Washington Crossing Historic Park

The 500-acre Washington Crossing Historic Park (PA) hosts thousands of visitors every year, from local schoolchildren to visitors from around the world, who come to see the point from which a battered and dispirited American army launched a counterattack that reversed its long losing streak, preserving its will to fight and maintaining the revolutionary spirit that would lead to independence for the United States. But Washington Crossing Historic Park represents much more than a single event. Restored Colonial buildings in the park, such as the Thompson-Neely House and McConkey Ferry Inn, give many clues about living conditions during the Revolutionary era. Later, homes and shops reveal how 19th-century rural Pennsylvanians lived and worked. Among them are the home of a prosperous merchant, a village general store, and homes for skilled artisans. The park also contains Bowman's Hill Tower, Revolutionary War soldiers' graves, stone memorials, picnic pavilions and historic collections.