BGuthrie Photos: NJ -- Trenton -- Mahlon Stacy Park

NJ -- Trenton -- Mahlon Stacy Park:

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[1] MSTACY_161003_001.JPG	[2] MSTACY_161003_007.JPG	[3] MSTACY_161003_009.JPG
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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. MSTACY_161003_001.JPG: (3) West Front Street Thruway to the State House Surprising as it may seem, you are standing on the line of a historic street that as various times was bordered by mills, row homes and businesses. For more than a hundred years, from the early 1790s until Mahlon Stacy Park was established in the 1910s, West Front Street extended west through the Old Barracks, across Petty's Run, to Delaware Street, another street that has vanished and which ran along the east side of the State House between West State Street and the river bank. The Old Barracks, split in two throughout this period, was made whole again in 1915 when the park was created. The passage of West Front Street, coursing through the former British military facility can be seen in the telltale vertical seams in the masonry on the rear of the building. Extending Front Street Prior to the American Revolution, Petty's Run served as a barrier to the westward expansion of the town of Trenton. Front Street, also known in the colonial era as Water, Lower and High Street, terminated at West Street (later known as South Willow Street; today's Barrack Street). The creation of the segment of West Front Street between Barrack Street and the State House is a story of republican triumph over colonial dominion. In 1792-93, in a symbolic burst of New Jerseyan spirit, the street was carried through the Old Barracks and across a recently constructed stone bridge to the State House lot where a new seat of state government was being installed. The bridge is still there today, buried deep beneath the landscaping fill of Mahlon Stacy Park. New Mills Arise From 1814 until the mid-1870s, the section of West Front Street between the Old Barracks and the State House was dominated by water-powered industry. A short-lived cotton mill operated on the north side of the street on the eastern bank of Petty's Run, but had failed by 1820. This was succeeded by the West Front Street Paper Mill, established in 1827 by Garrett D. Wall and in business for almost a half century. On the south side of the street, the main activity centered on the processing of lumber brought into town along the Trenton Water Power. The Water Power, completed in the mid-1830s, provided energy first to a sawmill, then to a carpenter's shop and finally to a bow factory (where the sawing, planing and bending of wood products took place). Residential Redevelopment In 1857, the Old Barracks became a home for the poor widows and single women of Trenton. Women had to be over the age of 50 and pay a $40 lifetime admission fee to move into one of the rooms once occupied by soldiers. In the late 1870s and 1880s, West Front Street underwent a residential make-over, which must have made the environment more comfortable for the widows. Except for the bow factory and a couple of well-placed stores, the blocks lying north oand south of West Front became entirely residential with nearby West State Street boasting several well-appointed homes, mostly occupied by professionals. The Front Street Paper Mill was pulled down in 1876-77 and replaced by a series of brick row homes, transforming the block into working-class neighborhood with families of English, Irish, German and Russian extraction supported by a variety of livelihoods. Among the residents in 1900 were father a son blacksmiths, two janitors, a painter, a teamster and a tailor. Between 1911 and 1913, after barely a generation of existence, the neighborhood vanished without a trace, making way for Mahlon Stacy Park. Photo at top right West Front Street looking northwest from South Willow Street (Barrack Street); the stone building is the officers' quarters of the Old Barracks, prior to being made whole again in 1915; behind it is the Kelsey Building, now part of Thomas Edison State College. Circa 1911 (Old Barracks Association). Center Photo North side of West Front Street looking east; the home in the left foreground is 124 West Front Street; the three-story building in the middle distance is the western end of the north section of the Old Barracks. Circa 1910 (Trentoniana Collection, Trenton Public Library). Photo bottom right West Front Street looking west from South Willow Street (Barrack Street); the building in the right foreground is the officers' quarters of the Old Barracks; the New Jersey State House is in the distance. Circa 1911-13 (Old Barracks Association).
2. MSTACY_161003_007.JPG: The New Jersey State House from the corner of West State Street and Delaware Street. Circa 1865
3. MSTACY_161003_009.JPG: North side of West Front Street looking east; the home in the left foreground is 124 West Front Street; the three-story building in the middle distance is the western end of the north section of the Old Barracks. Circa 1910 (Trentoniana Collection, Trenton Public Library).
4. MSTACY_161003_011.JPG: West Front Street looking west from South Willow Street (Barrack Street); the building in the right foreground is the officers' quarters of the Old Barracks; the New Jersey State House is in the distance. Circa 1911-13 (Old Barracks Association).
5. MSTACY_161003_021.JPG: (5) Front Street Paper Mill Turning Rags to Riches Most of the historic walls before you relate to the Front Street Paper Mill, which operated from around 1827 until 1876. The rectangular pit originally contained a giant overshot waterwheel, six to eight feet wide and 18 to 20 feet in diameter, fed by a flume drawing water from Petty's Run. The high wall to the right divided the two main sections of the paper mill. Other walls define the mill's footprint, extending to your left and right; these overlie less well preserved remains of the earlier steel furnace and were later incorporated into the basements of the row homes that replaced the paper mill in the 1870s. The eastern section of the mill, to the right of the dividing wall, was built over and integrated with the channelized course of Petty's Run and the West Front Street Bridge. Garret D. Wall The driving force behind the establishment of the Front Street Paper Mill was Garret D. Wall (1783-1850). Wall was a member of a prestigious 19th century New Jersey political and legal dynasty that began with Revolutionary War patriot Jonathan Rhea (1754-1815), who served as Clerk of the New Jersey Supreme Court and Quartermaster General of the State of New Jersey. Wall, who married Rhea's daughter, held the same two positions, was appointed a U.S. District Attorney and went on to become a New Jersey Assemblyman and then a U.S. Senator. Wall was elected Governor of New Jersey in 1829, but declined to take up the position. Instead, he supported the installation of Peter D. Vroom as Governor in his place. Vroom later married Wall's daughter. Rhea, Wall and Vroom all lived at various times in residences along West State Street in the vicinity of the State House, including a fine townhouse that stood just a few feet northwest of the paper mill. Waterwheel to Turbine Archaeological analysis of the wheel pit suggests that the waterpower system went through at least three phases of development. The earliest arrangement, likely put in place in the late 1820s, is thought to have involved a 20-fool-diameter overshot waterwheel, made of wood and iron, positioned within a wheel pit that was slightly wider (11 to 12 feet) than the one that is presently visible. Evidence of an earlier bearing slot and west wall are visible to the left of the present wheel pit. In 1865-66, a cast-iron wheel was installed in a slightly narrower wheel pit, the side walls of which were constructed out of finely dressed brownstone. This wheel pit, with its two distinctive bearing slots, is what is visible today. Finally, sometime just prior to 1870, the waterwheel was replaced with a water turbine. The massive timbers and planking found during excavation of the wheel pit in 2009 mostly relate to the water box that contained the turbine and an adjoining fore-chamber. The turbine was removed prior to the demolition of the mill and filling of the water pit. Trenton Paper Trenton has a long history of paper manufacturing. The city's first paper mill was built by John Reynolds and Stacy Potts at the mouth of the Assunpink Creek in 1778. it supplied the paper for the New Jersey Gazette, the state's first newspaper, printed in Trenton by Isaac Collins. Other paper mills were established in the mid-19th century, one on the spur of the Trenton Water Power near the William Trent House, another upstream on the Assunpink at the South Broad Street crossing. The Front Street Paper Mill, the second mill of its kind in the city, was founded by Garret D. Wall around 1827. It was initially managed on Wall's behalf by local paper maker John Davisson, processing rags into pulp and producing chiefly news printing paper. After the Civil War, the mill switched to making mostly paper bags, wrapping paper and roofing paper. Ten years later, the business shut down and the building was demolished to make way for residential development. Making Paper In the early 19th century making paper entailed tow main operations, mostly carried out by hand; processing rags into pulp and then converting the pulp into paper. The Front Street Paper Mill, in its early days, would have sorted rags by color; washed, soaked and if necessary, bleached them; and then beaten them into pulp using water-powered stampers to separate the cellulose fibers. Converting the pulp to paper first involved dipping a mesh-covered mold into the fibrous mixture to create layers of paper that were separated by sheets of felt, and then removing excess water from the stacks of paper using a screw press. The paper was separated from the felt, pressed again, sized (which required dipping in a gelatinous liquid formed from boiled animal hides), pressed yet again, dried, polished, cut to size, pressed one last time and packaged. As the 19th century progressed, the production process became more mechanized and made greater use of chemical, greatly increasing the output. Key pieces of equipment, in widespread use by the mid-19th century and certainly in place at the Front Street mill by 1860, were water-or steam-powered machines that passed wire mesh through the pulp, either in the form of endless woven-wire cloth or on a revolving cylinder.
