Trenton Walks: 2 States, 2 Bridges, 2 Canals

Tim and Becky were back for their 73rd walk. Including last week's walk through Bordentown, we have now walked 2,227 person miles or from Trenton to Salt Lake City, UT.

Sofia and Daniel from the East Coast Greenway (Sofia covers New York and New Jersey, Daniel's territory is Pennsylvania and Delaware). The East Coast Greenway has been a nonprofit since 1991, which is suspect is before either Sofia or Daniel were born. They each had to take a train to meet us at the start. It was a long day for them. I was sorry only four of us turned out, making our group a lean eight.

Today's walk would take us on a four-mile trip mostly on East Coast Greenway trails, crossing two canals, and the Delaware River. They were so excited to see the new signage that was recently installed.

Becky shared her notes with me so this might be the most accurate reporting yet!

We started at Cooper's Riverview next to Lower Wharf Park. I still think of the restaurant as Katmandu, then Rho. I confess I have not been there since the latest iteration. Cooper's Riverview is located in a historic 1874 industrial building on the Delaware River, originally part of the Trenton Iron Works founded by Peter Cooper in 1847. The site manufactured iron for Civil War rifles and pioneered I-beams for skyscrapers before becoming a restaurant/nightclub venue.

The Trenton Fishing Wharf (Lower Wharf Park) is undergoing a major redevelopment by Mercer County to restore public access, reduce flood risk, and improve amenities along the Delaware River. The project aims to create a vibrant space with fishing access, seating, lighting, and a landscaped riverfront pathway connecting to the existing South Riverwalk Park. 

The Trenton Ferry (1714) to Morrisville at the end of Ferry Street was a major part of the northeast transportation corridor as any further north would have been impacted by the Falls of the Delaware. Today the Pennsylvania Railroad bridge brings Amtrak and other trains along the Northeast Corridor.

After crossing under the overpasses, alongside a school and a charming housing development we paused in front of the William Trent House. Built in 1719 for William Trent it is the oldest building in Trenton. Mr. Trent founded the town, which became the capital of New Jersey in 1790. It served as the residence for three Governors and is a designated National Historic Landmark on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places. They often have activities. Daniel pointed out they were a stop on a long bike ride, and allowed cyclists to use their bathrooms.

There is currently an opportunity to reimagine Route 29 by transforming the highway into a more pedestrian-friendly urban boulevard, and linking pedestrian access and recreation to the river. A reconnected Trenton will provide possibilities for enhanced recreation, open spaces and mobility, stronger communities, and a more prosperous downtown. Reconnecting Trenton's Riverfront is a campaign calling on everyone -- residents, community leaders, and decision-makers to come together and take action toward transforming the riverfront into a space that serves all of Trenton.

The audience on the walk is completely in favor of this project. Internationally, many other cities have capitalized on their waterfront areas. I wish Trenton much success in doing the same. If I could go back in time, I would not have placed I-29 over the canal, so close to the Delaware River. I don't know what I would have done instead. It will be a painful process in the short term, and amazing in the long run. 

Since the pandemic many of the state parking lots that would be impacted have not been used. Rather than sitting empty, they could be turned into green space that would help with issues of flooding.

Without Becky's notes, I would not have nearly as much to write. We passed many places that have been mentioned on other tours. I wore ballet flats instead of the hiking sandals I meant to wear. My feet did not hurt, but they were not the best for the situation.

Past an office building we paused at the Assunpink Creek. For many years locals
dreamed of "daylighting" this creek that had been hidden underground. It felt like a pipedream. Looking at it today it feels like a no-brainer, but I did not see it before it was freed. Today the space is green. Fish have returned. Two new acres of open space exist for passive recreation. The project stabilized and naturally aligned the daylighted creek with river stone, boulders, and other materials. It looks natural.

The Battle of Assunpink Creek (locally known as the Second Battle of Trenton January 2, 1777) took place here and in Mill Hill. Skirmishes up the Kings Highway in Maidenhead (now Lawrenceville) delayed the British until the late afternoon. It gets dark early that time of year. The lack of daylight helped the Continental Army withstand three powerful charges. The Patriots then moved on to another victory at Princeton.

We passed the N.C. Wyeth mural hanging at Thomas Edison State University called Washington Triumphal Arch. The iron doors look like they belong in Italy.

Across the street is the site of the former Hunterdon County Courthouse where the Declaration of Independence was read on July 8, 1777 for only the second time outside of Philadelphia. Earlier that day Don and I saw one of the 200 original copies of the Declaration at a special exhibit at Princeton's Firestone Library. The copy was owned by William Scheide, class of 1936. We hope to return to the exhibit before it closes on July 11, 2026.

We posed for a group photo in front of Illia Barger's 2006 "Winds of Change" trompe l'oeil mural. Barger included modern people looking on the historic scene, so we posed as more modern people. On other tours there have been people who knew the modern faces included.

Here is the site of the former 13 Stars Tavern (also known as French Arms or City Tavern) where the US Congress (under the Articles of the Confederation) met from November 1-December 24, 1784, and where General Marquis de Lafayette made his final farewell to Congress on December 11, 1784. New Jersey ratified the US Constitution here on December 18, 1787.

Up the street is the Mary G. Roebling Building. It occupies the site of the Abraham Hunt House where Colonel Johann Rall, Hessian commander of the garrison at Trenton entertained in the house on December 25, 1776. Historians debate just how drunk he was that night. This is also the site of the first professional basketball game on November 7, 1896 when the Trenton YMCA team defeated the Brooklyn YMCA team by a score of 16-1 marking the first time basketball players were paid.

