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The museum is operated by the state of New Jersey and has been located at the Capitol Cultural Complex since its creation in 1964. 

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The first official state museum in the United States, the New Jersey State Museum has been in operation since 1895. The museum has been located at the Capitol Cultural Complex since its creation in 1964, and its galleries include a variety of artifacts and exhibits drawn from the museum's vast collection which includes fossils and other items related to natural history, works of art, and items that reflect the diverse history of New Jersey from the prehistoric era to the present. Highlights of the museum include the planetarium, a Civil War Flag Gallery, and a permanent collection that takes users through a history of the state. 

New Jersey State Museum

This tour begins at the historic home of city founder William Trent and includes several historic buildings and landmarks as well as the New Jersey State Museum. The tour concludes at the famous monument that commemorates the American victory in the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776.

Walking Tour of Trenton New Jersey 

History Beneath Your Feet

This historic home was built in 1719 by William Trent and it is the oldest standing structure in the city of Trenton. William Trent was born circa 1653 in Scotland and he emigrated to America with his brother in 1682. He appeared on the Philadelphia tax rolls as of 1693. Trent made a fortune as an importer of many commodities including wine and rum. He was also involved in the buying and selling of enslaved people and indentured servants. Trent built this plantation estate and the surrounding community came to be known as "Trent Town" It later became officially incorporated as Trenton. William Trent died on Christmas day 1724 and his son James inherited his entire estate. This was contested by Mary Coddington Trent. She sued for her dower rights and won, collecting rents on Trent's properties and profits from his mills for several years after Trent's death.William Trent Jr. was born circa 1715 in Philadelphia, four years before the William Trent Sr. built the Trenton home. William Trent entered the trading business and is best-known for his involvement in the French-Indian War as a Captain of the Virginia Regiment. He was promoted to Captain at the beginning of the war in 1754 served under young Lieutenant Colonel George Washington, the future inaugural President of the United States.In 1760, Trent became a member of a trading firm in Fort Pitt at the confluence of the Allegheny River, Monongahela River, and Ohio River. Fort Pitt was England's attempt to gain control over the trade with area tribes and wrest control over the area from the French. According to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, "During the summer of 1763, while stationed at Fort Pitt, William Trent kept a journal and orderly book, which together present one of the most detailed and complete accounts of the Indian siege on the British settlements." William Trent died five years later in 1787.After the passing of William Trent senior, a number of Trenton's most prestigious families including three New Jersey Governors, a physician, and a colonel lived in the home. In 1929, Edward Ansley Stokes gave the property to the City of Trenton. The house was restored to its original appearance in the early 1930s and it has served as a local history museum since 1939.. The building was added NRHP (National Register of Historic Places) in 1970.

This house museum is the oldest standing structure in Trenton, New Jersey. Constructed for Trenton's founder in William Trent in 1719, the home contains exhibits that reflect the colonial period and the growth of the Trenton. The stately home passed though some of the most influential families before the property was donated in 1929 for the purpose of creating a museum.

William Trent House and Museum 

Near this same location in 1776, Washington delivered one of his most important addresses to his troops. While history may focus on the more heroic speeches of politicians in the early years of the American Revolution, it may be Washington's message at this location where he implored his men to keep fighting and remain in the army even though their contracts had expired and prospects were bleak that helped turn the tide. And while the speech could not reverse the military defeats as his men faced the British for the second time in a matter of days, Washington's ability to keep his fledgling army in the field and the skirmishes that occurred here prior to the Battle of Trenton were essential. By keeping many of his men in the army, General Washington was able to win small but significant battles as the fight moved on to Princeton.&nbsp; Shortly after his famous crossing of the Delaware River, a small battle&nbsp;took place just days later along the Assunpink Creek. Washington had abandoned Trenton, taking the fight into Pennsylvania when the British believed he was still in the city. Rather than let the British have Trenton, Washington sent his troops back across the river in order to recapture the city. Washington made a personal address to his troops to regain Trenton and then stay in the army. Washington implored his troops near this location in the final days of 1776:&nbsp;"You have done all I asked you to do, and more than could be reasonably expected; but your country is at stake, your wives, your houses, and all that you hold dear...If you will consent to stay only one month longer, you will render that service to the cause of liberty, and to your country, which you probably never can do under any other circumstance."1.&nbsp; Washington's speech resonated throughout the army and carried the troops into battle once again. Washington planned to defend the area around Assunpink Creek and then move back across the bridge to Princeton. However, his army was pushed back across the bridge where Washington wanted to hold firm. Nearing the end, Washington decided that they were going to abandon Trenton but instead of retreating, he wanted to&nbsp;double back on the British in Princeton. The colonial army slipped back to Princeton in the night as the British kept firing upon a small group of troops that heroically&nbsp;held their ground and allowed the army to escape.&nbsp;&nbsp; American casualties among these defenders were slight whereas the British lost many men owing to their attempt to surge forward in an attempt to capture the Americans before they could cross the&nbsp;bridge. Although a loss for the Americans, casualties for the British army were five times higher and the battles proved once again that the American army could inflict damage upon the British.&nbsp;

