Trenton had its humble beginnings in 1679 as a gristmill on the Delaware River and was then known as The Falls. This town became the capital of the state of New Jersey in 1790, and it also served as the temporary capital of the United States in 1784, and again in 1799.

Forever associated with General George Washington’s famous “Crossing of the Delaware” on Christmas night in 1776—just north of Trenton at McKonkey’s Ferry—Trenton’s annual Anniversary of the Battles of Trenton, held each year on the Saturday after Christmas, draws thousands of visitors. Musket- and cannon-fire echo down the cobblestone streets of New Jersey’s capital while about 200 people re-enact the two battles at the sites where they occurred, with historical interpreters providing curbside commentary.

Trenton’s gold-domed State House (1792) is America’s secondoldest state capitol building still in continuous use. Other points of interest include William Trent House, a Georgian brick manor house built by William Trent, a Philadelphia merchant who purchased 800 acres of land and laid out the town in 1719. The Old Barracks Museum, built in 1758, housed British soldiers during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). Today, costumed interpreters give insights into the life and times of colonial and Revolutionary New Jersey.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Trenton was the center of the American pottery industry, and by 1880 hundreds of independent potteries operated within the city. Ellarslie Mansion, an Italianate villa built in 1888 and now the Trenton City Museum, houses a permanent display of decorative arts and industrial artifacts, many of which were manufactured in Trenton. Included on the National Register of Historic Places, Ellarslie Mansion is in Cadwalader Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmstead who designed Central Park in New York. Its nearly 100 acres are typical of Olmstead’s approach, as the park features natural rolling landscapes, the consistent use of curved footpaths, and the addition of animals living in a natural habitat.

The “Corner Historic” is what Trentonians like to call the First Mechanics Bank building. Prior to opening as a bank in 1930 it was a series of taverns where, among other things, the US Congress met, Lafayette was feted on a farewell tour, New Jersey ratified the Constitution, and George Washington sat to pen the ladies of Trenton a letter of thanks.

There are no hotels within this historic city of 85,000 residents, although a range of hotels and motels can be found on US-1 to the north and south of town. Trenton lies 28 miles northeast of Philadelphia along I-95 in the western part of the state. Trenton’s nearest international airport is Philadelphia, and there is also train service from Philadelphia to New York City.