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The Past Still Present: Revolutionary War New Jersey in Photos
A Visual Exploration of New Jersey’s Rich Revolutionary War History.
The photos in this coffee table book depict the many aspects of New Jersey’s connections to its Revolutionary War era past. There are images of statues, monuments, historic houses, and cemeteries, as well as nature photos taken at the sites where battles and encampments once occurred. Locations related to famous figures such as Washington, Hamilton, and Franklin are juxtaposed with other places connected to ordinary local citizens who lived through the upheaval of life during the Revolutionary War. Through these images and their captions, we see the past is still with us — in the buildings, roads, rivers, and nature that surround us.
The photos were all taken by Al Frazza, the creator of the Revolutionary War New Jersey website, photographed during his travels to document and catalogue the Revolutionary War historic sites in his home state.
The Past Still Present: Revolutionary War New Jersey in Photos is sure to please local history enthusiasts, Revolutionary War era buffs, proud New Jerseyans, or anyone who simply enjoys beautiful photographs. It is also the perfect commemoration of the upcoming United States Semiquincentennial for New Jersey residents who want to understand and celebrate the history around them for America's 250th Anniversary.
The photos in this coffee table book depict the many aspects of New Jersey’s connections to its Revolutionary War era past. There are images of statues, monuments, historic houses, and cemeteries, as well as nature photos taken at the sites where battles and encampments once occurred. Locations related to famous figures such as Washington, Hamilton, and Franklin are juxtaposed with other places connected to ordinary local citizens who lived through the upheaval of life during the Revolutionary War. Through these images and their captions, we see the past is still with us — in the buildings, roads, rivers, and nature that surround us.
The photos were all taken by Al Frazza, the creator of the Revolutionary War New Jersey website, photographed during his travels to document and catalogue the Revolutionary War historic sites in his home state.
The Past Still Present: Revolutionary War New Jersey in Photos is sure to please local history enthusiasts, Revolutionary War era buffs, proud New Jerseyans, or anyone who simply enjoys beautiful photographs. It is also the perfect commemoration of the upcoming United States Semiquincentennial for New Jersey residents who want to understand and celebrate the history around them for America's 250th Anniversary.
154 pages, Hardcover
Published June 20, 2024
1 person want to read
About the author
Al Frazza
2 books8 followersHistorian Al Frazza is a proud lifelong resident of North Jersey, who has had a passion for history for much of his life. AL began his history work by creating of the Award-Winning website, RevolutionaryWarNewJersey.com, the Ultimate Field Guide to New Jersey’s Revolutionary War Historic Sites.
In 2022, AL published his first book, State of Revolution: My Seven-and-a-Half-Year Journey Through Revolutionary War New Jersey. The book allows the reader to relive AL’s extensive journeys throughout the state, and the interesting and sometimes humorous experiences he had along the way. It also contains historic Revolutionary War stories and reflections on the importance of history. State of Revolution is part history, part memoir, part travelogue, part love letter to the state of New Jersey.
His second book The Past Still Present: Revolutionary War New Jersey in Photos is a coffee table book of his photos of Revolutionary War historic sites in his home state. It consists of large-scale reproductions of many of AL’s favorite photos he took for the Revolutionary War New Jersey website, along with historic anecdotes chosen to accompany them.
For the past several years, AL has embarked on a new area of historic research. He is currently doing extensive research for a book which will be about Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1964.
AL’s history work and photographs have been featured in many New Jersey publications, including The Record, The Herald News, The Star-Ledger, New Jersey Monthly, NorthJersey.com, Passaic Valley Today, The Home News Tribune, The Courier News, The Asbury Park Press, The Burlington County Times, The Vorhees Sun, The New Jersey Herald, Patch Across New Jersey, The Advertiser-News, The Paramus Post, The Sicklerville Sun, The Township Journal, Pascack Press, The Sparta Independent, The River View Observer, The Berlin Sun, The Atlantic Highlands Herald, Jersey Shore Online, The Beverly Bee, The West Milford Messenger, The Brick Times, The Howell Times, The Southern Ocean Times, The Toms River Times, and The Hunterdon Review.
AL's history work has won awards from the Chinkchewunska Chapter of the New Jersey D.A.R. “in recognition of his outstanding dedication to the preservation and sharing of New Jersey History,” and from the New Jersey Society of the Sons of the American Revolution for his work to inform his “fellow citizens of New Jersey’s role in the American War for Independence.”
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 12, 2026
I am surprised by how much I loved this book, because I don’t have a big interest in the American Revolution. A friend of mine who is a big history buff gave me the book as a present, because of my passion for photography, and I did not expect to enjoy it immensely.
When I looked through the book, I found out that I did not need a tremendous knowledge of the history to appreciate these photos, because they work so well as photos. There is a thoughtful balance of imagery with mixture of color and b/w photos. The photos also showcase a wide spectrum of photo subjects, statues, houses, nature, etc. I would not have ever read a history book on the American Revolution, but I learned a little bit about what happened then near where I live by enjoying the images.
When I looked through the book, I found out that I did not need a tremendous knowledge of the history to appreciate these photos, because they work so well as photos. There is a thoughtful balance of imagery with mixture of color and b/w photos. The photos also showcase a wide spectrum of photo subjects, statues, houses, nature, etc. I would not have ever read a history book on the American Revolution, but I learned a little bit about what happened then near where I live by enjoying the images.
Displaying 1 of 1 review