As we started to pass St. Michael's Episcopal Church and Cemetery (1703) a gentleman invited us inside. I was reminded of the tour I took last December during Patriot's Week. I'll skip the details, and refer back to the other tour. It was in the center of the First Battle of Trenton in 1776.

Col. Rall's Headquarters (also known as the Stacy Potts House) was located across the street. It was demolished in 1857. The site of the Gun Shop where John Fitch (official State Armorer during the Revolutionary War) built guns for the Continental Army. He fled Trenton to serve in the Bucks County (PA) Militia and went on to develop steamboats, including the one that was the first scheduled commercial service between Trenton and Philadelphia.

Now we are back at the canal. We paused at the new park with 13 star-shaped flower beds representing the tavern. We posed for another group picture with the Battle Monument in the background. We opted not to walk the extra half a block to the monument. The monument was designed by John Duncan (who also designed Grant's Tomb) and was dedicated in 1893. THIS was the turning point of the American Revolution. The start of the famous Ten Crucial Days portion of the Revolutionary War. The First Battle of Trenton was only 45 minutes long, but it boosted morale and led to re-enlistments. Twenty-two Hessians were killed, 83 were wounded, and a whopping 900 were taken prisoner. There were far fewer Continental casualties.

Sofia and Daniel were excited about the new trail markings.

Bike repair station!

The Delaware and Raritan (feeder) canal was chartered in 1830 and opened in 1834. It was mostly dug by hand, which is hard to imagine. The main canal (44 miles long) connected the Delaware River at Bordentown using the River to get to Philadelphia to the Raritan River at New Brunswick, to get to New York City. We learned more about this on last week's tour. 

Trains started to come through this area in 1836 when the Belvidere-Delaware Railroad was chartered. The first segment to Lambertville was opened in 1851, and extended to Phillipsburg in 1854. The Pennsylvania Railroad took over the line from the United Railroad of New Jersey in 1871. Passenger service ended in 1960, and the line from Trenton to Lambertville was abandoned in 1977.

We walked along the canal to the Canal House. We could see the State House
dome glisten over the tops of the buildings. In the 19th and 20th centuries Trenton was an industrial powerhouse as a major contributor to the United States industrial revolution. The slogan "Trenton Makes the World Takes" was an accurate description of the City's proud history. We later walked over the "Trenton Makes" bridge to return to Trenton. Iron, steel, rubber, textiles, and world-renowned potteries dominated Trenton's industrial mix, and immigrant labor drove the City's dramatic population growth from 1840-1920.

The canal and a series of "basins" were lined with businesses and transfer facilities. More than 60 bridges over the canal were built as moveable swing bridges retiring "bridge tenders" who lived adjacent to their assigned crossing. In Trenton, three original bridge tender houses remain at Hanover, Calhoun, and Prospect Streets. Last year I learned about these on a tour in Lawrenceville.

Due to coming at the intersection with State Street from a different angle, we had to cross way more intersections than I normally do as part of the Downtown Fit run across the Calhoun Street Bridge. We made it safely. We passed Trenton Waterworks, which was established as a private entity in 1804 and is one of our nation's oldest water systems. They draw water from the Delaware River. It was purchased by the City of Trenton in 1859 and currently serves over 200,000 people 27 million gallons of water, but not us since we have Aqua.

The Calhoun Street Bridge is the oldest roadway bridge in continuous use on the river. Built in 1884 by the Phoenix Bridge Company (of Phoenixville, PA). The wrought-iron truss bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and features a separate lane for pedestrians and cyclists, linking the D&R Canal State Park with the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. Before 1940, trolleys of the Trenton-Princeton Traction Company utilized the Bridge to cross into Pennsylvania. The trolley used to run through Lawrenceville.

We are now in Morrisville, Pennsylvania.

The 60-mile Delaware Canal is the only remaining, continuously intact canal of the great towpath canal building era of the early and mid-19th century. The canal retains almost all of its features as they existed during the century of commercial operation. It was completed in 1832. The canal is a National Historic Landmark and the towpath is a National Recreation Trail. As we were running late, I would have skipped this portion and stuck to the berm along the Delaware River, which is shorter. I did enjoy seeing the geese day care with two adults and about eight to twelve of goslings of the same size in each grouping.

We paused in front of the Ashlynn Distillery. I want to remember this place as a potential site of a future date night. Unlike in New Jersey, Pennsylvania law requires food to be served at brewpubs. Located on the canal, it looks like a dreamy place to have dinner on a nice spring night.

We crossed back into New Jersey on
what locals call the Trenton Makes Bridge because the words TRENTON MAKES THE WORLD TAKES are in giant neon letters visible from the Route 1 Bridge. As with the Calhoun Street Bridge, this has a pedestrian and bike lane. The sign was installed in 1935 and first replaced in 1981. It was replaced again in 2005 with higher-efficiency neon lighting and better waterproofing. The neon tubes were replaced in 2018 giving it the ability to easily change its colors, and decreasing energy costs. Though operated by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) it is free to cross. It was originally a toll bridge, and was the first bridge across the Delaware in 1806. In 1835 the Camden and Amboy Railroad bought it making it the first railroad bridge in the United States to be used for interstate rail traffic.

By this point I was really ready to return to Cooper's Riverview. We late for the old time baseball game in Lawrenceville. Next time we'll stay for refreshments.