List of historic sites preserved along Rochambeau's route
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A series of sites along the
Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route The Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route is a series of roads used in 1781 by the Continental Army under the command of George Washington and the Expédition Particulière under the command of Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau during their 1 ...
have been listed on the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
or otherwise recognized and preserved. Buildings or roadway or other artifacts at these sites have been preserved and still evoke the army's passage in 1781 and its return in 1782. A multiple-property documentation study completed in 2001 addressed many of the Connecticut sites, and outlined criteria for NRHP-eligibility of others.


List of historic sites

Recognized historic sites include, from East to West: * University Hall (), Providence, Rhode Island. (1st camp was Providence) * Waterman's Tavern (2nd camp) (), Coventry, Rhode Island * Dorrance Inn (), Sterling, Connecticut * Sterling Hill Historic District () * March Route of Rochambeau's Army: Plainfield Pike () is a 3.6-mile-long road segment in Plainfield and
Sterling, Connecticut Sterling is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,578 at the 2020 census. History The town was named after John Sterling, an early settler. Sterling was incorporated in 1794 following approval of the state A ...
that is a portion of the historic march route. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. It is a portion of Connecticut Route 14A, locally known as Plainfield Pike, which is level in the eastern part but generally hilly with curves. Along the route is open land including pasture and cornfields, wooded areas, and streams including Ekonk Brook. It is bordered by stone walls about 50 feet apart on both sides for most of the way. The only concentration of houses as of 2002 was of 18th- and 19th-century homes in the Sterling Hill Historic District. The roadway was poor and caused difficulty for the artillery and baggage trains. The segment includes views of countryside evocative of how the land would have been in 1781 for the troops marching through. and * March Route of Rochambeau's Army: Old Canterbury Road () is a historic site in
Plainfield, Connecticut Plainfield is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 14,973 at the 2020 census. The town comprises four villages: Plainfield (south, ZIP code 06374), Moosup (northeast, 06354), Wauregan (northwest, 06387), an ...
along the march route of Rochambeau's army. It includes a stretch of what is now Old Canterbury Road and a stretch of Canterbury Road (
Connecticut Route 14A Connecticut Route 14 is one of several secondary routes from eastern Connecticut into Rhode Island. It runs from the Willimantic section of the town of Windham to the Rhode Island state line in Sterling. Route description Route 14 ...
). It is a site that was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 2003. This particular segment of the route was deemed historically significant in 2002 "because it allows one to imagine the appearance of the Connecticut countryside—the cultivated fields, woods, stone walls, and narrow, windy roads—that the French army encountered as it made its way to and from the Battle of Yorktown, the engagement that decided the outcome of the American Revolution". It was traversed by Rochambeau's troops in June 1781 on their way to Virginia, and again in November 1782 on their return to Rhode Island. Part of the site is a narrow, curving paved road with a border of shrubs and vines and stone walls along much of its length. A stand of mature
sugar maple ''Acer saccharum'', the sugar maple, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is native to the hardwood forests of eastern Canada and eastern United States. Sugar maple is best known for being the prim ...
trees gives shade to a portion of the site. Houses along the section are more modern than the 1781-82 era but are set back far enough to not interfere with the evocation of Rochambeau's marching troops. and At the east end of the segment, stone walls are preserved on both sides of the road, and "there are expansive views of plowed fields and pasture both to the north and to the south" as of 2002. The passage of the French army along this route is documented by a period route map drawn by French military engineer Louis-Alexandre Berthier, republished by Rice and Brown in 1972 and reproduced in the 2002 NRHP nomination document. * March Route of Rochambeau's Army: Manship Road-Barstow Road () is part of the march route in
Canterbury, Connecticut Canterbury is a New England town, town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,045 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History The area was settled by English colonists in the 1680s as ''Peagscomsuck''. It c ...
that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. It is significant as a preserved section of the march route which is followed in this area by
Connecticut Route 14 Connecticut Route 14 is one of several secondary routes from eastern Connecticut into Rhode Island. It runs from the Willimantic section of the town of Windham to the Rhode Island state line in Sterling. Route description Route 14 ...
