History

Pluckemin, which is now a village of Bedminster, has had a rich and storied history. Many may not know what a point of significance Pluckemin was during the Revolutionary War. In the Library of Congress, for instance, there are 20 letters from George Washington that mention the village of Pluckemin.

In fact, General George Washington, our nation’s first President, spent significant time in the village of Pluckemin, New Jersey. On Sunday, January 15, 1777, General Washington was on hand for the burial of Captain William Leslie, son of the Earl of Leven, Scotland. Also at that historic burial were Generals Sullivan, Knox and Dr. Benjamin Rush.
The future first First Lady, Martha Washington made her first visit to New Jersey in 1777. She came first to the village of Pluckemin.

In the winter of 1778-1779, Pluckemin was again a central point in the Revolutionary War. General Henry Knox established a massive artillery encampment, where he began conducting training. This site and the training he conducted there became the forerunner to West Point.

On February 18, 1779, George Washington attended the first Grand Alliance Ball. The Ball commemorated the first anniversary of the alliance between the colonists and the French, which ended in victory at the battle of Yorktown. Over 400 dignitaries, including George and Martha Washington, attended this historic event on the grounds of the John Boylan House.

Jacob Eoff (native of Germany who purchased 500 acres of Pluckemin) built the Pluckemin Inn and the Pluckemin Tavern. The Tavern was the site of many meetings of the “committee of safety” as well as Washington’s Army. It is now roughly the site on which the Pluckemin Inn stands.