"The beacon at Mount Bethel was probably located on the hill behind the former site of the King George Inn (corner of King George and Mountainview Roads) in Warren Township... From this point much of northern Somerset County is visible."
Alan A. Siegel, president of the Warren Historical Society, posted that comment in April 2025 under a Journal of the American Revolution article about the Watchung ridge beacons. In August 2026, a reader posted a reply with a different spot. He placed the beacon at the old Mount Bethel Meeting House location on what is now Old Church Road, closer to Watchung. He also noted that the meetinghouse moved to its current site in the mid-1780s, after the war.
So Warren has two candidate hilltops for the same fire. In early October, Siegel will stand in front of a Warren audience and talk about that beacon by name.
Why a Moved Meetinghouse Changes Where a Fire Burned
The beacons weren't decorative. The Journal of the American Revolution describes Lord Stirling's Watchung system as an alarm network. It could summon militia, show which direction British troops were moving, and direct the militia's response. The article counts 23 beacons along a ridge system of more than 40 miles. A beacon had to be seen by the next one in the chain, so a difference of a mile or two between hilltops matters.
The name "Mount Bethel" is where the confusion starts. The Mount Bethel Baptist Meeting House stands at 235 Mountainview Road. New Jersey's Historic Preservation Office dates its construction to 1786, after the fighting and in line with the reader's note about a mid-1780s move. Warren's own preservation plan describes a Revolutionary-era community centered on a Baptist church on Old Church Road and a schoolhouse on Mount Bethel Road. A wartime source that says "Mount Bethel" could mean the congregation's original Old Church Road site or the general hilltop area that later took the name. Siegel's King George Road theory and the reader's Old Church Road theory each take one of those readings.
The landmark people picture today, the white meetinghouse on Mountainview Road, may not mark where the beacon was at all.
The Militia Count Has Moved Too
The beacon isn't the only number in flux. The township's historic preservation plan takes its background history from A Brief History of Warren Township, a 1996 publication by Alan A. Siegel. That history describes a Revolutionary-era settlement of fewer than 100 families and estimates that about 20 Warren men served in the state militia. The library's 2026 description of Siegel's upcoming talk says 50.
Both figures trace back to the same historian, about 30 years apart. Neither source explains the gap. A newer count could come from new research, from a different reading of who counted as a Warren resident, or from records that recently came to light. That's a question for the person who wrote the newer number, and he has a scheduled audience.
October 6 Puts Both Questions in a Courtroom
Siegel's talk, "Warren NJ in the American Revolution," is subtitled after his new publication, The Spirit of Liberty. It's listed by the Somerset County Library System for Tuesday, October 6, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The venue is the Susie B. Boyce Court Room at the Warren Township Court, 44 Mountain Boulevard. Warren's township calendar lists the same event from 6 to 8 p.m. Check the time on the library's registration page before heading out. When the listing was captured, it showed 36 seats left.
According to the program description, the talk covers three topics:
- the Continental Army's artillery march along Mountain Boulevard on its way to the encounter with the British at Yorktown
- the two signal beacons, one at Mount Bethel and one near Morning Glory
- the Warren men who served in the militia
The library notes that Siegel has written ten published books on state and local history, plus pamphlets on Warren Township and its historic buildings. The listing doesn't name a publisher for The Spirit of Liberty.
The court building's address puts the evening on the same Mountain Boulevard the artillery march used, according to the program description.
The October Calendar, Sorted by What Is Confirmed
Warren's June announcement promised talks, festivals, reenactments, and tours "throughout the summer and fall" for the 250th anniversary. The library tags these programs #Rev250, which ties the milestone to America's semiquincentennial. Warren Township itself was created in 1806. The township flyer still marks its October reenactment as proposed.