. This section, however, is a bypassed loop of road, cut off by a road realignment in the 1930s, and therefore without traffic and not modernized. The section is approximately 1,400 feet of bypassed loop of road on the north side of the main road along Manship Road and Barstow Road, starting from a junction of the loop with Manship Road and running to Westminster Road. It is paved road about 20 feet wide, plus a margin to stone walls lining the road. The designated area is about 50 to 55 feet wide, extending to the walls. The National Register nomination of 2001 includes six photos of narrow roadway, stone walls, and the one house along this section. The house is also historical, dating from about the 1840s, and adds to rather than detracting from the historical feel. Rochambeau's troops marched through here in June 1781 and found the road along this general area to be the most difficult along their whole journey. The road has been paved but the visual appearance is still evocative of the historical period. and * March Route of Rochambeau's Army: Palmer Road () is the section of Palmer Road from the intersection with Miller Road east to a point 800 feet from the junction with Pudding Hill Road in
Scotland, Connecticut Scotland is a town in Windham County, Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 1,576. Scotland is a predominantly rural town with agriculture as the principal industry. Scotland is the least populated town in Windham County. G ...
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. It was a narrow, steep, stony road then, but now it has expansive views of farmland. The French troops with artillery and wagons reportedly found the marching difficult in this segment, though easier after the hill. It was reportedly viewed by the French as "a narrow, steep, and stony road" in this segment (per Rice and Brown, 1972, p. 23, cited in NRHP document). and The modern road is paved, but its hilly, winding nature and remnants of stone walls and other elements evoke the experience of the French troops in this section. * March Route of Rochambeau's Army: Scotland Road () is along Scotland Road from the intersection with Back Road to 80 Scotland Road in
Windham, Connecticut Windham is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. It contains the former city of Willimantic as well as the boroughs of Windham Center, North Windham, and South Windham. Willimantic, an incorporated city since 1893, was consol ...
, approximately 1,700 feet long and a portion of
Connecticut Route 14 Connecticut Route 14 is one of several secondary routes from eastern Connecticut into Rhode Island. It runs from the Willimantic section of the town of Windham to the Rhode Island state line in Sterling. Route description Route 14 ...
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. The roadway is modern, but the stone walls and views of countryside are much as they would have been in 1781-82. and * Fourth Camp of Rochambeau's Army, Windham, Connecticut * Forty-Seventh Camp of Rochambeau's Army (),
Windham, Connecticut Windham is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. It contains the former city of Willimantic as well as the boroughs of Windham Center, North Windham, and South Windham. Willimantic, an incorporated city since 1893, was consol ...
, used on return in 1782 instead of site of 4th camp, also in Windham. * William Williams House () in Lebanon, Connecticut,
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
home of a signer of the
Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...
* Governor Jonathan Trumbull's
War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...
() in Lebanon, Connecticut, also known as the ''Joseph Trumble Office and Store'', which was the most important Revolutionary War-associated building in Connecticut * John Trumbull Birthplace (), Lebanon, Connecticut * White's Tavern (), Andover, Connecticut * March Route of Rochambeau's Army: Hutchinson Road () is a historic site in
Andover, Connecticut Andover is a rural town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,151 at the 2020 census. Andover is home to Andover Elementary School for grades K–6 while grades 7–12 go to R.H.A.M. middle and high schools. Andover ...
along the 1781-82 march route of Rochambeau's army. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. It is primarily a section of roadway and includes White's Tavern. and * March Route of Rochambeau's Army: Bailey Road () is a section of abandoned old roadway that is a historic site in
Bolton, Connecticut Bolton ( ) is a small suburban town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. It is primarily residential with an economy made up mostly of small businesses. The high school typically has between fifty and one hundred students per grade. The ...
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. It is "the most intact and evocative section of Rochambeau's route." and Bailey Road originally connected Route 6 with Brandy Street in Bolton but the portion west of the Andover-Bolton town line has since been overgrown and is no longer passable by motor vehicles. A remnant of Bailey Road in Bolton still exists as an unpaved footpath and still retains the characteristic stone walls, as well as two original stone culverts. * Fifth Camp of Rochambeau's Infantry (), also known as Site 12-25, is an
archeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...
in
Bolton, Connecticut Bolton ( ) is a small suburban town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. It is primarily residential with an economy made up mostly of small businesses. The high school typically has between fifty and one hundred students per grade. The ...
that is related to the 1781 campsite of Rochambeau's army. It is a site that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, listed for its information potential. According to a study completed in 2001, it "is an open field that retains its visual qualities, with stone walls marking the same field lines as shown on the map prepared by the French engineers. The camp was occupied for four nights in a row, one night by each regiment, in June, 1781. A large number of artifacts have been recovered to date, including numbered regimental buttons, .66 caliber musket balls, period coins, and a lead bar." * Joseph Webb House (), Wethersfield, Connecticut where
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
and Rochambeau met in 1781 to plan the campaign * Levi B. Frost House () also known as Asa Barnes Tavern in the 1780s, in Southington, Connecticut * Marion Historic District (), eighth camp in 1781, and also a camp on return in 1782, Southington, Connecticut * Josiah Bronson House (), Middlebury, Connecticut * Daniel Basset House (),
