Historic Community: Port Mercer
Centered on where Quakerbridge Road crosses the Delaware and Raritan Canal is one of West Windsor's historic communities: Port Mercer. This industrial hamlet - also overlapping Princeton and Lawrence Township - grew in the mid-1830s following the opening of the canal and a parallel Camden and Amboy Railroad line. Today, although much smaller, it is still visibly identifiable. Explore Port Mercer and its historical buildings below!
Historical Overview
Amid the Revolutionary War, and long before Port Mercer existed, the area was a sparsely-populated region reputedly called the "Great Meadow."[1] It was through here that General George Washington and his troops marched on January 3, 1777.[2] They were advancing toward Princeton where they would achieve their third victory over the British in just a handful of days (following the Battle of Trenton and Battle of Assunpink Creek).[3],[4] These three triumphs in war's darkest hours would reinvigorate Washington's troops and begin to turn the tide toward patriot victory.[5]
In 1914, the Sons of the Revolution installed twelve obelisks between Trenton and Princeton to mark the approximate route of Washington's march.[6] Two obelisks stand in Port Mercer: one in the median in Quakerbridge Road (about 200 feet northwest of its intersection with Province Line Road), and one along the western bank of the Delaware and Raritan Canal where Quaker Road begins to turn away from the canal. Like Mercer County, Port Mercer is named after Brigadier-General Hugh Mercer - a compatriot of Washington who died during the Battle of Princeton.[7],[8] |
This area remained sparsely populated for the next several decades. However, in 1834, the Delaware and Raritan Canal opened to link the cities of New Brunswick and Trenton.[9] Five years later, the Camden and Amboy Railroad laid tracks on the canal's eastern bank.[10] A community called "Clarksville Basin," profiting off of commercial traffic, soon appeared where Quakerbridge Road crosses the canal.[11] It was later renamed "Port Windsor"[12] and finally "Port Mercer," coinciding with the opening of a post office in 1849.[13] Port Mercer was one of many small hamlets lining the canal throughout central New Jersey, including the Princeton/West Windsor neighborhood of Princeton Basin about 2.5 miles northeast.
One of the early buildings erected in Port Mercer was the canal house at 4278 Quakerbridge Road. This was the home of the bridge-tender, who opened a bridge that swiveled horizontally to let barges through upon paying a toll.[14] It is now a museum operated by the Lawrence Historical Society[15] and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In fact, much of the community is part of the Delaware and Raritan Canal Historic District.[16], Across the road from the bridge-tender's house was a train station stop that also functioned as a general store.[17] Several hundred feet further northeast was a "turning basin" - a small pond just off of the east side of the canal, which allowed barges to moor and load/unload passengers and cargo.[18] |
Port Mercer's businesses were diverse. Charles Gillingham opened a lumber yard in 1835.[19] He and Joseph Decou, Jr. began selling lime around the same time.[20],[21] Joseph Gillingham owned lime kilns, a "store house," and a few dwellings in 1840.[22] Alfred Applegate reputedly operated the general store from about 1840-48, which was owned by a succession of locals for decades thereafter.[23]
In 1849, the Trenton State Gazette reported that "the business of this place is quite on the increase. A vessel runs regularly on the canal from the basin to New York and Philadelphia."[24] That same year, a post office was established with John A. S. Crater as its first postmaster.[25] Also in 1849, Crater erected a steam-powered sawmill that probably provided lumber used in some of the local buildings.[26] Crater also owned a coal yard, tenant houses, ice house, barns, a blacksmith shop, shoe shop, and the general store.[27] He was also the one who reputedly built Port Mercer's inn, still standing as a private residence at 4271 Quakerbridge Road.[28] This establishment provided food/drink, accommodations, and, reputedly, "ladies of the night" imported from Trenton.[29] John's son, David, was appointed New Jersey's Secretary of State in 1912 under Governor Woodrow Wilson.[30],[31] Another prominent local, Charles H. Mather, served as a State Assemblyman from 1907-1910[232] and also held a variety of West Windsor Township municipal positions.[33] He, too, operated the general store from 1895 to 1915, as well as a coal business.[34],[35] Also in 1895, George Harrold erected a poultry in house for raising chickens.[36] John F. Schanck raised racehorses on a nearby farm.[37] |
The 1964 publication West Windsor Township: People - Purpose - Progress portrayed life in old Port Mercer: "The store, with its big potbelly stove in the middle, was the village meeting place. Eggs and butter could be exchanged for dress goods in gay colors. Penny candy was the drawing card for children. On Saturday night, the men congregated for a game of 'Catch Five.' The first telephone in town was installed there ... Whenever a steamer or yacht blew its whistle to go through, many of the town's people, especially the children, would run out and stand on the bank to see the boat and wave to the people on the deck. If a steamer --- stopped to unload freight ... the children were allowed to go on deck ... At night the bells on the patient mules could be heard tingling as they trudged up the tow path."[38]