6. MSTACY_161003_027.JPG: Timber remains of the water box that held the turbine in the paper mill wheel pit.
7. MSTACY_161003_031.JPG: Most of the historic walls before you relate to the Front Street Paper Mill, which operated from around 1827 until 1876. The rectangular pit originally contained a giant overshot waterwheel, six to eight feet wide and 18 to 20 feet in diameter, fed by a flume drawing water from Petty's Run. The high wall to the right divided the two main sections of the paper mill. Other walls define the mill's footprint, extending to your left and right; these overlie less well preserved remains of the earlier steel furnace and were later incorporated into the basements of the row homes that replaced the paper mill in the 1870s. The eastern section of the mill, to the right of the dividing wall, was built over and integrated with the channelized course of Petty's Run and the West Front Street Bridge.
8. MSTACY_161003_033.JPG: Garret D. Wall The driving force behind the establishment of the Front Street Paper Mill was Garret D. Wall (1783-1850). Wall was a member of a prestigious 19th century New Jersey political and legal dynasty that began with Revolutionary War patriot Jonathan Rhea (1754-1815), who served as Clerk of the New Jersey Supreme Court and Quartermaster General of the State of New Jersey. Wall, who married Rhea's daughter, held the same two positions, was appointed a U.S. District Attorney and went on to become a New Jersey Assemblyman and then a U.S. Senator. Wall was elected Governor of New Jersey in 1829, but declined to take up the position. Instead, he supported the installation of Peter D. Vroom as Governor in his place. Vroom later married Wall's daughter. Rhea, Wall and Vroom all lived at various times in residences along West State Street in the vicinity of the State House, including a fine townhouse that stood just a few feet northwest of the paper mill.
9. MSTACY_161003_035.JPG: Waterwheel to Turbine Archaeological analysis of the wheel pit suggests that the waterpower system went through at least three phases of development. The earliest arrangement, likely put in place in the late 1820s, is thought to have involved a 20-fool-diameter overshot waterwheel, made of wood and iron, positioned within a wheel pit that was slightly wider (11 to 12 feet) than the one that is presently visible. Evidence of an earlier bearing slot and west wall are visible to the left of the present wheel pit. In 1865-66, a cast-iron wheel was installed in a slightly narrower wheel pit, the side walls of which were constructed out of finely dressed brownstone. This wheel pit, with its two distinctive bearing slots, is what is visible today. Finally, sometime just prior to 1870, the waterwheel was replaced with a water turbine. The massive timbers and planking found during excavation of the wheel pit in 2009 mostly relate to the water box that contained the turbine and an adjoining fore-chamber. The turbine was removed prior to the demolition of the mill and filling of the water pit. Trenton Paper Trenton has a long history of paper manufacturing. The city's first paper mill was built by John Reynolds and Stacy Potts at the mouth of the Assunpink Creek in 1778. it supplied the paper for the New Jersey Gazette, the state's first newspaper, printed in Trenton by Isaac Collins. Other paper mills were established in the mid-19th century, one on the spur of the Trenton Water Power near the William Trent House, another upstream on the Assunpink at the South Broad Street crossing. The Front Street Paper Mill, the second mill of its kind in the city, was founded by Garret D. Wall around 1827. It was initially managed on Wall's behalf by local paper maker John Davisson, processing rags into pulp and producing chiefly news printing paper. After the Civil War, the mill switched to making mostly paper bags, wrapping paper and roofing paper. Ten years later, the business shut down and the building was demolished to make way for residential development. Making Paper In the early 19th century making paper entailed tow main operations, mostly carried out by hand; processing rags into pulp and then converting the pulp into paper. The Front Street Paper Mill, in its early days, would have sorted rags by color; washed, soaked and if necessary, bleached them; and then beaten them into pulp using water-powered stampers to separate the cellulose fibers. Converting the pulp to paper first involved dipping a mesh-covered mold into the fibrous mixture to create layers of paper that were separated by sheets of felt, and then removing excess water from the stacks of paper using a screw press. The paper was separated from the felt, pressed again, sized (which required dipping in a gelatinous liquid formed from boiled animal hides), pressed yet again, dried, polished, cut to size, pressed one last time and packaged. As the 19th century progressed, the production process became more mechanized and made greater use of chemical, greatly increasing the output. Key pieces of equipment, in widespread use by the mid-19th century and certainly in place at the Front Street mill by 1860, were water-or steam-powered machines that passed wire mesh through the pulp, either in the form of endless woven-wire cloth or on a revolving cylinder.
10. MSTACY_161003_047.JPG: (4) Petty's Run Natural Stream to Storm Drain The stone-lined channel that plunges over the bluff edge below you was once a free-flowing water course. Today it is a partially abandoned segment of the city's storm drain system drawing in run-off from West State Street and a handful of buildings and properties in the vicinity of the New Jersey State House. Downstream from this point, just beyond the arch of the West Front Street Bridge, the run connects to a much larger and more active drain that passes beneath the Old Barracks and heads down to the Delaware River at the mouth of the Assunpink Creek. Upstream, Petty's Run is contained within a culvert that extends for more than 300 feet almost to Willow Street. A Ravine Behind the Barracks Before industrial and urban development, Petty's Run (named fr the Pettit family that settled here around 1700) drained an area of perhaps five square miles, gathering water from several small tributaries. The stream, fast-flowing after heavy rains, was substantial enough to serve as a barrier to the western expansion of the colonial town. Here, behind the Old Barracks, Petty's Run descended the bluff edge bordering the Delaware in a steep ravine. In the bed of the run at other locations within the archaeological site can be seen the tough gneiss bedrock, formed more than a billion years ago. This material, along with the younger Wissahickon schist, underlies much of downtown Trenton and gives form to the "falls of the Delaware." In colonial and early federal times, these rocks were quarried and used as building stone, including here on this very site. Water for Power At this point in the landscape, Petty's Run drops down more than 20 feet in a horizontal distance of around 80 feet. From the early 1730s until the 1870s this break in slope allowed the energy of flowing and falling water to be harnessed for a variety of industrial purposes. A dam and millpond delivered water power to the 18th-century mills at this spot. Further upstream, Petty's Run supplied water to a pair of tanneries and a brewery, and also powered a bark mill, all during the colonial period. Early in the 19th century the stream was channelized and the culvert's stone sidewalls were built; around the same time springs along Petty's Run in the Pennington Avenue area were tapped for the growing city's first water supply system. The construction of the Delaware and Raritan Feeder Canal in the early 1830s reduced the amount of water in the run, necessitating agreements between the canal company and downstream water users to ensure an adequate flow, supplemented as needed with water from the canal itself. Hazardous to the Public Health By the 1870s, Petty's Run was notorious for its filthy, noxious waters and recognized as a health risk. Residents, merchants and hoteliers routinely dumped waste into the creek, adding to the pollution already caused by the tanneries and other industrial water users. Around this time, in an effort to control the pollution, much of the stream in the downtown was progressively covered over with a brick-vaulted arch set on top of the channel's stone sidewalls. In the late 1880s and early 1890s, Trenton built a city-wide sewer system, designed by sanitary engineer Rudolph Hering, which incorporated the flow of Petty's Run and led to the isolation of the storm drain segment between West Front Street and Willow Street. The creation of Mahlon Stacy Park in 1914-16 resulted in the deeper burial of the Petty's Run culvert beneath several feet of landscaping fill, rendering the run largely inaccessible until its archaeological rediscovery in the mid-1980s.
