Exploring Fort Lee NJ – Visiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical

Fort Lee Historic Park

Hudson Terrace

Fort Lee, NJ 07024

(291) 461-1776

https://www.njpalisades.org/fortlee.html

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46446-d6899671-r995868317-Fort_Lee_Historic_Park-Fort_Lee_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The Visitors Center offers a very interesting and thorough display of the Revolutionary and of the War effort by ordinary citizens.

The Main Gallery of the Visitors Center

About the park:

Fort Lee Historic Park is set on 33 landscaped acres atop the Palisades just south of the George Washington Bridge, with spectacular overlooks of the Hudson, Manhattan, and the George Washington Bridge. There are a Visitor Center and Museum, reconstructed 18th Century soldier hut and campsite, and reconstructed gun batteries.

Fort Lee has been named as a significant stop on the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Revolutionary War trail (The Fort Lee Historic Park website).

The History of the Park:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lee_Historic_Park

The Battle of Fort Lee:

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/maps/fort-lee-nov-20-1776

The Hessian soldier display

The Battleships

The Soldiers display

The ‘Fall of Fort Washington’ display

The Visitor’s Center and Museum of the site tells the story of the battles fought, the retreats done and the important role that Fort Lee played in the history and foundation of this country. Each display shows the life and times of these brave men and women who survived famine and war to help build a nation.

Artifacts of the soldiers equipment

Artifacts of American soldiers

Washington returns to Fort Lee

Washington Returns to Fort Lee

The battles and triumphs of General Washington, his fellow generals and the troops during the war effort.

The American defenses

American Women’s display

Women’s accessories during the Revolutionary War

Women’s clothing

The Patriot display in the back gallery

The Patriot display

Spying on the British

The Battle of the Palisades

Cannonballs from the War

The second floor galleries at the Visitors Center better describe the people involved with the war effort

The Muskets & Rifles

Display of British, German & Loyalist troops

The American Troops display on the second floor

The British Generals’s display

The Generals on the American side of the Battle

The housing during the War

American War equipment

The Fort Lee Museum at the Judge Moore House

1588 Palisade Avenue

Fort Lee, NJ 07024

(201) 592-3580

contact@thefortleehistoricalsociety.org

https://www.njpalisades.org/fortlee.html

https://www.fortleenj.org/facilities/facility/details/Fort-Lee-Museum-30

Open: Saturday & Sunday-12:00pm-4:00pm

Fee: Free with donation

TripAdvisor Review:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46446-d12268273-Reviews-The_Fort_Lee_Museum_at_the_Judge_Moore_House-Fort_Lee_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

I visited the Fort Lee Museum at the Judge Moor House today to see the exhibition on Palisades Park Amusement Park and to see the history of the early film industry. Silent films started in Fort Lee long before they moved Los Angeles.

It was interesting to see how many silent screen stars started in Fort Lee including Mae Marsh, Lillian and Dorothy Gish and Mabel Normad and where the movies were shot. The museum shows how the industry grew and the studios that were created in town.

Exhibitions at the museum

The Palisade Park exhibition was on the progression of the growth of the amusement industry in North Jersey and exhibited many artifacts from the old park. There were many pictures of the park in many different eras.

The Palisade Park exhibition

From the museum:

The Fort Lee Museum is a historic museum in Fort Lee, New Jersey on Palisade Avenue within Monument Park. The museum opened in April 1999 and is operated by the Fort Lee Historical Society.

The museum building is also known as the Judge Moore House. It was built in 1922 with an exterior of bluestone quarried from the Hudson Palisades atop which Fort Lee is situated. The building was slated for demolition in 1989 but community intervention prevented its destruction and the borough purchased it.

The Judge Moore house

The museum has a collections which speak the long history of Fort Lee and surrounding communities such as the Battle of Fort Lee. America’s first motion picture, the George Washington Bridge and Palisades Amusement Park.

Monument Park was built by the Daughters of the American Revolution and dedicated in 1908 at a ceremony attended by General “Black Jack” Pershing. The park was part of the original Fort Constitution of the Continental Army under the leadership of General George Washington. Over 2,600 troops were stationed in and around the Monument Park area. In 2004, the park was reconstructed for the Fort Lee Centennial. A time capsule was placed at the foot of the monument to be opened at the Bicentennial Celebration in the year 2104. Monument Park and Continental Army Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn are the only parks in the US to be dedicated to soldiers of the American Revolution.

*Note from the editor: The Fort Lee Museum is in a very unusual location right off the Main Street of Fort Lee and tucked off to the side. It only takes about an hour to see the whole museum.

Hiram’s at 1345 Palisade Avenue

https://www.menupix.com/newjersey/restaurants/3020177/Hirams-Roadstand-Fort-Lee-NJ

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46446-d873711-Reviews-Hiram_s_Roadstand-Fort_Lee_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

When you are finished your tour, stop at Hiram’s down the road on Palisades Avenue for a deep fried hot dog. It is worth the trip.

The best deep fried hot dogs and fries

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