Grist Mill (Logan Grist Mill)
County Rd. 510 and Roxiticus Rd.
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This house is a private residence.
Please respect the privacy and property of the owners.

This house was originally a grist mill and saw mill owned by a man named John Logan, built circa 1742. During the encampment of the Continental Army at Jockey Hollow in the winter of 1779-1780, flour ground at Logan's mill was used to feed troops. Logan was apparently not properly paid by the Continental Army, which led to him to go bankrupt. The mill and property were later purchased by John Ralston, a merchant from Philadelphia who married Logan's daughter Margaret. This mill continued to operate until 1900. It was converted into a residence in the early 1940's, and it remains a private home.

The Ralston District of Mendham historic sign is located on the opposite corner of Roxitcus Road on County Road 510. It stands in front of a general store built in 1786, three years after the end of the Revolutionary War. It was owned by John Ralston, who had purchased the mill from John Logan. The General Store is open as an exhibit to the public on Sundays from June through mid-October, from 2-5 p.m..

There are a number of historic houses in the Ralston District of Mendham, most of which date to after the Revolutionary War years.

For more information about all of the houses in the Ralston Historic District, see this Tour of Historic Homes in the Ralston Historic District of Mendham Township brochure which was prepared by Ralston Historical Association. [4]

Source Notes:

1. ^ Wright, Helen Martha. The First Presbyterian Congregation, Mendham, Morris County, New Jersey, History and Records, 1738-1938 (Jersey City: 1939) Page 64-65, 145-159, and 164-165

2. ^ Circa 1750 date, and the identification of this as Dod's house, drawn from the Morris County Heritage Commission sign in front.

• In the DAR Genealogical Research System, Lebbeus Dod is Ancestor #A032744.

3. ^ Parallel Rule with Protractor and Plotting Scale, by Lebbeus Dod, on the Metropolitan Museum of Art website

4. ^ Information about the Ralston Grist Mill and the Ralston District of Mendham was drawn from:

• Morris County Heritage Commission sign

• History of Ralston page of the Ralston Historical Association website

• Ralston Historical Association's 2005 brochure Tour of Historic Homes in the Ralston Historic District, available as a PDF on their website here