11. MSTACY_161003_051.JPG: Historic photo of culvert construction: The construction of the Petty's Run storm drain. Circa 1890
12. MSTACY_161003_054.JPG: Inside the culvert, looking up the section of storm drain that passes along West Front Street beneath the Old Barracks. Petty's Run archaeological excavation, showing the exposed Petty's Run culvert, 2008.
13. MSTACY_161003_056.JPG: A Ravine Behind the Barracks Before industrial and urban development, Petty's Run (named fr the Pettit family that settled here around 1700) drained an area of perhaps five square miles, gathering water from several small tributaries. The stream, fast-flowing after heavy rains, was substantial enough to serve as a barrier to the western expansion of the colonial town. Here, behind the Old Barracks, Petty's Run descended the bluff edge bordering the Delaware in a steep ravine. In the bed of the run at other locations within the archaeological site can be seen the tough gneiss bedrock, formed more than a billion years ago. This material, along with the younger Wissahickon schist, underlies much of downtown Trenton and gives form to the "falls of the Delaware." In colonial and early federal times, these rocks were quarried and used as building stone, including here on this very site.
14. MSTACY_161003_058.JPG: A small black boy fell into Petty's run, near Dunn's Blind Factory, yesterday morning, and was carried by the current through the culvert in State street and down the run, nearly to the paper mill. He escaped without serious injury, but very thoroughly drenched.
15. MSTACY_161003_061.JPG: Water for Power At this point in the landscape, Petty's Run drops down more than 20 feet in a horizontal distance of around 80 feet. From the early 1730s until the 1870s this break in slope allowed the energy of flowing and falling water to be harnessed for a variety of industrial purposes. A dam and millpond delivered water power to the 18th-century mills at this spot. Further upstream, Petty's Run supplied water to a pair of tanneries and a brewery, and also powered a bark mill, all during the colonial period. Early in the 19th century the stream was channelized and the culvert's stone sidewalls were built; around the same time springs along Petty's Run in the Pennington Avenue area were tapped for the growing city's first water supply system. The construction of the Delaware and Raritan Feeder Canal in the early 1830s reduced the amount of water in the run, necessitating agreements between the canal company and downstream water users to ensure an adequate flow, supplemented as needed with water from the canal itself. Hazardous to the Public Health By the 1870s, Petty's Run was notorious for its filthy, noxious waters and recognized as a health risk. Residents, merchants and hoteliers routinely dumped waste into the creek, adding to the pollution already caused by the tanneries and other industrial water users. Around this time, in an effort to control the pollution, much of the stream in the downtown was progressively covered over with a brick-vaulted arch set on top of the channel's stone sidewalls. In the late 1880s and early 1890s, Trenton built a city-wide sewer system, designed by sanitary engineer Rudolph Hering, which incorporated the flow of Petty's Run and led to the isolation of the storm drain segment between West Front Street and Willow Street. The creation of Mahlon Stacy Park in 1914-16 resulted in the deeper burial of the Petty's Run culvert beneath several feet of landscaping fill, rendering the run largely inaccessible until its archaeological rediscovery in the mid-1980s.
16. MSTACY_161003_069.JPG: (2) Changing Landscapes Along Petty's Run Three centuries ago, the landscape before you would have appeared much different. Looking west toward today's State House, you would have been facing a steep-sided ravine with wooded slopes and a fast flowing stream passing from right to left to join the Delaware River. Behind you, a small village was taking shape, soon to become known as Trent's Town and then Trenton. Over the course of the next 200 years, starting in the early 1730s, this short segment of Petty's Run experienced several make-overs. The site and its surroundings alternated between water-powered industry and residential development before finally being absorbed into the orbit of the State House and transformed into parkland. Historical and archaeological investigations have now instilled the parkland with new life. Iron and Steel c 1731-1784 The Harrow/Yard Plating Mill and the Trenton Steel Works In the early 1730s, Isaac Harrow, a local blacksmith, erected a water powered plating mill on the east bank of Petty's Run directly in front of where your are standing. A plating mill was a mechanized blacksmith shop where a waterwheel turned a camshaft, alternately lifting and dropping a trip-hammer on to metal being worked on an anvil. Waterpower may also have operated a bellows that kept the forge fire burning. The plating mill was so named because its activities included the conversion of bar iron into plate metal goods like kettles, pans, axes and shovels. In 1745, the plating mill was acquired by Benjamin Yard, another Trenton blacksmith. Yard operated the mill into the early years of the Revolutionary War, producing gun barrels, scabbards and bayonets for the Continental Army in 1776. The facility was disabled by American troops in the fall of 1777 to prevent its use by British forces advancing up the Delaware. Remnants of the mill foundations were identified at the bottom of the Petty's Run site in 2008-09. These were re-buried and are not presently visible. Benjamin Yard built a steel furnace across the run from the plating mill. One of only five in use in the American Colonies in 1750, this facility was later owned by a succession of wealthy Philadelphians, before being acquired by Stacy Potts, a local Trenton merchant, toward the end of the Revolutionary War. Like the plating mill, the steel furnace produced metal for the Continental Army, continuing in operation somewhat longer, until 1784, Remains of the Trenton Steel Works have been stabilized and are on display. More detail on this rare industrial site may be found on Sign 6. State House and Streets c 1784-1814 The State House Lot and the West Front Street Bridge over Petty's Run After being considered as the site of the nation's capital in the 1780s, Trenton settled instead for the lesser role of capital of New Jersey on November 25, 1790. Over the next two years the state legislature decided that the actual seat of state government would occupy land on the western edge of the town adjoining Petty's Run. In early 1792, five lots totaling 3.75 acres were purchased on the south side of the newly extended West State Street, overlooking the falls of the Delaware River. The State House Lot, as this property came to be known, was soon the site of intense building activity. The State House itself was designed and built by Jonathan Doan, a master builder from Bucks County. It opened for business on October 29, 1792, although work continued on the building into the mid-1790s. In 1795-96, Doan designed and built the state's first office building, for the Secretary of State and the Clerk of the Supreme Court, which stood in the northeast corner of the State House Lot. The footprint of this building is partly outlined in the West State Street sidewalk in front of the the State House. Visitors can enjoy the public tours of the State House and learn more about its storied political past. Along with the development of the State House Lot came expansion of the street network and residential growth. West State Street was the primary axis of this change, but an important intersecting road was Delaware Street, which passed along the east side of the State House Lot, giving access to a fishery and landing on the riverbank. In 1792-93 Front Street was extended west through the Old Barracks over Petty's Run on a newly built stone bridge to connect with Delaware Street. The history of this segment of West Front Street is treated in greater detail in Sign 3. Cotton and Paper c 1814-1876 The Firthian Cotton Mill and the Front Street Paper Mill Following the demise of the Trenton Steel Works in the mid-1780s, the stretch of Petty's Run between the State House and the Old Barracks saw no industrial use for almost 30 years. Around 1813-14, water powered industrial activity resumed. Josiah Firthian, a cabinet-maker living on West State Street, bought part of the old plating mill property and erected Trenton's first cotton mill, realigning the run to flow in a stone-lined channel between the West State and West Front Street bridges. Firthian's cotton mill struggled from the start. Heavily mortgaged, the building was partially destroyed by a flood midway through its construction. It apparently operated for only two or three years, probably for spinning and carding, and in 1816 Firthian ceded control of the property to his creditors. By 1822 the mill was offered for sale with the note that "it could be finished so as make two handsome dwelling houses." Although no longer visible, remains of the cotton mill walls survive above the plating mill foundations, below the corner of the Thomas Edison State College. Much more successful was the paper