Replicas of soldier huts at the Pennsylvania Line Encampment Site, Morristown National Historical Park
MORRISTOWN NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK TOUR
STOP 5: PENNSYLVANIA LINE ENCAMPMENT
Allow 20 minutes for a visit
The fifth stop on a tour of Morristown National Historical Park is the Pennsylvania Line Encampment Site. The Pennsylvania Line is the name given to the First and Second Pennsylvania Brigades. These brigades were an important component of the Continental Army and served in nearly all major battles during the American Revolution.
Nothing remains from the Pennsylvania Line’s stay at Jockey Hollow. However, the National Park Service has constructed five replica huts that are of the exact dimensions of the 1779 huts based on historical evidence and post holes that were found in the ground. The first replica huts were built when the park opened in 1933, but these were torn down and replaced with new ones in the 1960s. At the time of this writing, only two of these still exist—two on the far left of the current row of four huts—and these are slated to be torn down in the future and replaced with more accurate reproductions.
The old cabins were built in a time when historical accuracy was not important. Notice that the new huts next to them—one which was under construction when I visited in July 2025—have logs with pointed ends, for these were cut using axes just as the soldiers in 1779 would have used. The old huts have logs with straight-cut ends, for the work on these was done with chainsaws. The new cabins are being built as much as possible using only techniques available in the late 1700s. Even the logs are from trees cut down in the area.
Replicas of soldier huts at the Pennsylvania Line Encampment Site, Morristown National Historical Park
Two remaining replica soldier huts from the 1960s at the Pennsylvania Line Encampment Site, Morristown National Historical Park
Soldiers arrived in Morristown with nothing but a tent to live in until they were able to build their wooden huts, which took about two weeks. Hundreds of acres of forest were stripped for both construction materials and fuel. In many cases the land was privately owned, so with wood now scarce, the owners often tore down the huts once the men left because they needed wood themselves. Troops returned to Morristown in 1780-81 and reused some of the huts, but when they arrived for the third consecutive year, everything was gone. They had to build entirely new huts, thus stripping more acres of forest.
Interior of a typical soldier hut during the American Revolution, Morristown National Historical Park
The soldier huts can be reached by taking a short walk (quarter mile, round trip) up a fairly steep hill from the parking lot for the Pennsylvania Line Encampment Site or by hiking the Yellow Trail. When I arrived, young kids were running up and down the hill, but I heard one older lady say, “This is as much up hill as I want to tackle.” Huts were built on the hillsides so that when it rained they wouldn’t get flooded as they would if they were built at the bottom. This is what happened at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-78. Over a thousand men died that year.
Path from the Pennsylvania Line Encampment Site parking lot to the replica soldier huts at Morristown National Historical Park
Steep hill to the replica soldier huts at the Pennsylvania Line Encampment Site in Morristown National Historical Park
Even with better hut construction and sanitation practices, around 100 men died from cold, starvation, and disease in the winter of 1779-80 at Morristown. A stone memorial on the field below the replica huts marks the area where these men were supposedly buried. In fact, back in the 1930s a log hospital was built on the site. This eventually deteriorated and was torn down in 1979. New research has shown that no hospital was ever here, and what’s more, modern archeological techniques and technologies have turned up no evidence of any graves in the field. In fact, nobody knows where the 100 or so men are buried, but the dead were traditionally buried within the parade ground.
Memorial for what was previously thought to be the Jockey Hollow Cemetery at Morristown National Historical Park
Next Stop: Grand Parade | Previous Stop: Wick House
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Last updated on December 1, 2025
