Colonial Campaigns Club (CCC)

New Jersey has a bit of a budget problem. The state budget has been the topic of much discussions and cuts are proposed in many areas. In tonights news I saw that the proposal is to close a number of state parks and reduce the operation at others.

Monmouth Battlefield State Park was on the list of those to close. Washington Crossing State Park to have reduced operations.

Monmouth is a nice park and the visitor center (located at the position of the American Artilery) is not huge, but informative. However, I doubt if most visitors really understand the battle by just visiting the park. Most just use it for picnics. I suspect the number of visitors per square mile of park is low compared to other parks, while its overal size contributes to the cost. Also if I read the article correctly only one state park - on the ocean - actually makes a profit.

There is an annual encampment weekend which brings in a fair number of re-enactors and visitors. Years ago there was also a second Re-enactor weekend by the Civil War groups. I had the opportunity to take a battlefield tour with a West Point military expert a number of years ago and that was a great experience. The local historical group was also featured on a History Channel show that was investigating the details of the battle. Molly's Picher's well is not part of the park, but is simply marked by commemorative sign along one of the local roads - you could easily miss it.

The Boy Scouts have a 10 miles historical trail hike that goes through the park as well as other local sites associated with the battle. It's only draw back is that the start and end are about 5 miles from each other, so transportation needs to be planned.

It will be a loss if the park does close, but if you expereince our taxes you would understand why things have to change. Unfortunately I suspect the next step after closing the park, will be to start to sell off some of the land.