The historic gem of NW New Jersey has the first known grave of the land of Whippanong, its “Plymouth Rock”. Heroes from the Revolution rest here. There was the first school and church. Nearby was the first iron forge and many water-powered mills. Learn of explosions – lots of them, including huge ones. Learn of Kings and revolutionaries; armies and spies; of the birth of television and of Space Flight.
The program begins with explosions: an introduction to NW New Jersey. They are explained by the presence of Iron under Morris County — which, by itself it was the 4th greatest producer of iron of all the States. The mines needed explosives, and engineers.
The land had been covered by a mile of ice just 15,000 years ago. Some 10,000 years ago, Native Americans — the Lenae Lenape — arrived and stayed until 1752, when they signed a treaty, “for about $1,000 — get out of New Jersey” (well, it wasn’t a State yet.) In 1758, the first “Indian Reservation” — Brotherton — was established, for those Lenape who had not left. This part of our history is sad.
We cover how Hanover came about from Whippany — to Honor a British King who might not have been able to speak English.
We find the world’s first Television Broadcast transmitted from Whippany’s Bell Laboratories; the Gateway to Space, where the engines for the X-1 through X-15 were developed and tested — engines which taught how to build those which powered the Space Shuttle.
We see that Whippany may have been all of Morris, Warren, and Sussex counties (we claim it did).
A lot of history… that is still continuing.