Weehawken Dueling Grounds

The Weehawken Dueling Grounds gained notoriety because New Jersey enforced anti-dueling laws far less strictly than New York. This secluded strip of land, situated on a wooded ledge just above the Hudson River, offered the privacy required for gentlemen to settle grievances without attracting immediate legal intervention. Between the early eighteenth century and the mid-nineteenth century, at least eighteen recorded duels occurred at this specific location. These clashes involved prominent figures, including New York Governor DeWitt Clinton and United States Navy Commodore Oliver Perry, who each arrived on these heights to defend their personal honor.