Library News & EventsE-Blast Header - JulyJuly 2026
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Clarence Dillon Public Library Celebrates 250 years of American Independence
 
Bedminster and Far Hills in the American Revolution
By Caitlyn Parker

April 19, 1775, marked the start of the American Revolution. Within a year, the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, and this month we celebrate its 250th anniversary.
 
Bedminster and the Far Hills area played an important role in the Revolutionary War, not just due to their strategic location, but because of the local leadership and support given to the cause.
 
Prior to the war, underground political groups called Committees of Correspondence were formed by Patriot leaders throughout the colonies to coordinate resistance against British policies. By establishing a reliable network for sharing political news and anti-British propaganda, they united the fractured colonies and laid the groundwork for the First Continental Congress. Bedminster’s committee was established in 1774. Local records from the Presbyterian Church at Pluckemin note that residents John Wortman (a Pluckemin blacksmith), Guisbert Sutphen, Aaron Melick, and Colonel Hunt met to plan local resistance. Their actions were considered bold and daring, as it instantly made them marked men.
 
By June 1775, all eligible men were required to enroll in local militias, which were organized by local Committees of Safety. The First Battalion of the Somerset Militia was established and led by Colonel William Alexander, known as Lord Stirling. A claimant to a Scottish earldom, Stirling had settled in Basking Ridge in 1761 and quickly espoused the Patriot cause, with local Captain Jacob Ten Eyck leading a company within his battalion. Colonel Alexander would later be promoted to Brigadier General in the Continental Army.
 
In his book Lesser Crossroads, Andrew D. Mellick Jr. references a contemporary Pennsylvania Packet article stating:
“The martial spirit which prevails among the inhabitants of Somerset County, in New Jersey, truly merits the attention of the public. We have certain intelligence that they are forming themselves into companies, and daily exercising, to become complete masters of the military discipline… and chose Mr. [Jacob] Ten Eyck, captain, under whose command eighty-five volunteers immediately enlisted, to be in readiness at an hour’s warning.”
This militia company was eventually integrated into the Continental Army operations, moving on to Long Island to help quell Tory rebellions.
In December 1776, British troops raided Pluckemin after being informed of the local resistors. They targeted St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, which was believed to be a hub for the local movement. They also looted William McEowen’s general store, which served as an army commissary, and marched south into the Chambers Brook area and out to Larger Crossroads searching for prominent rebel leaders. As the British returned to Pluckemin, Captain Isaiah Van Arsdale organized his neighbors and ambushed the marauding troops, forcing them to retreat hastily toward Bound Brook without returning fire. The British would raid the area again later in the war, famously capturing Patriot Elias Van der Veer from his family’s mill on the North Branch of the Raritan River; he was held on a prison ship in New York Harbor until in 1778.
 
Soon after that initial 1776 raid by the British, General George Washington led his troops to historic victories at the Battles of Trenton (December 26, 1776) and Princeton (January 3, 1777). According to Pioneers, Pastors, and Patriots by R. Gloria Landers, “guns of the Battle of Princeton were heard in the Lamington area and the campfires of the victorious Americans could be seen that night on the hillsides of Pluckemin.” On January 4, Washington and his army arrived in Pluckemin to rest and tend to the wounded, who were cared for in the homes of local residents. The troops camped from January 4 to 5 near Chambers Brook on Jacob Eoff’s farm. Accompanying them were 13 British officers and 230 British prisoners, who were held under guard at the very same Lutheran church that had been targeted weeks earlier. A stone monument memorializing the route travelled can be found on Rt. 202/206 in Pluckemin.
 
General Washington returned to the area on July 27, 1777, dining with local Patriots at John Phoenix’s tavern at the corner of Lamington Road and Larger Crossroads. This followed a New Jersey Council of Safety meeting held the previous week in Oldwick, led by local leaders John Mehelm and Dr. Oliver Barnet. Washington would later select the area as the location to establish the Pluckemin Artillery Cantonment. This site became America's first formal military academy, training artillery officers and serving as a vital winter encampment for troops the winter of 1778-1779 under General Henry Knox. 
 
Bedminster, Far Hills, Peapack, and Gladstone will celebrate our 250 years of independence and our rich history on July 4th from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM at River Road Park, located across from the historic cantonment site. The Jacobus Vanderveer House, which served as headquarters to General Knox during the encampment, will be open to visitors.
 
All this and more can be explored in the local history collection housed in the library’s Anne O’Brien Room, named in memory of the former Bedminster Township Historian and Committeewoman. 
 