At this location on April 21, 1789, General Washington passed through an arch designed by the citizens of Trenton to celebrate his election to the Presidency. At this time, New York City was the capitol and Washington was on his way from Virginia to New York for his inauguration. 

George Washington's Arch Triumphal, Historical Marker 

After the battle, the barracks became a hospital. A doctor named&nbsp;Dr. Bodo Otto performed smallpox inoculations, helping&nbsp;save the lives of soldiers who would otherwise have raised the already high number of deaths by disease (more soldiers died from disease than battle). This was the first mass medical treatment of soldiers in the Western Hemisphere. In later years the barracks became a residence for indigent widows, a&nbsp;single women's home, and boarding school. Trenton's first mayor also lived here. A portion of the barracks was demolished but the rest has been restored to what it likely appeared in Colonial times.&nbsp;

The Old Barracks Museum is among the more important historic sites in New Jersey. It was one of five military barracks built in New Jersey in the late 1750s to house British troops (in the winter) during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). None of the other barracks exist. As such, the barracks is the only extant and restored military building in the state dating to the colonial period. 

It is perhaps most famous for being site of the surprise attack on the night of December 25/26, 1776. The Continental Army, under the command of George Washington, attacked and captured the 1,000-strong Hessian (German) garrison stationed here in the battle known as the Battle of Trenton. The Americans suffered few casualties in the victory, which boosted morale and increased enlistment into the army. 

Visitors to the museum can immerse themselves in the history of the barracks through a variety of activities such as summer day camps and camp-ins for high school-age students. The barracks is a National Historic Landmark and has been a museum since 1914.

Old Barracks Museum

The first "professional" basketball game was played in Trenton, New Jersey on November 7, 1896. Fred Cooper was team captain for the Trenton YMCA team and he organized the event and rented the local Masonic Temple Hall for the game.&nbsp; Admission was charged for this game to the tune of 25 cents for a seat, and 15 cents for standing room view. After rent to the Masonic Temple was paid, Cooper paid each player $15.00. Cooper paid himself $16.00 since he was team captain, and then became the first highest paid professional basketball player by this definition of the word.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Trentons won the game and within a few years, several teams from the Philadelphia and New Jersey areas joined&nbsp;together to form a league that later inspired the modern professional leagues of today.&nbsp;The Trentons won that league's first&nbsp;championship in 1899. The success of this league inspired other leagues began to form across the East Coast. Many of the new leagues only lasted a few weeks and the&nbsp;National Basketball League that featured Trenton and other teams only lasted five seasons. The sport of basketball's growth can be attributed mostly to colleges who began sponsoring basketball games. Professional leagues came and went throughout the first half of the 20th century. Independent teams (known as barnstormers) had more success as they traveled around the country preforming in venues.&nbsp; One such barnstorming team became world-famous, the Harlem Globetrotters.&nbsp;

This small plaque located just behind the benches for the city bus stop designates the location of the first "professional" basketball game. The title of the plaque can be misleading, however, as the athletes were not professional players, but rather the first to receive pay for playing. The game was played at the Masonic Temple Hall on November 7, 1896 and featured the Trenton YMCA against the Brooklyn YMCA. Fred Cooper, Team Captain for the Trentons, organized the game and his side won the game by the score of 15-1 with the help a paid athletes who might be considered "ringers." The game inspired other teams to pay players and within two years of this game there were professional teams and the origins of modern professional basketball leagues. 

