Walk Through Bordentown's History

Today marked Trenton Walk's 72nd walk. Over 1,000 people have participated, walking over 2,131 people miles, or the distance from Trenton to Green Pike, Utah. With nearly 50 participants, this was one of their more popular walks.

Becky and Tim shared the spotlight with John Podolsky, the chair of the trails committee.

Bordentown, as most everyone reading this knows, is not in Trenton. Nor is it even in Mercer County, NJ. About four thousand people live in this historic town that is  less than one square mile. Bordentown City was settled in 1682, and incorporated as a borough in 1825. Famous residents include Thomas Paine, Napoleon Bonaparte's brother Joseph, Francis Hopkins (signer of the Declaration of Independence), and nurse Clara Barton. It has a rich history mostly due to its location as an 18th century stop between Philadelphia and New York City. Our talk was only going to cover a small part of the history. Two hours were slated for the talk, but we only covered half of the walk in that time. We should schedule a time to finish up the tour, especially since it was so popular.

We gathered at the parking lot for the Bordentown Light Rail Station. Don used to commute on this line when he rode his bike from home to the Comcast office in Mount Laurel. It was a nice way to break up his over 30 mile commute, especially since bicycles are allowed on the cars.

We walked to the other side of the parking lot where we saw two examples of rail lines that show the evolution of the Camden-Amboy rail line, colloquially called the C&A. Built in 1831 it was the oldest rail line in New Jersey, and the third oldest in the country. This website describes the history of the rail line.

I saw sleeper stones, which reminded me of a talk I heard in 2024 at the Archaeological Society of New Jersey meeting in Perth Amboy.

Passengers traveled from Philadelphia across the Delaware River and continued on their journey via rail. Horses were used to pull the original railcars before switching over to the John Bull locomotive from England. The original path was a straight line that would have gone through Joseph Bonaparte's property. He used his influence, and skills as a lawyer, to have it rerouted through Yardville and then to Perth Amboy to cross the Raritan River on another boat to travel to New York City. The case went to the Supreme Court where he argued eminent domain could not be used by a private company to maximize profits. The case set a legal precedence. Even with the detour, the railroad cut the trip from two days to five hours. Built on a stage coach path up Park Street (then called the New York Turnpike) in Bordentown, it was the original Northeast Corridor.

The original John Bull engine is at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. Over time the historic line was abandoned. Only the section from Bordentown to Yardville remained open until recently as a freight line. There is talk about turning these 13.4 miles into a rail to trail path, which would be added to an existing line and be able to connect six municipalities between Bordentown and Hightstown. Hamilton and Robbinsville are negotiating with the railroad for the land.

We then walked downhill to the Bordentown Beach, which was created from excavated materials from when the rail line created the I-295 bridge in the early 1990's. This spot is easily identified on a map of New Jersey as the narrowest point in the state. This is the southernmost point of the Abbot Marshlands, which we continued to on our walk after walking up to Prince Street.

This is the conflux of three waterways: the Delaware River, Crosswicks Creek, and a canal. Though it looked calm, there can be eight foot swells between low and high tide. Today it is a popular place to launch boats, one of only three places in the area. There is no membership required.

The Delaware River Heritage Trailhead starts here. Our walk leaders would like it to tie into the John Bull Trail.   

We huffed and puffed up the hill to Prince Street, which is where Farnsworth Landing used to be located. The landing was where the ferry used to land (before the Bordentown Beach was created). It is the highest point in the area giving great visibility. This is where Bordentown began. Before Thomas Farnsworth discovered this treasure in 1682, it was where the Lenape people lived happily. It was deemed to be a friendly, safe place.

At the end of Prince Street is the Thomas Paine Park. Yes, Thomas Paine of Common Sense, of "these are the times that try mens souls" owned property in Bordentown. Though he did not live there, this is the only property he owned in the United States, hence the locals claim him as their own.

His friend, Joseph Kirkbride, owned and operated the ferry service to Philadelphia and orchestrated the Battle of the Kegs in 1778 which inspired Francis Hopkinson to write the song The Battle of the Kegs to the tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy. Much of Bordentown was destroyed by the British in retaliation to the embarrassment. For more details, read the link I provided about Joseph Kirkbride. It is an interesting rabbit hole.

After passing Dave and Scottie's house, we walked down to the Yacht Club, and
took the railroad tracks to the Abbott Marsh. This is the mouth of the1830s canal that was hand dug. This took us to Hamilton, NJ in Mercer County. I find it fascinating that the canal and railroad system was built at the same time in this area by competing companies. The railroad had one major advantage over the canals: they were not stopped by winter.

Despite being so close to the rail line and I-95, the Abbott Marsh is an oasis with lots of different birds, flora, and fauna. The land was created by filling in the canal. Lock #1 to Trenton was here. This was a feeder canal that came off the Delaware River and travelled to Bulls Island north of Lambertville.  Boats travelled through seven locks, and were raised 57 feet along the way. Water was brought from upstream. The entire system had 14 total locks and rose 115 feet. The initial width of each lock was 120 feet long and 20 feet wide. It was soon extended to 220 feet to allow two boats to be raised at once. Coal was the biggest item transported on the canal during its heyday. The system lasted 90 years until 1932. The lease was written that if it was inactive for three years the land would return to the state. It became a 70-mile long state park.  

Bordentown's portion of the former canal is not in great shape. It is much better just a little further north in Trenton because that water is sold.

Back across the railroad tracks we passed through the Riverview Studios property. The owner met us and permitted us a bathroom break. He told us about his documentary film business focusing on public TV, marketing, and promoting non-profits. I was glad he came outside because I was under the erroneous perception that it was an art studio for sculptors and painters.

A member of our group prompted the owner to share the fundraising he does to raise money to send women from Gambia and Uganda to school. He runs music nights to fund his nonprofit: Parker Mother and Child. Paraphrasing what he said, "I can't send afford to send women to school in the United States, but I can in Africa. I can make a difference in their lives." I hope Don and I can attend one of his events this summer. 

Instead of walking up the hill we came down, we climbed approximately 50 steep stairs to the iris park and sculpture garden. The wild animal statues in the park were created by Seward Johnson.

I split off from the group to hang out with Dave and Scottie, and, of course, Buddy.