Here at New Bridge Landing, did you know that you are standing on a place that was once the shopping mall of its day? It was the business center of the upper Hackensack Valley.
Welcome to Historic New Bridge Landing. This site preserves a scenic fragment of New Jersey Dutch countryside. It is famed for its role in the Revolutionary War. New Bridge Landing is strategically situated at the narrows of the Hackensack River.
In the American Revolution, New Bridge Landing was the site of a strategic bridge. This bridge crossed the Hackensack River. General George Washington led his troops in retreat from British forces here on November 20, 1776. Eleven engagements took place here throughout the war.
This was originally known as Aschatking. That means “where the river narrows”. A Swedish land-clearer named Cornelius Mattyse acquired 420 acres here in 1682. He settled at the juncture of Tantaqua’s Creek and the Hackensack River. David Ackerman purchased the land in 1695. He devised a portion of the tract to his son, Johannes Ackerman. Johannes built a dwelling on the Steenrapie Road around 1713.
A tidal gristmill was built on the Hackensack River. This mill got its power from an artificial pond. High tide was trapped in the mouth of Cole’s Brook by a dam. Sloops pulled alongside the mill at New Bridge Landing. In 1744, a road was surveyed to the narrows of the Hackensack River. A “New Bridge” was to be erected.
Jan and Annetje Zabriskie purchased the Johannes Ackerman mill and farm in 1745. This was shortly after construction of the first draw-bridge. The wooden span was called New Bridge. This distinguished it from an older crossing upstream. In 1752, Jan Zabriskie built the oldest part of the Steuben House. The Zabriskies grew wealthy from increased trade.
Iron made in stone furnaces along the Ramapo Mountains was carried to New Bridge Landing. It was loaded onto boats for shipment to market. Flour and animal feed was shipped from the mill. All kinds of wares came in from boats returning from the city. This location had an added advantage. New Bridge remained the nearest river crossing to Newark Bay until 1790. Overland traffic crossed the river here on their way into the interior.
After losses in the Battle of Brooklyn, General George Washington led his troops here. On November 16, 1776, Fort Washington fell to the British. Washington evacuated Fort Lee. In the early morning hours of November 20, 1776, British forces attacked Fort Lee. Washington led his troops in a retreat across the Hackensack River at New Bridge. The hasty withdrawal preserved them from entrapment. They continued westward.
Thomas Paine composed the first tract of The American Crisis at Newark. He used a drumhead for a desk and a campfire for illumination. This essay was intended to rally American resolve.
New Bridge was the key to the peninsula. Significant Revolutionary War events include British troops seizing the New Bridge in 1776. Other events are an attack by British and Loyalist troops in 1779 and an attack by American troops. General Washington made his headquarters in the Zabriskie-Steuben House in 1780.
In 1783, New Jersey presented use of a house, mill and the surrounding areas to Major-General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben. The house had been confiscated from Jan Zabriskie, a Loyalist, in 1781. This estate is now known as the Steuben House.
Today, Historic New Bridge Landing contains three New Jersey Dutch Stone Houses. These are the Steuben House, the Campbell-Christie House, and the Demarest House. The site also contains the 1889 Swing Bridge, the 1889 Westervelt Barn, and a reproduction 18th-century Out Kitchen.
Visiting New Bridge Landing is free. You can take guided tours and self-guided tours. There is a mobile app and map. Special events are offered throughout the year.
The New Bridge Landing station was renamed in 2008. This returned the historical name to the area. As you leave, remember the strategic importance of this site. New Bridge Landing truly was the bridge that saved a nation.