n the winter of 1862, as the Civil War raged and the Emancipation Proclamation approached, three men fled across New Jersey carrying something far more powerful than gold or military intelligence: Thomas Nast’s first true image of Santa Claus.
Hunted by the Knights of the Golden Circle, guided by the hidden networks that once moved freedom through the state, and driven by Lincoln’s quiet urgency, Nast, Pinkerton, and Stanton raced from Morristown to Newark to New York to deliver a symbol the nation desperately needed.
This is the conclusion of Night Visitors—a New Jersey Christmas legend woven from history, folklore, faith, and myth.
Where Santa walked.
Where hope survived.
And where a small state helped reshape a nation’s imagination.
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Keywords: New Jersey History, Santa Claus Origins, Thomas Nast, Civil War Christmas, Emancipation Proclamation, Harriet Tubman, Pine Barrens Folklore, Underground Railroad NJ, American Christmas History, Night Visitors, Morristown History, Gilded Age New York, Your Hometown Revolution
Hashtags: #NewJerseyHistory #ThomasNast #SantaClausStory #CivilWarHistory #AmericanFolklore #NightVisitors
