The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route New Jersey (W3R-NJ) announces the appointment of Brandon S. Fontanes of Springfield, NJ to the W3R-NJ Board of Directors at the October 11, 2023 Board of Directors meeting. He will serve in the capacity to further the organization’s overall mission, assist with member events and facilitate public awareness of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail in New Jersey and the French-American alliance begun in the Revolutionary War and continuing to this day.
“The addition of Mr. Fontanes to the W3R-NJ Board of Directors, demonstrates that W3R-NJ is the premiere non-profit organization whose sole mission is to commemorate the Washington-Rochambeau National Historic Trail in New Jersey and the French-American Alliance in the Revolutionary War that made winning the American Revolutionary War possible,” said Julie Diddell, Chair, W3R-NJ.
According to Mr. Fontanes, “I grew up surrounded by many of our nation’s most important historic sites. What really fueled my passion for history was my involvement in the Boy Scouts of America. In 2016, I was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout after completing my service project of leading preservation work at the historic French-Richards burial grounds obscurely positioned and surrounded by an industrial complex in Springfield. My love for historic preservation has led me to recently form my own Company, Lazarus Historic Preservation, which focuses on preservation of monuments, gravesites, and historic properties/ structures. I am still active with the BSA as a Merit badge counselor for citizenship and history related badges. I am also a member of the West Fields chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution through direct lineal descent of Frederick Sylvester Mayberry II, a Virginia Militiamen during the American Revolution. Some of my Hobbies include Hiking, volunteering, target shooting, and sailing.”
Please join us in welcoming Brandon Fontanes to the W3R-NJ Board of Directors.
Background
The Washington-Rochambeau National Historic Trail represents the route that French and Continental
troops marched along on the way to carry out the 1781 siege of Yorktown, VA causing the British to
capitulate in the final campaign of the Revolutionary War. In 2009, President Obama designated the
almost 700 mile trail corridor across land and water, a national historic trail, a unit of the National Park
Service. The Trail traverses many routes up and down New Jersey counties of Bergen, Passaic, Essex,
Union, Somerset, Morris, Mercer, Middlesex and Hudson where the original campsites, historic homes
and churches, historical markers and some original roads still exist that either witnessed or were actual
historic sites used during the August 1781 march of troops.
For more information email info@W3R-NJ.org Follow on Facebook @W3RNJ and www.w3r-nj.org.
Photo: Brandon Fontanes. Photo credit Julie Diddell.