 

 Visit our 250th exhibit in the downstairs meeting room
 
Please click this link to see all of our adult 250th celebration programs
NEW Museum Pass - Morris County Historic Sites including Fosterfields, Cooper Grist Mill, and Historic Speedwell.  Click Here to see all of our Museum Passes
 Short Story Time
 
Short Stories returns on Tuesday,  September 1.
We will be discussing "Paradise" by Yxta Maya Murray. 
Copies are available at the circulation desk in the library. 
 
Special Programs
Kid's Balloon & Movement Show!
Kids - get ready to MOVE & HAVE FUN !!

Register for this fun Balloon & Movement program with our friend, Earl Hicks!    Wednesday 7/15 
4:30 pm
Balloon Animals, Fun, Music, and Movement!
Register Here
 
 
    Join us for an evening of fun and trivia!  
Trivia Night is Wednesday, July 22 @ 6:30 pm 
There are snacks and prizes
Please Register

Story Time at The Farmers Market 
Miss Caroline will be at the Bedminster Farmers Market
Saturday, July 25th at 10:30 at River Road Park

**Save the Date**
 
 
Steve Woyce Magic Show
Saturday, August 1 at 11:30 am
Register Here

Women's Forum
 
 
Women’s Forum Bus Trip to Princeton University Art Museum
Hailed by TIME MAGAZINE as One of the World's Greatest Places of 2026, the stunningly expanded and redesigned PRINCETON UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM is our destination in late July. In honor of America 250, the museum presents a special exhibit titled What is an American? Artists Reflect.  It is set right on campus within a short walking distance of town with its shops and restaurants. (The museum has a chic little restaurant as well.)  Weather permitting, if we choose to spend the entire day at the museum or venture forth into town, our day promises to be an adventure of discovery!
Thursday, July 30
Bus Ticket $40 
(Museum entry is free to the public.)
Bus leaves Dillon Library in Bedminster NJ at 9am. Return pickup at the museum at 3pm. 
Join Wait List

Live Virtual Talk With The Author
This is a virtual live event on the computer and you are able to submit your questions to the authors! Can't make the virtual live event? All author talks are recorded and can be viewed at a later date of your choosing.
Virtual Author Talk with Karin Slaughter
Tuesday, Jul. 14, 7:00 pm

Join us for a thrilling evening with acclaimed author Karin Slaughter as we chat about her North Falls series, consisting of We Are All Guilty Here, in which two teenage girls vanish in rural Georgia, and her upcoming sequel, The Secrets We Hide. 
 
Register Here
Virtual Author Talk with Reyna Grande
Thursday, Jul. 16, 2:00 PM
 
In her ambitious new memoir, Migrant Heart: Essays About Things I Can’t Forget, beloved bestselling author Reyna Grande illuminates the hidden cost of the American Dream and the complex journey of healing that follows survival.
 
Register Here
Virtual Talk with Dr. Marisa Franco
Tuesday, Jul. 28, 2:00 PM
 
Join us in virtual conversation with bestselling author Dr. Marisa Franco, one of the world’s leading experts in human connection. Her book, Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make–And Keep–Friends, explores the science of different attachment styles and how they impact our relationships–often in ways we don’t realize!
 
Register Here
Weekly Programs
Yoga
 
Register for Monday @ 9am (Virtual)
 Register for Thursday @ 9am (Virtual)
Knitting with Eleanor
 
Every Wednesday @ 11am
In-Person (No Registration Required)
Meditation & Mindfulness
 
Every Wednesday at 7:15pm (Virtual)
Register Here
Chair Yoga
 
Every Friday @ 10:30am
In-Person (No Registration Required)
Canasta

Every Monday 9:15 - 11:15am
No Registration Required

Virtual Evening Book Club
On Zoom
**The Virtual Evening Book Club returns in September**

Morning Book Club
  Thursday,  July 16 at 11am
"The Professor and the Madman" by Marie Bostwick
Register Here
**Morning Book Club returns in September**

Additional Library Programs
ESL - English as a Second Language
Beginner A and B - Mondays @ 7:15 pm
No Registration Needed - Drop-In
MAHJONGG
Tuesday Mahjongg 
Attention experienced Mah Jongg players.The Tuesday program is now open.  Please contact Andrea, the Mah Jongg facilitator, at (480) 282-7977 to make a reservation.  
Wednesday Mahjongg - Full/Closed
Bridge
 
Mondays from 11:30-4pm
 
In person | Walk-in
We are looking for new players. All skill levels welcome
Bridge Lessons for Beginners with Chris Regan

Mondays @ 3pm
 
There is a $10 fee which is paid to the instructor. 
 
