Orange in Essex County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Dispatch Rider of the American Revolution

Dispatch Rider Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bill Coughlin, May 18, 2008

1. Dispatch Rider Marker

Inscription. This statue was dedicated Friday, June 14th, 1907, centennial of first town meeting of Orange, also the 130th Anniversary of the adoption of the Stars and Stripes as our national emblem. In memory of the men and women of this community who assisted in establishing American Independence.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Churches & Religion • War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical date for this entry is June 14, 1789.

Location. 40° 46.42′ N, 74° 14.034′ W. Marker is in Orange, New Jersey, in Essex County. Marker is at the intersection of Main Street (County Route 659) and Scotland Road (County Route 638), on the right when traveling east on Main Street. Marker is in the churchyard of the First Presbyterian Church in Orange. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 420 Main St, Orange NJ 07050, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Revolutionary War Dead (within shouting distance of this marker); Anniversary of the Victory at Yorktown (approx. half a mile away); Orange Vietnam Monument (approx. half a mile away); Orange Korean Conflict Monument (approx. half a mile away); Orange World War I Memorial (approx. half a mile away); Orange World War II Memorial

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(approx. half a mile away); Orange Korean War Memorial (approx. half a mile away); Anthony Olef (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Orange.

Also see . . . A Guide to New Jersey's Revolutionary War Trail, page 47. There are a number of Revolutionary War soldiers and Patriots buried in the cemetery that surrounds the old stone church. In a prominent position in the cemetery is a weathered bronze statue honoring the “Dispatch Rider of the American Revolution.” Dispatch riders provided the communications system of the war, carrying important messages from headquarters to command posts to the front lines.

But not all dispatch riders were put on pedestals. Washington wrote to Congress on December 1, 1776, that “I wish my letters of yesterday may arrive safe, being informed that the return express who had them was idling his time, and shewing [showing] them on the road.”

Also, it was a dispatch rider who gave away the location of Gen. Charles Lee to British soldier before they captured him at Basking Ridge. (Submitted on May 20, 2008, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.)

Statue in Presbyterian churchyard image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bill Coughlin, May 18, 2008

2. Statue in Presbyterian churchyard

Bronze by Frank Edwin Elwell (1852-1922) is approx. 9 feet high on a 3 foot base. Marker is on the right side of the statue's pedestal.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 15, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 18, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,901 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 18, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.