Morristown National Historic Park Prepares to Close

The rumors of a government shutdown turned out to be true, as no deal was reached in Congress as the new fiscal year began.

With Congress at a stalemate over the budget and a government shutdown in effect, hundreds of thousands of nonessential federal employees may be furloughed until an agreement is reached, according to a report in the Daily Record.

Federally managed parks in Morris County also will close, including Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and Morristown National Historic Park. Those sites will include Jockey Hollow in Harding and Fort Nonsense, the Ford Mansion and the Washington’s Headquarters Museum in Morristown.

Tom Ross, superintendent for Morristown National Historic Park, told the Daily Record he is also holding out hope Congress will reach a last-minute agreement, but said he is prepared to close the gates today on all Morristown historic parks, including Jockey Hollow in Harding and Fort Nonsense, the Ford Mansion and the Washington’s Headquarters Museum in Morristown.

“Signage will go up, and all parks and trails will be closed to the public,” Ross said. “All scheduled programs, including field trips, will have to be canceled as well.”