First Professional Basketball Game Historical Marker 

The Trenton Battle Monument, completed in 1893, commemorates one of the most pivotal moments in American history. On December 26, 1776, General George Washington led his force of 2,400 Continental troops across the Delaware River into Trenton, New Jersey to conduct a surprise attack on Hessian (Germans enlisted by the British) troops. German troops had occupied Trenton since December 14, 1776. Washington was tracking their movements across New Jersey beginning at Fort Lee since November 20. The Continental army had suffered a long string of losses at the hand of the British army and was reeling at the end of 1776, with many of the men’s enlistments due to expire at the end of that year. Washington caught a break when the British chose not to pursue him further and made the decision to set up camp for the winter with belief the harsh weather or renewed fighting in spring would finally end the rebellion. Knowing that he needed to create some positive momentum for the war and capture supplies, Washington asked his men to embark on a final effort for victory. Washington created a three-pronged attack to strike at night on Christmas that required crossing the Delaware River, believing that Colonel Johann Gottlieb Rall would not expect an attack in the harsh weather. Yet, Rall was warned repeatedly of the attack. The day before American troops embarked on their nine-mile journey, two American deserters crossed the river with word that the American army was ready to move. In addition, a never-identified British spy was in Washington’s headquarters, and sent word to British General James Grant of the attack. He eventually had the message passed along to Rall, but, while telling him to remain vigilant, stated that he did not believe an attack would actually occur. A series of prior false alarms in addition to the growing storm caused Rall to brush off the accusations. During the crossing of the Delaware River, the thick ice caused two of Washington’s three columns to turn back. The only column to make it across arrived late, on the morning of December 26, 1776. Washington then split this force into two columns commanded by Major General Nathaneal Greene and General John Sullivan, who attacked from different sides and blocked a retreat. Although the American troops had engaged in skirmishes on the outskirts of town, Washington still maintained the element of surprise. With 2,400 American troops against 1,500 Hessians, a majority of the British army, approximately 900 men, were captured, including mortally wounded Rall. Only five Americans had been wounded, with 22 British killed and 83 wounded. Washington then made his way back across the river with his troops and the captured Hessians to McConkey’s Ferry Inn, where their crossing began. The Hessians, despite their own cruel treatment of American prisoners, were treated well. The 26 Hessian officers were held at the inn that night while the soldiers were brought to Newtown and divided between a prison and Newtown Presbyterian Church. The following day, the Hessian officers were also marched to Newtown, where they were housed in private homes due to their status. Four of the officers met with Washington to provide crucial intel with the mistakes they had made during the battle. Their information assisted Washington in the following Battle of Assunpink Creek to defend Trenton, or the “Second Battle of Trenton,” which occurred just several days later on January 2, 1777 and was again an American victory. Both the Hessian officers and soldiers were then marched to Philadelphia, paraded through the streets, and settled into barracks. Washington published a proclamation stating that the Hessians were forced into war and were not enemies. Soon, people brought food to the barracks and treated the Hessians kindly. Eventually, the Hessian officers signed a “parole,” which stated they would not interfere with any of Washington’s plans against the British, and were essentially granted free rein (6). The soldiers were taken to Lancaster County to work on the farms, where 23-40 percent remained, with a significant number of them returning to the U.S. with their families at the end of the war. A movement to erect a monument in honor of the Battle of Trenton began in 1843, and in 1886, property for the monument was purchased by the Trenton Monument Association. To build it, the New Jersey Legislature appropriated $15,000, Congress $30,000, and citizens contributed another $15,000. On December 26, 1891, on the 115th anniversary of the battle, the cornerstone was laid. Two years later, on October 19, 1893, the monument was finally completed and a dedication ceremony was held, attended by eight governors of the original 13 states. The monument stands at the exact location where Washington's canon was located, which prevented a British escape. Designed by John H. Duncan, architect of Grant’s tomb, the monument stands at 150 feet tall, and atop rests a 13-foot bronze statue of George Washington with his arm extended, pointing in the direction the canon faced (down Warren Street). The monument is hallowed and there is an elevator inside enabling visitors to go to the top platform to view the surrounding landscape (it is not clear if this is still possible today). The monument is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Dedicated in 1893, this monument commemorates the American victory in the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776. The battle served as a critical turning point in the Revolutionary War. The British defeated the Continental army in previous engagements and many of the Continental enlistments were scheduled to end at the beginning of the new year. General George Washington was desperate for a victory that would encourage new enlistments and keep the army alive. On Christmas night, Washington decided to attack a Hessian encampment across the Delaware River in Trenton, New Jersey. The American force surprised the experienced Hessian mercenaries providing a critical victory that allowed soldiers and political leaders alike to continue supporting the revolution.


Walking Tour of Trenton New Jersey

New Jersey State Museum

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