Monroe, Connecticut Monroe is a town located in eastern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 18,825 at the 2020 census. Monroe is largely considered a bedroom community of New York City, New Haven, and Bridgeport. History On May 15, 1 ...
, built in 1775, site of a ball held for the French officers of Lauzun's mounted section of Rochambeau's army on June 30, 1781, which camped nearby. and * Monroe Center Historic District (), whose Monroe Center Green was site of a dance for 600 of Rochambeau's troops on June 30, 1781 * Camps Nos. 10 and 41 of Rochambeau's Army (), also known as Site No. 97-87D, is an archeological site that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. The listed site is in area. * Caleb Baldwin Tavern (), Newtown, Connecticut * Newtown Borough Historic District (), Newtown, Connecticut * March Route of Rochambeau's Army: Reservoir Road () is a historic site in Newtown, Connecticut. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. The listed site is less than in area and comprises a section of Reservoir Road running between stone walls, which is believed to be the roadway taken by Rochambeau's army. It is an undeveloped property. and * March Route of Rochambeau's Army: Ridgebury Road () is a historic site in
Ridgefield, Connecticut Ridgefield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, the 300-year-old community had a population of 25,033 at the 2020 census. The town center, which was formerly a borough ...
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. It is a 1,600-foot section of the Ridgebury Road, and the defined property is about 50 feet wide, running from stone walls on either side. It is known with certainty to have been traversed by Rochambeau's army in 1781, and the current appearance in this section is much the same now as it was then. and *
Odell House The Odell House is a historic home located at Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, United States. During the American Revolutionary War, the Odell farm served as headquarters of Count de Rochambeau and campsite for the French expedition ...
(), Greenburgh, New York * John Fell House (), 475 Franklin Turnpike,
Allendale, New Jersey Allendale is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 6,505,John Fell (1721–1798), judge and member of the Continental Congress. * Henry Doremus House () Historic Dutch stone house in
Montville, New Jersey Montville is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 21,528, reflecting an increase of 689 (+3.3%) from the 20,839 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in tu ...
. *
Ford Mansion The Ford Mansion, also known as Washington's Headquarters, is a classic 18th-century American home located at 30 Washington Place in Morristown, New Jersey. It was built by Jacob Ford Jr. in 1774 and is now owned by the National Park Service. I ...
() Washington's Headquarters in Morristown, New Jersey, 1779–1780. * Peter Kemble House () Home of
Peter Kemble Peter Kemble (December 12, 1704 – February 23, 1789) was an American politician from the colonial period who served as President of the New Jersey Provincial Council from 1745 to 1776, the last to hold that office. Biography Peter Kemble was bo ...
near Morristown, New Jersey. * Old Oak Tree at Presbyterian Church in Basking Ridge () 600 year-old oak tree in church yard overlooked Rochambeau's troops marching past. The church building standing then has been replaced by an 1839-built
Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...
church, also historical, but the church yard and tree of 1781 survive. In Basking Ridge, New Jersey. *
Van Veghten House The Van Veghten House is a historic building in the Finderne section of Bridgewater Township, New Jersey. It was built around 1725 and served as the headquarters of Quartermaster General Nathanael Greene during the second Middlebrook encampmen ...
() The Van Veghten House in Finderne, New Jersey was also the headquarters of Quartermaster General
Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependab ...
during the
second Middlebrook encampment "Middlebrook encampment" may refer to one of two different seasonal stays of the Continental Army in central New Jersey near the Middlebrook in Bridgewater Township in Somerset County. They are usually differentiated by either the date of the encamp ...
(winter of 1778–79). *Alexandria camp: The camp of the wagon train of Rochambeau's army in
Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...
is commemorated by a historic plaque at 609 Oronoco Street (). Wagons were ferried across and down the
Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...
from Georgetown in Maryland (in what is now Washington, D.C.) to Alexandria during September 24 and 25, 1781, and the wagon train departed on September 26. *Peyton's Ordinary: A commemorative marker at 2664 Jefferson Davis Highway, Stafford, Virginia () identifies where Rochambeau's army camped one night in 1782 when marching north from Williamsburg. *Yorktown Battlefield /
Colonial National Historical Park Colonial National Historical Park is located in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia and is operated by the National Park Service of the United States government. The park protects and interprets several sites relating to the Colony of Virgini ...


Gallery

File:Joseph Webb House - Wethersfield, CT - 2.jpg, Joseph Webb House in Wethersfield, Connecticut, in 2009 File:Asa Barnes Tavern.jpg , Asa Barnes Tavern/ Levi B. Frost House in Southington, Connecticut, in 2011


References

{{National Register of Historic Places, state=collapsed historic sites preserved along Rochambeau's route Connecticut in the American Revolution * National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut New Jersey in the American Revolution Rhode Island in the American Revolution