Cannon on display at the site of Fort Nonsense

Fort Nonsense is located near downtown Morristown and is the second stop on an automobile tour of Morristown National Historical Park. There is nothing left of the fort, but this is the highest point in Morristown, and you can get a view of the surrounding area.

View of Morristown

While the main focus of Morristown National Historical Park is the Continental Army’s 1779-80 winter encampment during which time over one hundred men died, Fort Nonsense actually dates to the first winter of the American Revolution when troops also camped at Morristown. In the spring of 1777, General George Washington had his men build an earthen fort that included a guard house that could accommodate up to thirty men. Since the fort never saw any action, the locals began calling it Fort Nonsense, insisting that Washington had his men build it just to keep them busy. (Note: a stone marker placed in 1888 claims the fort was built in the winter of 1779-80, a direct conflict with the modern-day information panels placed by the National Park Service).

Stone marker placed by the Washington Association of New Jersey in 1888

Archaeological evidence has pinpointed the location of the fort walls, and these are now outlined with stone. There are also seven information panels about the fort and two cannon on display.