Baylor Massacre Burial Site
On September 27, 1778, during America’s Revolutionary War, American Forces under Lt. Colonel George Baylor’s command were dispatched to watch the bridge over the Hackensack River at the intersection of what is now Rivervale Road and Old Tappan Road.
Shortly after midnight on September 28, British forces launched a surprise attack on the 3rd Continental Light Dragoons in what is known today as the Baylor Massacre.
The attacking British forces were led by General Charles “No-Flint” Grey. His men used their muskets and bayonets to club and stab the sleeping dragoons. The next day, a detachment of the Bergen County Militia was dispatched to this area to look for survivors. Finding six dead at the bridge, and fearing the possible return of British troops, they hurriedly buried the men in abandoned leather tanning vats located next to the river.
In 1967, when the property was threatened with development, the County was contacted and worked to acquire the site. A subsequent archaeological dig located six sets of remains. In 1974, the patriots’ remains were reinterred in the park and the original millstone was donated to serve as their gravestone. In 2003, new historic interpretive signs, sitting walls, and accessible pathways were dedicated.