First Presbyterian Church

At the Presbyterian Church site in Morristown, you’ll find the third church built on this ground, but the original church—and the burial ground beside it—were here during the winter encampment of 1777. Over 130 of those buried here were either casualties or veterans of the American Revolution, making this cemetery a sobering reminder of the human cost of the war. Yet this ground also tells a story of resilience and survival.

From his headquarters at Arnold’s Tavern just across the Green, General George Washington issued a groundbreaking order on February 6, 1777: the Continental Army would be inoculated against smallpox. The original church served as a hospital and quarantine site for the risky procedure. Though the disease claimed dozens of local lives—nearly 10% of Morristown’s population—Washington later called the effort an “amazing success.” These grounds stand as evidence of both the suffering and the strength that sustained the army through one of its most vulnerable seasons.