Elizabethtown Point

The Point was the main ferry landing connecting Elizabethtown (now Elizabeth) to Staten Island and New York, serving as a vital commercial and travel hub. On January 23–24, 1776, Patriot forces under Col. Elias Dayton and Matthias Ogden seized a British supply ship here, intercepting arms and ammunition bound for Boston. On January 25, 1780, British and Loyalist troops crossed here to launch a devastating raid that burned parts of Elizabeth, destroyed the First Presbyterian Church, and set in motion the chain of events leading to the murder of Reverend James Caldwell’s wife at Connecticut Farms on June 7. British forces would again cross at the Point ahead of both the Battle of Connecticut Farms and the climactic Battle of Springfield on June 23, 1780.