mill established by Garret D. Wall in 1827. Wall a leading politician and attorney, owned much of the land along this stretch of Petty's Run, living in a fine three-story house at the corner of West State and Delaware Streets. Constructed atop the ruins of the steel furnace, the paper mill may also have incorporated part of the abandoned cotton mill. The Front Street paper mill continued in business until 1876. Its ruins, prominently displayed before you, are the subject of Sign 5. Residences and Row Homes c 1876-1914 The Petty's Run Culvert and Inner City Housing By the 1870s Petty's Run was little more than an open sewer, a convenient channel into which industrial and household waste could be pitched and carried down to the Delaware. Residents and the city government recognized the growing health hazard and covered over the run. By the 1890s the Petty's run culvert was incorporated into a new city-wide sanitary and storm sewer system. Also by the 1870s the Front Street paper mill was approaching the end of its working life. With little room for expansion, declining use of waterpower, and changes in papermaking technology, the mill was no longer economic. In 1876-77 the mill buildings were pulled down and replaced with row houses. The footings of the paper mill were incorporated into the row home basements and are strongly represented in the ruins that survive today. By 1900 the block bounded by West State, South Willow, West Front and Delaware Streets had attained maximum build-out. Wealthier town houses, occupied by professionals, lined West State, while West Front and Delaware Streets took on a more middle and working class flavor. The State House underwent several expansions during this period, interrupted by one serious fire on March 20, 1885 that forced a major rebuilding. A notable addition to the neighborhood was the School of Industrial Arts, founded by former New Jersey Secretary of State Henry C. Kelsey. Designed by architect Cass Gilbert, this Renaissance Revival building, located at the corner of South Willow and West State Streets, was dedicated on June 7, 1911. Mahlon Stacy Park c 1914 - Present Mahlon Stacy Park As early as the 1870s there were calls to establish a riverfront part to enlarge the surroundings of the State Capital. It was not until 1908, under the direction of adjutant general Wilbur F. Sadler, that the state began to acquire that land to fulfill this goal. In 1911, a concrete river wall was built to frame the park on its Delaware River side. Soon after landscaping designs were developed for what became known as Mahlon Stacy Park. The finger of land reaching up to west State Street between the State House and the Old Barracks was an important focus of the new park. Between 1911 and 1913 the state set about razing buildings and grading the terrain. West Front Street was removed, the downstream section of the Petty's Run culvert was realigned, and the canal known as the Trenton Water Power was transformed into Smithican Creek. The centerpiece of this part of the park, however, was the restoration of the Old Barracks, which included the recreation of the portion of the building that had been removed more than a century earlier to make way for the westerly extension of Front Street. In the 20th century, Mahlon Stacy Park first blossomed and then lost much of its luster. The State House Annex was added in 1928-29 and another architectural jewel, the Trenton and Mercer County Soldiers and Sailors War Memorial, was built kin 1930-32. In the post-World War II era, a cultural complex, comprising the State Library, State Museum, Planetarium and Auditorium, was established in place of several old mansions along West State Street, but the park setting fared less well at the hands of highway and parking lot construction that cut the State Capitol off from the river. Unearthing the Future The early 21st century has bred renewed interest in improving the environs of the State House and refreshing and recreating Mahlon Stacy Park. Reconnecting downtown Trenton to the Delaware River is a major goal of urban planners and the local community. Showcasing Trenton's cultural heritage and the city's critical role in American colonial and industrial history are part and parcel of the effort to enhance the visual and tourism appeal of New Jersey's state capital. The Petty's Run Archaeological Site offers a glimpse into Trenton's storied past - a window into water-powered industrial endeavor and the manufacture of iron, steel, cotton and paper along with flashes of light cast on to the broader canvas of the Industrial Revolution, the Revolutionary War and the emergence of state government. Hints of the buried riches along Petty's Run first emerged in the mid-1980s during archaeological testing in advance of new utilities being installed for an expansion of the State House. When Thomas Edison State College was expanded in the mid-1990s further evidence materialized. Exhaustive research into deeds and other archives revealed the intricate land use history of this site and confirmed its archaeological possibilities. In 2008-09 large-scale archaeological exploration conducted as part of park planning unearthed a wide array of foundations ranging in date from the early 18th through the late 19th century. In all, close to 5,000 tons of earth and rubble were removed from the site over a period of almost a year exposing numerous mill and house ruins and the long-forgotten Petty's Run culvert. Many of these features have been safely re-buried; some of the more compelling ruins have been stabilized and are displayed before you.
17. MSTACY_161003_075.JPG: Iron and Steel c 1731-1784 The Harrow/Yard Plating Mill and the Trenton Steel Works In the early 1730s, Isaac Harrow, a local blacksmith, erected a water powered plating mill on the east bank of Petty's Run directly in front of where your are standing. A plating mill was a mechanized blacksmith shop where a waterwheel turned a camshaft, alternately lifting and dropping a trip-hammer on to metal being worked on an anvil. Waterpower may also have operated a bellows that kept the forge fire burning. The plating mill was so named because its activities included the conversion of bar iron into plate metal goods like kettles, pans, axes and shovels. In 1745, the plating mill was acquired by Benjamin Yard, another Trenton blacksmith. Yard operated the mill into the early years of the Revolutionary War, producing gun barrels, scabbards and bayonets for the Continental Army in 1776. The facility was disabled by American troops in the fall of 1777 to prevent its use by British forces advancing up the Delaware. Remnants of the mill foundations were identified at the bottom of the Petty's Run site in 2008-09. These were re-buried and are not presently visible. Benjamin Yard built a steel furnace across the run from the plating mill. One of only five in use in the American Colonies in 1750, this facility was later owned by a succession of wealthy Philadelphians, before being acquired by Stacy Potts, a local Trenton merchant, toward the end of the Revolutionary War. Like the plating mill, the steel furnace produced metal for the Continental Army, continuing in operation somewhat longer, until 1784, Remains of the Trenton Steel Works have been stabilized and are on display. More detail on this rare industrial site may be found on Sign 6.
18. MSTACY_161003_079.JPG: State House and Streets c 1784-1814 The State House Lot and the West Front Street Bridge over Petty's Run After being considered as the site of the nation's capital in the 1780s, Trenton settled instead for the lesser role of capital of New Jersey on November 25, 1790. Over the next two years the state legislature decided that the actual seat of state government would occupy land on the western edge of the town adjoining Petty's Run. In early 1792, five lots totaling 3.75 acres were purchased on the south side of the newly extended West State Street, overlooking the falls of the Delaware River. The State House Lot, as this property came to be known, was soon the site of intense building activity. The State House itself was designed and built by Jonathan Doan, a master builder from Bucks County. It opened for business on October 29, 1792, although work continued on the building into the mid-1790s. In 1795-96, Doan designed and built the state's first office building, for the Secretary of State and the Clerk of the Supreme Court, which stood in the northeast corner of the State House Lot. The footprint of this building is partly outlined in the West State Street sidewalk in front of the the State House. Visitors can enjoy the public tours of the State House and learn more about its storied political past. Along with the development of the State House Lot came expansion of the street network and residential growth. West State Street was the primary axis of this change, but an important intersecting road was Delaware Street, which passed along the east side of the State House Lot, giving access to a fishery and landing on the riverbank. In 1792-93 Front Street was extended west through the Old Barracks over Petty's Run on a newly built stone bridge to connect with Delaware Street. The history of this segment of West Front Street is treated in greater detail in Sign 3.
