History is for Everyone

Landmark

New Bridge Landing Historic Park

Hackensack, NJFeatured Site

About This Place

New Bridge Landing, located at the historic crossing of the Hackensack River between present-day River Edge and New Milford, is one of the most significant Revolutionary War sites in Bergen County. The bridge here was the point where Washington's retreating army crossed the Hackensack River on November 20-21, 1776, in the desperate withdrawal from Fort Lee that nearly ended the Revolution. The site includes the Steuben House, a colonial Dutch sandstone house that served as Washington's headquarters during the crossing and was later confiscated from its Loyalist owner and presented to Baron von Steuben by the State of New Jersey after the war.

The park encompasses several historic buildings, a reconstructed bridge, and interpretive trails along the Hackensack River. It is managed by the Bergen County Historical Society and is open to the public.

Revolutionary Significance

New Bridge Landing was the critical crossing point during Washington's November 1776 retreat from Fort Lee. The Continental Army's passage over the Hackensack River at this point preserved the army from destruction and allowed the retreat to continue south toward Trenton. The Steuben House at the site was confiscated from Loyalist Jan Zabriskie and awarded to Baron Friedrich von Steuben after the war, symbolizing the transfer of property and power that accompanied the Revolution in Bergen County.

Location

1201-1209 Main Street, River Edge, NJ 07661

Open in Google Maps →

Events at This Location

  1. 1774

    Bergen County Divided: Loyalties Split

    Reverend Dirck Romeyn, Judge John Fell, Sam of Hackensack

  2. 1775

    Formation of the Bergen County Committee of Safety

    Judge John Fell, Sam of Hackensack

  3. 1775

    Militia Musters on the Green

    Major John Mauritius Goetschius, Reverend Dirck Romeyn, Sam of Hackensack

  4. 1775

  5. 1776

    Fall of Fort Lee

    Sam of Hackensack

  6. 1776

    Washington's Retreat Through Hackensack

    Reverend Dirck Romeyn, Sam of Hackensack

  7. 1776

    British Occupation of Bergen County

    Reverend Dirck Romeyn, Sam of Hackensack

  8. 1776

    Desecration of the First Dutch Reformed Church

    Reverend Dirck Romeyn, Sam of Hackensack

  9. 1776

    Loyalist Raids and Partisan Warfare in Bergen County

    Major John Mauritius Goetschius, Sam of Hackensack

  10. 1777

    Capture of Judge John Fell by Loyalist Raiders

    Judge John Fell, Sam of Hackensack

  11. 1777

  12. 1778

    Continental Army Foraging Expeditions in Bergen County

    Brigadier General Anthony Wayne, Major John Mauritius Goetschius, Sam of Hackensack

  13. 1778

    Confiscation of Loyalist Property

    Judge John Fell, Sam of Hackensack

  14. 1778

  15. 1778

    Baylor Massacre at River Vale

    Major John Mauritius Goetschius, Sam of Hackensack

  16. 1783

    End of the War and Return of the Displaced

    Reverend Dirck Romeyn, Judge John Fell, Sam of Hackensack

New Bridge Landing Historic Park | History is for Everyone | History is for Everyone