Where Washington Slept (in the River Towns)

George Washington had a love-hate relationship with the River Towns. The Delaware River first posed an obstacle as Washington and his troops, having retreated from New York City, fled pursuing British soldiers across New Jersey in November and early December 1776. Through December the river served as a kind of moat that protected Washington’s forces in Bucks County while the general gathered with his closest aides to plot his next move. Then, on Christmas night, it was an ice-clogged barrier to ford, his troops aided by the fleet of Durham boats that Washington had procured from a small army of local civilians, before marching to the Battle of Trenton on December 26. They returned that day to Pennsylvania with almost 900 Hessian prisoners, and went back across four days later for the Battle of Assunpink Creek.

In fact, during the pivotal eighteen months from December 1776 to June 1778, Washington and his army crossed the river no fewer than six times. As best as can be determined, he spent forty-five nights in the River Towns during this period, usually accompanied by several thousand soldiers and hundreds of camp followers—women and even children, often the soldiers’ families—who helped feed the soldiers, wash their laundry, and maintain their encampments.

Historians have identified seven homes in the River Towns that served as his headquarters. That doesn’t necessarily mean he slept in each house, according to Clint Flack, an exhibit specialist at the Mercer Museum. “Often he’d sleep in his marquee, or tent, outside the house,” Flack says. “He might hold his war council meetings inside and take his meals there. Weather would’ve been a factor. We just can’t know for sure.”

Here’s what we do know about Washington’s movements through the River Towns during this pivotal period of the American Revolution:

Summerseat Where: 130 Legion Street, Morrisville

When: December 8–14, 1776

Why: After leading his troops across the Delaware, Washington stayed at the home of Thomas Barclay, a merchant and avowed Patriot. While there, Washington issued orders to seize all the boats on the river and hide them from the British. He wondered: Would the British attempt an attack and threaten Philadelphia? Would they hunker down for the winter? Should he try a surprise attack on the Hessians in Trenton?

History: Built in 1765 by wealthy landowner Adam Hoops, Summerseat was owned during the war by Barclay, Hoops’ son-in-law, and later by Robert Morris and George Clymer, two signers of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

Today: Summerseat is a National Historic Landmark run by the Historic Morrisville Society. Tours are conducted on the first Saturday of each month, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., $7 admission. Private tours may also be arranged. historicsummerseat.com

William Keith House Where: Pineville Road, near Jericho Creek, Upper Makefield

When: December 14–24, 1776

Why: Washington moved about ten miles northwest to Upper Makefield, nearer Coryell’s and McConkey’s ferries. The general stayed at the home of William Keith, a wealthy farmer sympathetic to the cause. It was here that Washington prepared his plans for attacking the roughly 1,500 Hessians, German mercenaries fighting for the British, who were stationed in Trenton. Most of his troops would cross the river at McConkey’s Ferry, just four miles away.

History: Built along Jericho Creek, most likely in the 1740s, the house and acreage were bought by Keith around 1760 and remained in his family for 133 years. The house was destroyed in a fire in 1981.

Widow Harris House Where: Corner of Sycamore Street and Washington Avenue, Newtown

When: December 26–29, 1776

Why: After defeating the Hessians (in under two hours), the troops marched nearly 900 Hessian prisoners to Newtown, where Washington stayed at the home of Hannah Harris, widow of John Harris. It was here where a buoyant Washington wrote to John Hancock and the Congress in Philadelphia about “the Success of an Enterprize” in Trenton.

History: Believed to have been built in 1757, the stone house was torn down in 1863 and rebuilt with the same stones on the foundation. That building was demolished in the summer of 1965 to make way for a new gas station, an event that helped spur the formation of the Newtown Historic Association.

John Barnes House Where: Queen Street (now Broad Street), Trenton

When: December 30, 1776–January 1, 1777

Why: Washington stayed here while prepping for the Battle of Trenton.

History: John Barnes was a Loyalist and distiller who became a major in the British Army and died in combat on Staten Island later in 1777. The house was torn down in the nineteenth century.

Richard Holcombe House Where: North Main Street, Lambertville

When: July 28–31, 1777, and June 21–22, 1778

Why: In 1777, after spending the winter and spring in New Jersey, Washington was informed that the British fleet was sailing up Chesapeake Bay, so the Continental Army headed for Philadelphia. Before crossing the Delaware at Coryell’s Ferry, in modern-day Lambertville, Washington stayed at the home of Richard Holcombe, who had built the house around 1756. In the early summer of 1778, following the now infamous winter at Valley Forge, Washington returned to the Holcombe House while on his way east to the Battle of Monmouth. His bill for thirty-eight dinners, bread, butter, and “trouble etc made for the house” was ten pounds, seventeen shillings, six pence.

Today: The house remained in the family until 2021, when it was sold to the city of Lambertville by a seventh-generation Holcombe descendant. You may walk the grounds and admire the exterior of the house and barn, but there are no regular public tours.

Moland House Where: 1641 York Road, Warminster

When: August 10–23, 1777

Why: Washington’s army of 11,000 troops paused at this farm along the banks of the Little Neshaminy Creek, puzzled over where the British fleet was sailing. For thirteen days they encamped there before heading south to the Battle of Brandywine. (By this time, Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens were Washington’s aides-de-camp, and the Marquis de Lafayette had joined the force—much of the cast of Hamilton.) The farm had been established by John Moland, a wealthy lawyer who died in 1761. His wife, Catherine, was alone on the farm when Washington’s troops arrived—one son was in the American army, another was fighting for the British.

History: By the late twentieth century, the house was divided into apartments, one of which was occupied by a young Jim Greenwood, who would go on to represent Bucks County in the United States Congress.

Today: A gem of a historic site, the Moland House has been painstakingly restored and maintained by the Warwick Township Historical Society, which conducts tours the second and fourth Sunday from April to October (and the second Sunday year-round). moland.org

Jonathan Fell House Where: Orchard Lane, Doylestown When: June 20, 1778 Why: After their long winter in Valley Forge, the Continental Army, now numbering nearly 15,000, was headed back across the river to New Jersey and the Battle of Monmouth. They would cross at Coryell’s Ferry, in modern-day New Hope. En route, Washington stopped in Doylestown for the night.

Today: Over the centuries the Fell House has been expanded significantly. Today it’s a private residence, tucked discreetly among late-twentieth century homes. In recent years, real estate listings have priced the house at $2.6 million.