19. MSTACY_161003_080.JPG: Cotton and Paper c 1814-1876 The Firthian Cotton Mill and the Front Street Paper Mill Following the demise of the Trenton Steel Works in the mid-1780s, the stretch of Petty's Run between the State House and the Old Barracks saw no industrial use for almost 30 years. Around 1813-14, water powered industrial activity resumed. Josiah Firthian, a cabinet-maker living on West State Street, bought part of the old plating mill property and erected Trenton's first cotton mill, realigning the run to flow in a stone-lined channel between the West State and West Front Street bridges. Firthian's cotton mill struggled from the start. Heavily mortgaged, the building was partially destroyed by a flood midway through its construction. It apparently operated for only two or three years, probably for spinning and carding, and in 1816 Firthian ceded control of the property to his creditors. By 1822 the mill was offered for sale with the note that "it could be finished so as make two handsome dwelling houses." Although no longer visible, remains of the cotton mill walls survive above the plating mill foundations, below the corner of the Thomas Edison State College. Much more successful was the paper mill established by Garret D. Wall in 1827. Wall a leading politician and attorney, owned much of the land along this stretch of Petty's Run, living in a fine three-story house at the corner of West State and Delaware Streets. Constructed atop the ruins of the steel furnace, the paper mill may also have incorporated part of the abandoned cotton mill. The Front Street paper mill continued in business until 1876. Its ruins, prominently displayed before you, are the subject of Sign 5.
20. MSTACY_161003_082.JPG: Residences and Row Homes c 1876-1914 The Petty's Run Culvert and Inner City Housing By the 1870s Petty's Run was little more than an open sewer, a convenient channel into which industrial and household waste could be pitched and carried down to the Delaware. Residents and the city government recognized the growing health hazard and covered over the run. By the 1890s the Petty's run culvert was incorporated into a new city-wide sanitary and storm sewer system. Also by the 1870s the Front Street paper mill was approaching the end of its working life. With little room for expansion, declining use of waterpower, and changes in papermaking technology, the mill was no longer economic. In 1876-77 the mill buildings were pulled down and replaced with row houses. The footings of the paper mill were incorporated into the row home basements and are strongly represented in the ruins that survive today. By 1900 the block bounded by West State, South Willow, West Front and Delaware Streets had attained maximum build-out. Wealthier town houses, occupied by professionals, lined West State, while West Front and Delaware Streets took on a more middle and working class flavor. The State House underwent several expansions during this period, interrupted by one serious fire on March 20, 1885 that forced a major rebuilding. A notable addition to the neighborhood was the School of Industrial Arts, founded by former New Jersey Secretary of State Henry C. Kelsey. Designed by architect Cass Gilbert, this Renaissance Revival building, located at the corner of South Willow and West State Streets, was dedicated on June 7, 1911.
21. MSTACY_161003_084.JPG: Mahlon Stacy Park c 1914 - Present Mahlon Stacy Park As early as the 1870s there were calls to establish a riverfront part to enlarge the surroundings of the State Capital. It was not until 1908, under the direction of adjutant general Wilbur F. Sadler, that the state began to acquire that land to fulfill this goal. In 1911, a concrete river wall was built to frame the park on its Delaware River side. Soon after landscaping designs were developed for what became known as Mahlon Stacy Park. The finger of land reaching up to west State Street between the State House and the Old Barracks was an important focus of the new park. Between 1911 and 1913 the state set about razing buildings and grading the terrain. West Front Street was removed, the downstream section of the Petty's Run culvert was realigned, and the canal known as the Trenton Water Power was transformed into Smithican Creek. The centerpiece of this part of the park, however, was the restoration of the Old Barracks, which included the recreation of the portion of the building that had been removed more than a century earlier to make way for the westerly extension of Front Street. In the 20th century, Mahlon Stacy Park first blossomed and then lost much of its luster. The State House Annex was added in 1928-29 and another architectural jewel, the Trenton and Mercer County Soldiers and Sailors War Memorial, was built kin 1930-32. In the post-World War II era, a cultural complex, comprising the State Library, State Museum, Planetarium and Auditorium, was established in place of several old mansions along West State Street, but the park setting fared less well at the hands of highway and parking lot construction that cut the State Capitol off from the river.
22. MSTACY_161003_087.JPG: Unearthing the Future The early 21st century has bred renewed interest in improving the environs of the State House and refreshing and recreating Mahlon Stacy Park. Reconnecting downtown Trenton to the Delaware River is a major goal of urban planners and the local community. Showcasing Trenton's cultural heritage and the city's critical role in American colonial and industrial history are part and parcel of the effort to enhance the visual and tourism appeal of New Jersey's state capital. The Petty's Run Archaeological Site offers a glimpse into Trenton's storied past - a window into water-powered industrial endeavor and the manufacture of iron, steel, cotton and paper along with flashes of light cast on to the broader canvas of the Industrial Revolution, the Revolutionary War and the emergence of state government. Hints of the buried riches along Petty's Run first emerged in the mid-1980s during archaeological testing in advance of new utilities being installed for an expansion of the State House. When Thomas Edison State College was expanded in the mid-1990s further evidence materialized. Exhaustive research into deeds and other archives revealed the intricate land use history of this site and confirmed its archaeological possibilities. In 2008-09 large-scale archaeological exploration conducted as part of park planning unearthed a wide array of foundations ranging in date from the early 18th through the late 19th century. In all, close to 5,000 tons of earth and rubble were removed from the site over a period of almost a year exposing numerous mill and house ruins and the long-forgotten Petty's Run culvert. Many of these features have been safely re-buried; some of the more compelling ruins have been stabilized and are displayed before you.