| Date | Event | Where | Status as of September 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 5, 15, 19, 23 | Mayors Wellness Campaign walks | East County Park / Codington Trail | Posted by the township |
| Oct 6 | "Warren NJ in the American Revolution" with Alan Siegel | Susie B. Boyce Court Room, 44 Mountain Blvd | Confirmed, registration through SCLSNJ |
| Oct 16, 17, 23, 24 | "Haunted History" with the Watchung Hills Regional High School drama club | Mount Bethel and Trinity United churches | Listed on the township flyer with dates and venues, no times or tickets posted |
| Oct 17, 8:30 a.m. | Codington Farmstead and Woods trail cleanup | Codington trails | Confirmed by the township |
| Oct 17, 2 p.m. | "Great Swamp and the American Revolution" | Warren branch library meeting room | Confirmed, free, registration required |
| October, no date | Signal Beacon Build and Burn, Revolutionary War reenactors and encampment | Wagner Farm fields | Proposed on the township flyer |
The Signal Beacon Build and Burn would be the most direct follow-up to the location debate: a lit beacon on Wagner Farm land. It's also the least confirmed item on the list. The flyer's September anchor at Wagner Farm Arboretum has already fallen through. The inaugural Harvest Festival and Artisan Market, set for September 26 with a 250th theme, was canceled because of forecast high winds. The arboretum's event page now lists 2027 dates. Watch the township's news page before planning around anything still marked proposed.
October 17 Runs From the Codington Woods to the Great Swamp
Saturday, October 17, covers the most ground. It starts outdoors at 8:30 a.m., when the Warren Township Trail Volunteers meet at the Codington Farmstead and Woods trails. They'll clear debris, pull invasive plants, and refresh trail markers. The township says gear is provided and no experience is needed. Volunteers should wear long sleeves, a hat, and sturdy shoes, and bring bug spray. The same announcement links to the township's Hunting Season Safety Guide, which is worth reading before any fall walk on open-space land. The Mayors Wellness Campaign walk scheduled for East County Park and the Codington Trail that day also includes trail cleanup.
That afternoon, from 2 to 3 p.m., Randi Emmer of the Friends of Great Swamp presents "Great Swamp and the American Revolution" in the Warren branch library's Meeting Room. The program was planned with the Elizabeth Snyder-Continental Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It's free with advance registration. The October 6 talk looks at Warren from its ridgetops. This one looks at the low ground to the west, the same terrain a beacon on the Watchung crest would have overlooked.
The House on Reinman Road Has Documented Revolutionary Ties
Unlike the beacons, the Kirch-Ford-Terrill House at 1 Reinman Road still stands where it was built. New Jersey's historic preservation agency describes it as a Dutch Colonial farmhouse. Its earliest section was built by Thomas Terrell between 1766 and 1774. Its Revolutionary connection comes through Captain Ford, a figure in Washington's army who appears on Erskine's route maps. The township has used it as a meeting hall and house museum since 1980. Somerset County's tourism listing says the Township Historic Sites Committee runs the house and that it's open to the public. The listing doesn't give a fall schedule.
The Warren Historical Society and the Historic Sites Committee are separate groups. The township's preservation plan describes the Society as a private organization founded in 1971 that holds local historical documents. The Committee operates the township-owned historic sites. A question about the beacon's location goes to the Society. A question about visiting the Reinman Road house goes to the Committee.
The Ridge Questions Still Open in October
The township is also deciding what land stays open. Warren's Open Space Advisory Committee is collecting resident input for the next ten-year Open Space and Recreation Plan, with the survey due October 9. On September 28, TAPinto reported that the Township Committee unanimously authorized buying the Round Top Swim and Tennis Club property at 106 Mount Horeb Road for no more than $1.05 million. The bond ordinance appropriates $1.4 million to cover the purchase and related improvements, and $70,000 comes from the Open Space Trust Fund. The ordinance authorizes the purchase but doesn't complete it. It takes effect 20 days after its first publication following final adoption.
If you're driving between these events, plan around the Stirling Road bridge between Community Place and Dillon Court. It has been closed to vehicles and pedestrians since August 3, with reopening expected in mid-December 2026. The posted detour uses Mountain Avenue and Hillcrest Road.
Plenty of Warren homes sit along the roads in this story, including King George, Mountainview, Old Church, Mount Bethel, and Mountain Boulevard. Each has a history that goes back further than any listing sheet. If you've wondered what that history means for your own property, or how to present it when the time comes to sell, The Power of 2 would be glad to talk it through with you over coffee in Warren. Schedule a Consultation, and bring your questions about the house as well as the market.
