Summerseat is located at 130 Legion Ave. in Morrisville and is owned and operated by Historic Morrisville Society, an all-volunteer, 501 C3 organization. Summerseat is open for free tours the first Saturday of every month from 10 AM to 1 PM and arrangements can be made for private tours at a cost of $5 per person by calling 215-295-7339 or 215-295- 2900. Web site: historicsummerseat.org

Title: Remembering Our Heritage

December 8^th 1776, was a cold and bleak day in more ways than one. That was the day General George Washington arrived in Morrisville, then known as Colvin’s Ferry.  He arrived from the New York – New Jersey campaign where he and his men suffered a series of devastating defeats at the hands of British forces.

Retreating from New York and being chased all the way down through New Jersey by General William Howe’s British regulars, General Washington reached the banks of the Delaware River at Trenton, N.J.  To buy time, he crossed over into Pennsylvania and gave orders to confiscate or scuttle every boat in the vicinity.  He arrived at Summerseat, the home of Thomas Barclay, and set up headquarters.

Historians report that General Washington had an air of melancholy about him when he arrived.  Earlier that year he had confided to his nephew, Lund Washington, “I fear the game is pretty much up”, but his honor would not allow him quit the fight. Adding to his problems, conscriptions in the Continental Army were up at the end of the year.  His soldiers, ill-trained and ill-fed and without shoes or blankets, weren’t expected to re-enlist. This was not lost on General Washington who wrote, “Naked and starving though they are, we cannot enough admire the incomparable patience and fidelity of the soldiery”.  It was likely that by the first of January, Washington would have no army.

When facing almost certain defeat it is nearly impossible to maintain a never give up spirit.  However, those who can, often change the course of history.  Such turning points often have monumental impacts upon the lives of millions as this one did.

Summerseat was built on a hill a short distance from the Delaware River.  From Summerseat’s second floor windows, the General could look out across the Delaware and see into Trenton.  It didn’t take long before Washington and his generals learned that Gen. Howe’s army was leaving central New Jersey to winter in New York.  The widely accepted rules of military combat in 1776 were that gentleman did not fight in the winter months and certainly not during the Christmas season.  A contingent of about 1,500 of Colonel Johann Rall’s Hessian troops was left behind to guard Trenton.

If walls could talk ….   Did General Washington stand at the windows and watch or did he pace up and down on the wide planked floors?  What strategies were discussed in the home as he and his generals gathered around the planning table?  We do know that when General Washington left Summerseat, eight days after his arrival he said, “I may have a plan.”

On December 26^th 1776, General George Washington and his Continental Army attacked Col. Rall’s Trenton Barracks and were victorious. Those who have studied the Battle of Trenton or read about Washington’s Crossing know of the sacrifice, heartache and sheer blind determination it took to get there. The victory at Trenton changed the course of the war.  The hopes and confidence of the people were lifted. The possibility that they actually could win their independence from Great Britain started to grow.  Young men flocked to join the Continental Army and a government for America by Americans became a real possibility in the hearts and hopes of the people. 

We owe so much to those who have gone before. Their sacrifices and hard won victories reveal their greatness and allow us to find greatness in ourselves. It is vital to remember our history and to teach it to our children lest we forget.