23. MSTACY_161003_090.JPG: (6) The Trenton Steel Works The Colonial Art of Making Steel Making steel in the 18th century was a challenge, especially in America. Steel was essential for making edge tools, such as axes and scythes, and other items like bayonets, knives and the mechanisms for guns and clocks; yet the science of making steel was poorly understood. Most steel used in the American colonies was imported from England. Only a few Americans attempted to make steel, often with little success. The Trenton Steel Works, located at this site, was a rare example of colonial American steel manufacturing. From the late 1740s to the mid-1780s, the furnace produced steel of variable and sometimes questionable quality at irregular intervals. Making Steel by the Cementation Process The Trenton Steel Works employed a cementation furnace. The brick-lined furnace enclosed a chest in which lengths of bar iron were layered and packed with powdered charcoal and capped with sand. A fire was then lit beneath the chest, gradually heating the furnace to between 1560�F and 1830�F. The hot gases from the fire circulated around the chest, heading the iron and charcoal, and then passing up a flue and out a stack. Inside the cementation chest, the red-hot bar iron absorbed carbon from the charcoal. Once the furnace reached the desired temperature, the fire had to be tended night and day to maintain the necessary. After five days or more, the converted iron was removed. The product of the cementation furnace was called "blister" steel, so called because of its raised blistery appearance. Blister steel fresh from the furnace as of no use: it had to be hot worked and reduced in sections by forging under a water-powered hammer, then rolled into bars that could be sold to artisans who made tools and machines. The Trenton steel furnace may have been similar to this example recorded in Sheffield in the mid-1760s. A. Furnace wall, B. Fire Chest, C. Cementation Chest, D. Hot Gas Chamber, E. Chamber Arch, F. Flue, G. Stack (G. Jars, Voyages Metallurgiques, 1774). The Furnace House and Base The cementation furnace was contained within a building that measured 31 feet by at least 36 feet, roughly matching the dimensions of the "house" given in a sale advertisement of 1765. Archaeologists uncovered the remains of the outer walls of the furnace house, standing in places up to two feet high and composed of locally quarried rock. In the northeast corner of the furnace house was discovered the stone and brick base of the furnace itself. Walls of mortared stone linked the furnace base to the north wall of the furnace house. These most likely buttressed the furnace structure, offsetting the risk of collapse from repeated firings. Compared to examples found in England, the furnace was rather small, measuring only 10.5 feet by 9 feet in plan. The Trenton furnace is thought to have resembled a type of single-chest furnace documented by French metallurgist Gabriel Jars in Sheffield, England in 1765-66. Archaeologists found no steel on the site. This was too precious a commodity not to have made its way to market. Furnace brick was recovered in abundance, along with pieces of the cast-iron furnace grate that would have covered the ash pit at the base of the structure. The furnace house probable resembled the structure shown in this sketch of the Blackhall Mill furnace in Derwent Valley, England, produced in the 1750s (R.R. Angerstein's Illustrated Travel Diary, 1753-1755). Trenton Steel in the Colonial Period The first steel furnace was erected at this site by Trenton blacksmith Benjamin Yard sometime between 1745 and 1750. It was one of only five steel works in the American colonies in this latter year, when the British parliament inventoried the American iron and steel industry, seeking to control its growth and protect English metalworking interests. Yard and subsequent owners received their bar iron from the furnaces and forges of northern New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. Andover iron was especially well suited to steel manufacture. The bars were shipped down the Delaware in Durham boats and offloaded at the falls just a few hundred feet from the steel works site. The manufactured steel was then transported to Philadelphia and other eastern seaboard markets, by boat or by wagon. In 1762, Yard sold the furnace to a pair of young Philadelphia Quaker merchants, Timothy Marlack and Owen Biddle. Both Matlack and Biddle are best known for their support of the American Revolution. Matlack, as Secretary to the Continental Congress, inscribed the copy of the Declaration of Independence that is on display at the Nation Archives. Biddle, a trained clockmaker and founding member of the American Philosophical Society, would have had an appreciation of the use of steel in precision instruments. In 1770, John Pemberton, another Philadelphia Quaker merchant, acquired a half share in the steel works and retained his brother-in-law, John Zane, a member of a well-known Pennsylvania iron-making family, to run the works. Zane sold steel behind Pemberton's back, ran up debts and eventually disappeared, turning up a few years later in the Caribbean as a penniless carpenter. During this period, despite being claimed as "quite equal if not better in quality than what is imported from England," Trenton steel was of questionable caliber and sold with some difficulty. Trenton Steel During the War Years During the American Revolution, the Trenton Steel Works operated intermittently. In March 1776, a half ton of Trenton steel was supplied to the Continental Army in Albany. The furnace may have been damaged in the fall of 1777 at the same time that American troops rendered the nearby plating mill inoperable in order to keep it from falling into the hands of the British. In July 1781, following Trenton merchant Stacy Potts's successful attempt to revive the furnace, the Trenton firm of Potts & Downing secured a contract with the U.S. government to convert Andover iron into steel. Potts & Downing failed to deliver fully on this contract, and by 1783 were in debt to one of their main suppliers of bar iron. The furnace managed to stay in operation through at least mid-1783, but several years of legal wrangling led to Stacy Potts losing most of his assets and moving west to Harrisburg to start a new life.
24. MSTACY_161003_094.JPG: Making Steel by the Cementation Process The Trenton Steel Works employed a cementation furnace. The brick-lined furnace enclosed a chest in which lengths of bar iron were layered and packed with powdered charcoal and capped with sand. A fire was then lit beneath the chest, gradually heating the furnace to between 1560�F and 1830�F. The hot gases from the fire circulated around the chest, heading the iron and charcoal, and then passing up a flue and out a stack. Inside the cementation chest, the red-hot bar iron absorbed carbon from the charcoal. Once the furnace reached the desired temperature, the fire had to be tended night and day to maintain the necessary. After five days or more, the converted iron was removed. The product of the cementation furnace was called "blister" steel, so called because of its raised blistery appearance. Blister steel fresh from the furnace as of no use: it had to be hot worked and reduced in sections by forging under a water-powered hammer, then rolled into bars that could be sold to artisans who made tools and machines. The Trenton steel furnace may have been similar to this example recorded in Sheffield in the mid-1760s. A. Furnace wall, B. Fire Chest, C. Cementation Chest, D. Hot Gas Chamber, E. Chamber Arch, F. Flue, G. Stack (G. Jars, Voyages Metallurgiques, 1774).
25. MSTACY_161003_096.JPG: Making steel in the 18th century was a challenge, especially in America. Steel was essential for making edge tools, such as axes and scythes, and other items like bayonets, knives and the mechanisms for guns and clocks; yet the science of making steel was poorly understood. Most steel used in the American colonies was imported from England. Only a few Americans attempted to make steel, often with little success. The Trenton Steel Works, located at this site, was a rare example of colonial American steel manufacturing. From the late 1740s to the mid-1780s, the furnace produced steel of variable and sometimes questionable quality at irregular intervals.
26. MSTACY_161003_098.JPG: The Furnace House and Base The cementation furnace was contained within a building that measured 31 feet by at least 36 feet, roughly matching the dimensions of the "house" given in a sale advertisement of 1765. Archaeologists uncovered the remains of the outer walls of the furnace house, standing in places up to two feet high and composed of locally quarried rock. In the northeast corner of the furnace house was discovered the stone and brick base of the furnace itself. Walls of mortared stone linked the furnace base to the north wall of the furnace house. These most likely buttressed the furnace structure, offsetting the risk of collapse from repeated firings. Compared to examples found in England, the furnace was rather small, measuring only 10.5 feet by 9 feet in plan. The Trenton furnace is thought to have resembled a type of single-chest furnace documented by French metallurgist Gabriel Jars in Sheffield, England in 1765-66. Archaeologists found no steel on the site. This was too precious a commodity not to have made its way to market. Furnace brick was recovered in abundance, along with pieces of the cast-iron furnace grate that would have covered the ash pit at the base of the structure. The furnace house probable resembled the structure shown in this sketch of the Blackhall Mill furnace in Derwent Valley, England, produced in the 1750s (R.R. Angerstein's Illustrated Travel Diary, 1753-1755). Trenton Steel in the Colonial Period The first steel furnace was erected at this site by Trenton blacksmith Benjamin Yard sometime between 1745 and 1750. It was one of only five steel works in the American colonies in this latter year, when the British parliament inventoried the American iron and steel industry, seeking to control its growth and protect English metalworking interests. Yard and subsequent owners received their bar iron from the furnaces and forges of northern New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. Andover iron was especially well suited to steel manufacture. The bars were shipped down the Delaware in Durham boats and offloaded at the falls just a few hundred feet from the steel works site. The manufactured steel was then transported to Philadelphia and other eastern seaboard markets, by boat or by wagon. In 1762, Yard sold the furnace to a pair of young Philadelphia Quaker merchants, Timothy Marlack and Owen Biddle. Both Matlack and Biddle are best known for their support of the American Revolution. Matlack, as Secretary to the Continental Congress, inscribed the copy of the Declaration of Independence that is on display at the Nation Archives. Biddle, a trained clockmaker and founding member of the American Philosophical Society, would have had an appreciation of the use of steel in precision instruments. In 1770, John Pemberton, another Philadelphia Quaker merchant, acquired a half share in the steel works and retained his brother-in-law, John Zane, a member of a well-known Pennsylvania iron-making family, to run the works. Zane sold steel behind Pemberton's back, ran up debts and eventually disappeared, turning up a few years later in the Caribbean as a penniless carpenter. During this period, despite being claimed as "quite equal if not better in quality than what is imported from England," Trenton steel was of questionable caliber and sold with some difficulty. Trenton Steel During the War Years During the American Revolution, the Trenton Steel Works operated intermittently. In March 1776, a half ton of Trenton steel was supplied to the Continental Army in Albany. The furnace may have been damaged in the fall of 1777 at the same time that American troops rendered the nearby plating mill inoperable in order to keep it from falling into the hands of the British. In July 1781, following Trenton merchant Stacy Potts's successful attempt to revive the furnace, the Trenton firm of Potts & Downing secured a contract with the U.S. government to convert Andover iron into steel. Potts & Downing failed to deliver fully on this contract, and by 1783 were in debt to one of their main suppliers of bar iron. The furnace managed to stay in operation through at least mid-1783, but several years of legal wrangling led to Stacy Potts losing most of his assets and moving west to Harrisburg to start a new life.
