SOMERVILLE, N.J. — Acting Environmental Protection Commissioner Edward Potosnak stood at the Wallace House Historic Site on Thursday and announced approximately $130 million in active construction and design work across more than 30 state-owned historic properties. The announcement arrived 30 days before July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and many projects are expected to finish this summer.

Crews are restoring the Wallace House, the Somerset County property that served as General Washington’s headquarters during the Continental Army’s 1778-1779 winter encampment at Middlebrook. The state has allocated $4.3 million to the site. The National Park Service awarded a combined $950,000 in November 2025: a $750,000 Semiquincentennial Grant for interior rehabilitation and a $200,000 Preservation Planning Grant for stream restoration and interpretation planning.

The release describes the Wallace House as one piece of a broader package funded by constitutionally dedicated Corporate Business Tax revenue under the Preserve New Jersey Act, the New Jersey Debt Defeasance and Prevention Fund, the New Jersey Historic Trust, the federal American Rescue Plan, the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund and the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Fund. The Murphy Administration invested $25 million in ten Revolutionary War sites in 2022. That earlier round included Washington Crossing State Park and Trenton’s Old Barracks Museum.

The DEP notes that the projects are funded by several federal and state administrations and some are years in the making. The Preserve New Jersey Act dedicates 6 percent of Corporate Business Tax revenue to green acres, historic preservation and farmland preservation. Department of Community Affairs records show the constitutional amendment restricts these funds to recreation, conservation, farmland preservation and historic preservation purposes.

The largest single project with a disclosed price tag is the Washington Crossing State Park Museum and Visitor Center in Mercer County. The DEP estimates the center will cost approximately $25 million and anticipates the building will open later this year. The existing museum stays closed until the new building opens later this year. The new center will feature a 4-D immersive experience, a 125-seat multipurpose theater and a terrazzo floor lobby depicting a historic map of the crossing. 

Potosnak called the center “New Jersey’s gift to America in celebration of the 250th.” Governor Mikie Sherrill said in the release that “the determination and resilience of America and her people can be found in the pivotal actions of New Jersey’s contributions from 250 years ago to today.”

In Camden the Walt Whitman House is undergoing a $13 million renovation that will add a new Visitor and Interpretive Center and restore the exterior. Whitman owned only one home, the 1848 Camden property which he purchased in 1884. The DEP release states that in the house Whitman “rose to international fame as the author of ‘Leaves of Grass,’ welcomed visitors from around the world, and completed his final comprehensive volume of poetry before his death in 1892.”

The DEP press release states the property “is closed to the public for the duration of the project and is expected to reopen in 2027.” The DEP’s own website for the site states the house “will be closed from December 1, 2025 until Fall of 2026 undergoing major renovations including a new visitor center.” The Walt Whitman Association posts the same Fall 2026 target. No DEP source reconciles the discrepancy.

At Liberty State Park in Jersey City, the train shed has sat in ruins since the park opened in 1976 as New Jersey’s bicentennial gift to the nation. Architect A. Lincoln Bush designed the structure between 1912 and 1914. The DEP release states it is the largest Bush-type train shed ever built and served as a debarkation point for immigrants who arrived via Ellis Island. The DEP anticipates restoration will begin later this year with removal of the concrete roof, asbestos abatement and stabilization of the structure. Crews will replace many structural elements and install new steel supports in place of historic cast-iron columns. The DEP release states a portion of the restored shed will create flexible gathering and event space with seating and interpretive programming. The project falls within the funding package but remains in early stages.

Other Sites Throughout the State Receiving Funding

The release highlights active work in Atlantic, Camden, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties. The Revolutionary War sites form the backbone of the package. Princeton Battlefield State Park in Mercer County now carries upgraded interpretive signage and an augmented reality mobile tour app, and the DEP release notes the park has begun development of a multiyear landscape restoration plan with early visioning for a future visitor center. Crews restored the Clarke House roof at the battlefield. In Monmouth County, the state is installing new signage at Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Manalapan to educate visitors about one of the longest battles of the American Revolution. Trenton's Battle Monument is getting an ADA-compliant base. 

Rockingham Historic Site in Franklin Township, Somerset County—General Washington's final wartime headquarters—saw completed exterior restoration. Work included structural improvements to the front porch, new pathways and updated wayfinding and interpretive signage. Additional structural repairs continue at the Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage. The Proprietary House in Middlesex County is receiving a new fire suppression system and ADA improvements.

South and east, workers are restoring the Absecon Lighthouse exterior in Atlantic County. In Camden County, contractors are renovating the Indian King Tavern interior and exterior, including replacement of the climate control system. 

Other work focuses on park infrastructure and historic structures. Restoration teams are working on Ringwood Manor exterior windows in Passaic County. Workers restored windows and doors at the Hancock House in Salem County. In Sussex County, workers are restoring Civilian Conservation Corps cabins at Stokes State Forest. The DEP release notes the cabins were built under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. Contractors are also adding an ADA ramp and restroom at Boxwood Hall in Union County. 

The DEP release lists Waterloo Village under Warren County. The village and park offices sit in Sussex County within Allamuchy Mountain State Park which spans both counties. Crews are restoring a historic structure at Waterloo Village and stabilizing the Iron Masters House and the Morris Canal Inclined Plane.

The DEP announced in January 2026 that it is accepting applications for more than 800 seasonal positions at state parks, forests and historic sites. Positions include history educators at Fort Mott State Park, Rockingham Historic Site, Twin Lights Historic Site, the Wallace House, and Wharton State Forest. Salaries for most positions start at $16.50 an hour. The release lists history educators at seven sites but does not specify how many specialized interpreters will guide visitors through 250th-specific programming.

Potosnak said that “the ongoing projects across our state historic sites, including the Washington Crossing Visitor Center, will ensure a safe, educational, enjoyable and welcoming experience for the many visitors expected this year.”

The release named costs for three projects and omitted the rest. The Whitman House may reopen in Fall 2026 or 2027, depending on which DEP source is consulted. Crews have not begun the train shed restoration. July 4 is 29 days away. The state has committed the money and the contractors have the work orders, but the calendar turns to July 4 regardless of whether the paint is dry.

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Sources

· NJ Department of Environmental Protection, “Sherrill Administration Highlights More Than $130 Million In Investments For Visitor Improvement Projects At State-owned Historic Sites” (June 4, 2026)

· NJ Department of Environmental Protection, “National Park Service Awards DEP Nearly $1 Million In Grants For Wallace House Historic Site Rehabilitation” (November 19, 2025)

· NJ Department of Environmental Protection, “With Peak Visitation Expected Statewide This Year For The United States’ 250th Celebrations, DEP Now Accepting Applications For More Than 800 Seasonal State Parks Jobs” (January 15, 2026)

· NJ Department of Environmental Protection, “Walt Whitman House Historic Site” (accessed June 4, 2026)

· NJ Department of Environmental Protection, “Washington Crossing State Park” (accessed June 4, 2026)

· NJ Department of Community Affairs, “Preserve New Jersey Historic Preservation Fund” (accessed June 4, 2026)

· The Walt Whitman Association, “Visiting the Whitman House” (January 2026)

· Preservation NJ, “Waterloo Village” (accessed June 4, 2026)

· Hunter Research, “Waterloo Village” (accessed June 4, 2026)