Celebrating a new visitor center for the Battle of Monmouth

At a critical moment, with American forces in full retreat, George Washington appeared on horseback to rally his troops and turn the tide against the pursuing British.

The Battle of Monmouth - June 28, 1778 - showcased Washington's leadership and the growing effectiveness of the Continental Army after its six-month encampment and drilling at Valley Forge.

It will be marked Friday with the opening of an $8.5 million visitor center at Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Manalapan, N.J., and, on Saturday and Sunday, with the re-creation of the clash for its 235th anniversary, with nearly 1,000 Revolutionary War reenactors.

The nearly 13,000-square-foot center has interactive exhibits, artwork, timelines, maps, and excavated artifacts from the daylong battle, as well as a souvenir and book shop.

"This is an especially exciting milestone for Monmouth Battlefield, one of the historical treasures of the state park system," Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said Thursday during the facility's dedication.

"This new visitor center will provide guests with a much richer experience and fuller understanding of the Battle of Monmouth, a key conflict in our nation's fight for independence," he said.

The old visitor facility, closed since December 2011 and located across from the new site, has been remade into a classroom, archaeological laboratory, and restrooms.

Its replacement has a 100-seat movie theater for a new short film that chronicles the history of the battle. The screening area also provides an overlook of the Parsonage and Sutfin farms, where the Continental Army under Washington clashed with British forces under Lt. Gen. Sir Henry Clinton.

"We recommend visitors to the park make this new center their first stop," said Richard Boornazian, the Department of Environmental Protection's assistant commissioner for natural and historic resources. "The exhibits showcased here are designed to deepen visitors' appreciation for and understanding of this pivotal moment in American history and, for a few hours at least, let them feel what it was like to have lived and fought during the American Revolution."

The DEP invested $8.5 million in corporate business-tax funding for the project under a 2006 voter-approved plan to improve parks and open space administered by it.

"We are very excited to have a new, modern visitor center that tells the story of the whole Monmouth campaign and battle as well as the history of the immediate area both before and after the revolution," said David Martin, vice president of the Friends of Monmouth Battlefield. "Having a theater will also enhance the visitors' experience, since we will now be able to show an orientation film and also give talks there."

The anniversary of the battle will be commemorated Saturday and Sunday with reenactors in period uniforms encamped at the park and re-creating the soldier's life during the revolution. Weekend events include drills, military music, and camp tours. A wreath-laying ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday.

The park opens to the public at 9 a.m. both days, with battle reenactments at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday. The camps close at 5 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.

The Battle of Monmouth took place when Washington's army intercepted an army of British, German, and Loyalist soldiers fleeing from Philadelphia to New York City to escape an impending blockade of the Delaware River by a French fleet.

The fighting that followed mushroomed into one of the longest and largest battles of the Revolution. Both sides reported hundreds of casualties from combat, fatigue, and heat stroke.

"Visitors of all ages will come away with an appreciation for our attention to detail in commemorating this historic battle," said DEP historian Garry Stone. "The more we learn about this engagement, the more we recognize it as a triumph for Washington and the Continental Army."