27. MSTACY_161003_106.JPG: (1) Petty's Run Capital Industry Don't let the sloping lawn and park-like setting deceive you. A natural stream, Petty's Run, flowed in a steep ravine at this spot, joining the Delaware River just beyond where the War Memorial sits today. Native Americans camped along the bluffs here, hunting, fishing, preparing food and tools. In the colonial period, Petty's Run defined the western limits of the town of Trenton and powered an iron and steel works. The stream was bridged in the late 18th century opening up the State House lot and surrounding area for development. In the 19th century, Petty's Run powered more industry - a cotton mill and then a paper mill - before being enclosed and made a part of the city's storm sewer system. Town houses and row homes, erected in the 19th century, were demolished in the early 20th century to make way for Mahlon Stacy Park, which, in essence, still survives today. The timeline below places the Petty's Run site within the broader context of New Jersey History. Iron and Steel c 1731-1784 A water-powered forge was built on the east side of Petty's Run in the early 1730s and destroyed in 1777. A steel furnace was erected across the run in the mid-1740s, staying intermittently in operation until 1784. 1719 The William Trent House was built for the Trent family, for whom Trenton is named. This fine brick mansion, the city's oldest surviving building, is located on the south side of the Assunpink Creek about one-half mile south of here. 1758 The Old Barracks, in front of you to the left, was established as a British military base on the frontier during the French and Indian War. The largest building in the town for many years, the barracks could accommodate close to 300 soldiers. 1776 Two battles fought in the streets of Trenton, on December 26, 1776 and January 2, 1777, saw the tide of the Revolutionary War begin to turn in favor of the American cause of liberty. 1784 For 54 days, from November 1 until December 24, 1784, Trenton was the nation's capital. The First Continental Congress met at the French Arms Tavern on the southwest corner of State and Warren Streets. Lenape European Settlement Colonial Expansion American Independence State House and Streets c 1784-1814 Shortly after the New Jersey State House was completed in 1792 access to the new seat of state government was improved by extending West Front Street through the Old Barracks to the State House Lot. This required construction of a stone bridge over Petty's Run that survives today buried beneath several feet of fill. 1790 Trenton was designated capital of the State of New Jersey by an act of the legislature on November 25. The State House, designed and constructed by master builder Jonathan Doan, opened for business almost two years later on October 29, 1792, although work on the building continued for another three years. 1804 This map, prepared for local landowner Daniel W. Coxe, shows the State House Lot. Petty's Run and the extension of West Front Street. At this time the State House was situated on the western edge of town and was beginning to encourage Trenton's expansion upstream along the banks of the Delaware River. 1789 On April 21, George Washington traveled through Trenton en route to his inauguration as first President of the United States. Passing beneath a triumphal arch erected on the bridge over Assunpink Creek, he was welcomed and serenaded by the rapturous ladies of Trenton. 1800 In the early 1790s, yellow fever gripped the nation's capital in Philadelphia. The many country estates located upriver along the Delaware at Trenton were a welcome retreat for the wealthy. Early Republic Lewis & Clark Expedition Transportation Revolution War of 1812 Cotton and Paper c 1814-1876 Beginning in the second decade of the 19th century this section of Petty's Run experienced a rebirth of water-powered industry. A short-lived cotton mill, out of business before 1820, was followed by a more successful paper mill established in 1827 with the financial backing of Garret D. Wall. 1826 This watercolor view of the Delaware River at Trenton, painted by Robert Montgomery Bird from a vantage point close to where you are standing, shows the flats at the mouth of Assunpink Creek, Coxe's mills beside the Trent House, and the first bridge over the Delaware built in 1804-06. 1851 By the early 1850s, Trenton's waterfront was developing rapidly. This section of a lithograph shows the State House and mills along the Trenton Water Power, a canal that ran along the Delaware riverbank. 1839 The Trenton to New Brunswick branch of the Camden and Amboy Railroad began operation. One of the Camden and Amboy's best known railroad engines was the John Bull, now on display at the Smithsonian Institution. 1845 Peter Cooper (1791-1883), industrialist and philanthropist, founded a succession of companies in Trenton, notably the Trenton Iron Company and the Trenton Water Company. These propelled Trenton into a center of manufacturing in the Industrial Revolution. Mexican War Industrial Revolution Civil War Reconstruction Residences and Row Homes c 1876-1914 Water-powered industry wound down in the later 19th century as steam, electricity and other forms of energy became more widespread. The block bounded by West State, South Willow, West Front and Delaware Streets was redeveloped for residential purposes and Petty's Run was placed in a culvert. 1900 The neighborhood between the State House and the Old Barracks took on a strong residential flavor. Sanitary improvements saw Petty's Run incorporated into the city-wide sewer system. 1909 Henry Kelsey, New Jersey's Secretary of State, engaged architect Cass Gilbert to design a vocational school. Completed in 1911 and known as the School of Industrial Arts, this Renaissance Revival building overlooks the Petty's Run site from the corner of West State and Barrack Streets. 1885 The Calhoun Street Bridge was built by the Phoenix Bridge Company using its innovative hollow iron columns. The bridge's private owner, the Trenton City Bridge Company, charged a toll until 1928 when the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission purchased the bridge and allowed travelers free passage. 1889 Trenton was a national leader in the manufacture of pottery in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Etruria Pottery, established at the height of the Civil War in 1863, was the home of Ott and Brewer, makers of fine porcelain and tablewares from 1871 to 1892. Urbanization Labor Movements World War One Progressivism Mahlon Stacy Park c 1914-Present Early in the 20th century, the State of New Jersey sought to provide the State House with surroundings befitting the seat of government for one of the country's wealthiest states. The design of Mahlon Stacy Park, named for Trenton's founding settler, adopted the principles of the City Beautiful movement. 1915 The core of Mahlon Stacy Park was created between 1912 and 1916. This involved demolition of buildings, construction of a riverfront wall and extensive filling. When fully completed in the 1920s, the park extended from the Assunpink upstream to the neighborhood known as "the Island." 1920 Within Mahlon Stacy Park the old canal known as the Trenton Water Power was transformed into Sanhican Creek. This linear water feature flowed along the base of the bluff below the State House and into the Assunpink Creek. 1932 The landmark Art Deco concert hall known as the Soldiers and Sailors War Memorial opened to honor local veterans of World War I. 1965 A major expansion of the Capitol Complex took place in the early 1960s with the creation of the Cultural Center next to the State House. Designed in the New Formalist style, this group of buildings comprises the State Library, the State Museum, the Planetarium and the Auditorium. Women's Suffrage Great Depression World War Two Civil Rights [Last Column] The jumble of ruins in the pit before you, revealed by archaeological excavations in 2008-09, are a microcosm of Trenton's rich industrial history and the role of water power in the Industrial Revolution. Experience this history and learn more detail about the Petty's Run Archaeological Site as you walk around the pathway loop. For almost a year archaeologists peeled back layers of history, exposing foundations, recovering artifacts and documenting all that was found through surveying, scale drawing and photography. Thick earth deposits and later masonry features were removed with the help of a backhoe. More delicate excavation was conducted by hand with picks, shovels and trowels. Excavation in the deeper reaches of the site, notably the paper mill wheel pit, seen here, required a combination of mechanical and manual digging of waterlogged soils. Pumps removed water while archaeologists clad in waders shoveled mud from the timber remains of the turbine box.