The bridge tables are back up on Mondays at 11:30am for interested players.  Informal format.  The library has a limited supply of decks and experienced players are welcome to bring their own cards and supplies.  If interested in attending the 2:30pm beginning learning session please call the instructor at 908-334-7885 
Drop in Computer Help
 
 
Returns in September 
Sandy's Music
 
 
Returns in September

 
Tuesday, July 28th
 11-4pm
 More Information


 
All webinars are online
William Livingston: Governor, General, Signer of the Constitution
Wednesday, Jul. 15, 12:00 pm

James Madison reportedly once said, “William Livingston did not take an active part in the debates at the Constitutional Convention but he was placed on important Committees where it may be presumed that he had an agency and a due influence.” Was Madison accusing Livingston of being lazy? What was Livingston’s role at the Constitutional Convention? Prove James Madison wrong and discover how our historic neighbor, William Livingston, shaped the ideas that make up the government of the United States from the assumption of State debts to the creation of the Electoral College!  Please join Hannah Gaston, Director of Education at Liberty Hall Museum, as she uncovers the many lives of William 
Register Here
Medicare 101
July 21 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Medicare is the cornerstone of medical care for the retired and aged, but it can be difficult to navigate its complexities, especially if you are new to the program. Please join us as Jeff Previte from Senior Health Navigators LLC will demystify the Medicare process.
Register Here
Researching New Jersey Revolutionary and Civil War Records
July 29 @ 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
 
Military records are a rich source of genealogical information, often preserving details not found anywhere else, including signatures. New Jersey offers especially strong resources for researching Revolutionary and Civil War ancestors. As the nation marks the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, these records help connect individual family histories to the broader story of the country’s founding and growth. Join Regina Fitzpatrick, Genealogy Librarian at the New Jersey State Library, for an overview of key state and federal collections available through the New Jersey State Archives, New Jersey State Library, and National Archives. She will also introduce the State Library’s new digital exhibition, NJ250: Living Documents, Evolving Rights, exploring how New Jersey’s evolving constitutions shaped the ongoing fight for liberty.
*This webinar is being done through the Mercer County Library System.  Please contact them with any questions.*
Register Here

Friday Movies - Contemporary
ALL SCREENINGS BEGIN AT 1:30PM 
 
No registration required
The Roaring Game (2025) (95 min.) Not Rated
Friday, Jul. 17, 1:30 pm
 
If you have been waiting for a movie about the sport of curling, then this film is for you.  To impress his girlfriend, a janitor gathers a team of misfits to form a curling team and they intend to win a gold medal at the Olympics. This film features Darin Brooks, Mickey Rourke, Justin Chatwin, and Rob Gronkowski.
Is This Thing On? (2025)(121 min.) Rated R
Friday, Jul. 24, 1:30 pm
Will Arnett and Laura Dern star as a married couple whose marriage is unraveling.  The husband seeks a purpose as a stand-up comedian and the wife must confront the sacrifices she made for the family. The film was directed by Bradley Cooper and also features Amy Sedaris and Andra Day.

 
                                  Local Events
Bedminster Farmers Market

River Road Park, 3055 River Road (intersection of River Road and Route 202/206 South), Bedminster, New Jersey. Opening day is Saturday, May 23  and the season will run through December 5. The market hours are 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM

        Kids & Teens Highlighted Programs 
Summer Reading Program begins Saturday 6/20 and runs through 8/15!

Read – Record - Reward
Are you signed up?

           Get ready for another summer that is ROARING to GO!!   Our summer reading program:  UNEARTH A STORY begins Saturday 6/20.
 
               For each 20 minutes you read, kids & teens can log in their time (either through paper format or via www.ReadSquared.com).
For every 4 weeks of reading receive a raffle ticket to win a big prize! 
 
Program runs:  6/20 – 8/15
Click Here to see the entire Children's Newsletter

Thank You Friends!


 
A special "Thank You!" and heartfelt gratitude to the Friends of the Clarence Dillon Library for their generosity and support of our excellent library programs.
 
Bedminster Township | Far Hills Borough
 
 
Clarence Dillon Public Library
2336 Lamington Rd.
Bedminster, New Jersey 07921
908-234-2325

http://www.dillonlibrary.org