The Friends of Black Brook Park

The Friends of Black Brook Park from Kenilworth was honored to participate in an American Revolutionary reenactment of the Battle of Short Hills. The reenactment occurred on the 240th anniversary of the battle, which had taken place on June 26th, 1777. The event was sponsored by the County of Union, The Brigade of the American Revolution and the 3rd New Jersey Regiment.
The event, which took place at the Union County Oak Ridge Park in Clark on June 26th, had superb reenactments of the battle that was fought by the American Continentals against British forces, who were trying to lure General Washington down from the safety of the Watchung Mountains. The result of this battle forced the British to consider another strategy and caused them to travel by sea to capture Philadelphia instead.
“This was the best American Revolutionary War event I have had the pleasure to witness in the years since 2001 of following these American Revolutionary War events,” stated Dorothea Krihak, founder of Friends of Black Brook Park. The group was included in the event to exhibit the history behind the Union County Seal: the Battle of Connecticut Farms. That battle, which occurred at a later date during the American Revolutionary War, on June 7th, 1780, had taken place in what is today the towns of Union and Kenilworth.
The Short Hills Battle recreation experience “brought to life” the history of the American Revolutionary War. From the participants’ mode of dress to the supplies for the field action and camps, to the stately horse, attention to accurate detail made the event a success.
“Seeing this reenactment battle, which included horse dragoons (heavily armed soldiers on horseback), was quite a beautiful sight,” explained Dorothea Krihak. “I would like to thank the County of Union for our inclusion in this event at the entrance exhibit. The American Revolutionary War history that took place here in Union County is quite extensive. Having the opportunity to teach the history behind our county seal of Union there is one I will never forget. We had quite a backdrop.”