28. MSTACY_161003_111.JPG: Iron and Steel c 1731-1784 A water-powered forge was built on the east side of Petty's Run in the early 1730s and destroyed in 1777. A steel furnace was erected across the run in the mid-1740s, staying intermittently in operation until 1784. 1719 The William Trent House was built for the Trent family, for whom Trenton is named. This fine brick mansion, the city's oldest surviving building, is located on the south side of the Assunpink Creek about one-half mile south of here. 1758 The Old Barracks, in front of you to the left, was established as a British military base on the frontier during the French and Indian War. The largest building in the town for many years, the barracks could accommodate close to 300 soldiers.
29. MSTACY_161003_113.JPG: 1776 Two battles fought in the streets of Trenton, on December 26, 1776 and January 2, 1777, saw the tide of the Revolutionary War begin to turn in favor of the American cause of liberty. 1784 For 54 days, from November 1 until December 24, 1784, Trenton was the nation's capital. The First Continental Congress met at the French Arms Tavern on the southwest corner of State and Warren Streets. Lenape European Settlement Colonial Expansion American Independence
30. MSTACY_161003_115.JPG: State House and Streets c 1784-1814 Shortly after the New Jersey State House was completed in 1792 access to the new seat of state government was improved by extending West Front Street through the Old Barracks to the State House Lot. This required construction of a stone bridge over Petty's Run that survives today buried beneath several feet of fill. 1790 Trenton was designated capital of the State of New Jersey by an act of the legislature on November 25. The State House, designed and constructed by master builder Jonathan Doan, opened for business almost two years later on October 29, 1792, although work on the building continued for another three years. 1804 This map, prepared for local landowner Daniel W. Coxe, shows the State House Lot. Petty's Run and the extension of West Front Street. At this time the State House was situated on the western edge of town and was beginning to encourage Trenton's expansion upstream along the banks of the Delaware River.
31. MSTACY_161003_118.JPG: 1789 On April 21, George Washington traveled through Trenton en route to his inauguration as first President of the United States. Passing beneath a triumphal arch erected on the bridge over Assunpink Creek, he was welcomed and serenaded by the rapturous ladies of Trenton. 1800 In the early 1790s, yellow fever gripped the nation's capital in Philadelphia. The many country estates located upriver along the Delaware at Trenton were a welcome retreat for the wealthy. Early Republic Lewis & Clark Expedition Transportation Revolution War of 1812
32. MSTACY_161003_120.JPG: Cotton and Paper c 1814-1876 Beginning in the second decade of the 19th century this section of Petty's Run experienced a rebirth of water-powered industry. A short-lived cotton mill, out of business before 1820, was followed by a more successful paper mill established in 1827 with the financial backing of Garret D. Wall. 1826 This watercolor view of the Delaware River at Trenton, painted by Robert Montgomery Bird from a vantage point close to where you are standing, shows the flats at the mouth of Assunpink Creek, Coxe's mills beside the Trent House, and the first bridge over the Delaware built in 1804-06. 1851 By the early 1850s, Trenton's waterfront was developing rapidly. This section of a lithograph shows the State House and mills along the Trenton Water Power, a canal that ran along the Delaware riverbank.
33. MSTACY_161003_122.JPG: 1839 The Trenton to New Brunswick branch of the Camden and Amboy Railroad began operation. One of the Camden and Amboy's best known railroad engines was the John Bull, now on display at the Smithsonian Institution. 1845 Peter Cooper (1791-1883), industrialist and philanthropist, founded a succession of companies in Trenton, notably the Trenton Iron Company and the Trenton Water Company. These propelled Trenton into a center of manufacturing in the Industrial Revolution. Mexican War Industrial Revolution Civil War Reconstruction
34. MSTACY_161003_124.JPG: Residences and Row Homes c 1876-1914 Water-powered industry wound down in the later 19th century as steam, electricity and other forms of energy became more widespread. The block bounded by West State, South Willow, West Front and Delaware Streets was redeveloped for residential purposes and Petty's Run was placed in a culvert. 1900 The neighborhood between the State House and the Old Barracks took on a strong residential flavor. Sanitary improvements saw Petty's Run incorporated into the city-wide sewer system. 1909 Henry Kelsey, New Jersey's Secretary of State, engaged architect Cass Gilbert to design a vocational school. Completed in 1911 and known as the School of Industrial Arts, this Renaissance Revival building overlooks the Petty's Run site from the corner of West State and Barrack Streets.
35. MSTACY_161003_126.JPG: 1885 The Calhoun Street Bridge was built by the Phoenix Bridge Company using its innovative hollow iron columns. The bridge's private owner, the Trenton City Bridge Company, charged a toll until 1928 when the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission purchased the bridge and allowed travelers free passage. 1889 Trenton was a national leader in the manufacture of pottery in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Etruria Pottery, established at the height of the Civil War in 1863, was the home of Ott and Brewer, makers of fine porcelain and tablewares from 1871 to 1892. Urbanization Labor Movements World War One Progressivism
36. MSTACY_161003_128.JPG: Mahlon Stacy Park c 1914-Present Early in the 20th century, the State of New Jersey sought to provide the State House with surroundings befitting the seat of government for one of the country's wealthiest states. The design of Mahlon Stacy Park, named for Trenton's founding settler, adopted the principles of the City Beautiful movement. 1915 The core of Mahlon Stacy Park was created between 1912 and 1916. This involved demolition of buildings, construction of a riverfront wall and extensive filling. When fully completed in the 1920s, the park extended from the Assunpink upstream to the neighborhood known as "the Island." 1920 Within Mahlon Stacy Park the old canal known as the Trenton Water Power was transformed into Sanhican Creek. This linear water feature flowed along the base of the bluff below the State House and into the Assunpink Creek.
37. MSTACY_161003_130.JPG: 1932 The landmark Art Deco concert hall known as the Soldiers and Sailors War Memorial opened to honor local veterans of World War I. 1965 A major expansion of the Capitol Complex took place in the early 1960s with the creation of the Cultural Center next to the State House. Designed in the New Formalist style, this group of buildings comprises the State Library, the State Museum, the Planetarium and the Auditorium. Women's Suffrage Great Depression World War Two Civil Rights
38. MSTACY_161003_132.JPG: The jumble of ruins in the pit before you, revealed by archaeological excavations in 2008-09, are a microcosm of Trenton's rich industrial history and the role of water power in the Industrial Revolution. Experience this history and learn more detail about the Petty's Run Archaeological Site as you walk around the pathway loop. For almost a year archaeologists peeled back layers of history, exposing foundations, recovering artifacts and documenting all that was found through surveying, scale drawing and photography. Thick earth deposits and later masonry features were removed with the help of a backhoe. More delicate excavation was conducted by hand with picks, shovels and trowels. Excavation in the deeper reaches of the site, notably the paper mill wheel pit, seen here, required a combination of mechanical and manual digging of waterlogged soils. Pumps removed water while archaeologists clad in waders shoveled mud from the timber remains of the turbine box.
39. MSTACY_161003_135.JPG: Old Steel Mill Here, in 1750, Benjamin Yard made steel in an iron works founded by Isaac Harrow 1733-'34. The mill was on Petty's Run which now flows underground. It was one of the earliest steel mills in America and a forerunner of the great industries of Trenton.
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