In 1992, Gordon Keith, Jr., broadened this image: "Attempts to capitalize on the heavy traffic included a well-timed delay in opening the swing bridge. This slow opening ... might entangle the mules' tow lines and inadvertently pull (them) into the canal. Fortunately, local boys would be nearby and rescue the mules .. and receive a reward ... Other [locals] would acquire coal by placing cans or bottles on fences or posts. Passing bargemen might be enticed to practice their throwing skills in knocking down the targets with lumps of coal."[39] |
However, not all was idyllic. Port Mercer saw several drownings over the years, including that of bridge-tender John Arrowsmith's son, William, in 1915.[40],[41] It was not unheard of for cars to crash into the canal[42] and even murder victims were dumped here - notably those of an unidentified youth in 1923 and Air Force veteran Dominick Thomas Madeo in 1946.[43],[44]
After the railroad relocated to the present-day alignment of the Northeast Corridor in 1863,[45] the canal - and thus Port Mercer - saw increasingly shrinking commercial traffic. However, unlike Princeton Basin, Port Mercer's decline was not as severe, and it retained its sense of "neighborhood." The surrounding land was also farmed for many more decades, until commercial and residential complexes were constructed in the last quarter of the 20th century.[46],[47] Automobile traffic flowing between Princeton and Route 1 is now frequent. However, at the time of this writing (2023), Port Mercer retains most of its 1800s-era buildings, minus the general store (torn down in the mid-1900s). Also at the time of this writing, the largest green ash tree in the state still looms over the backyard of 4273 Quakerbridge Road.[47] Possibly decades-old when Washington marched towards his fateful battle, it witnessed Port Mercer's birth, rise, decline. It, and Port Mercer in general, remain relic of old Lawrence and West Windsor. |
Historical Port Mercer Landmarks
Click on each of the images below to learn more about some Port Mercer landmarks! We recommend reading them in order. More may be added as research improves.
Bibliography
- Lee, Francis Bazley. Genealogical and Personal Memorial of Mercer County, New Jersey. Lewis Publishing Company, 1907.
- Kidder, William Larry. Ten Crucial Days: Washington’s Vision for Victory Unfolds. Brentwood, Tennessee: Knox Press, 2020
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- "To Mark Washington's Route From Trenton To Princeton." Sunday Times-Advertiser (Trenton). March 8, 1914.
- Woodward, Evan Morrison, and John Frelinghuysen Hageman. History of Burlington and Mercer Counties with Biographical Sketches of Many of Their Pioneers and Prominent Men. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Everts & Peck, 1883.
- "Gen. Hugh Mercer." Princeton Herald. November 1, 1923.
- "Delaware and Raritan Canal." Princeton Whig. August 29, 1834.
- Freeman, Leslie, Jr. E. “The New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company.” The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin 88, May 1953.
- Joseph Decou, Jr. (1835, February 14). Coal. Emporium and True American. Trenton, NJ.
- "Local Items." Trenton State Gazette. July 10, 1849.
- "A new post-office has been created at Port Windsor, in this county." Hightstown Village Record. December 22, 1849.
- Arrowsmith, Carrie. “Carrie Arrowsmith Pens Port Mercer Reflections.” Princeton Recollector 6, no. 8, May 1981. https://theprince.princeton.edu/princetonperiodicals/?a=d&d=princetonrecollector19810501.2.2&srpos=5&e=------198-en-20-princetonrecollector-1--txt-txIN-%22cARRIE+ARROWSMITH%22------.
- “Port Mercer Canal House.” Lawrence Historical Society. Accessed September 30, 2023. https://www.thelhs.org/port-mercer-canal-house.
- “National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form - Delaware and Raritan Canal,” December 13, 1972. Well-known 1834 opening is repeated in this document.
- “Port Mercer Canal House.” Lawrence Historical Society. Accessed September 30, 2023. https://www.thelhs.org/port-mercer-canal-house.
- Lake, D J, and S N Beers. Map of the Vicinity of Philadelphia and Trenton from Actual Surveys By D.J. Lake and S. N. Beers. Assisted by F. Beers, L. B. Lake and D. G. Beers. Philadelphia, PA: C.K. Stone and A. Pomeroy, 1860. https://dspace.njstatelib.org/xmlui/handle/10929/34112?show=full
- Charles A. Gillingham & Co. (1836, April 22). New Lumber Yard. Princeton Whig. Princeton, NJ.
- Charles A. Gillingham & Co. (1836, July 29). White Marsh Lime! Princeton Whig. Princeton, NJ.
- Joseph Gillingham. (1840, October 2). For Sale Or Rent. Emporium and True American. Trenton, NJ.
- Ibid.
- Woodward, Evan Morrison, and John Frelinghuysen Hageman. History of Burlington and Mercer Counties with Biographical Sketches of Many of Their Pioneers and Prominent Men. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Everts & Peck, 1883.
- "Local Items." Trenton State Gazette. July 10, 1849.
- "A new post-office has been created at Port Windsor, in this county." Hightstown Village Record. December 22, 1849.
- "Local Items." Trenton State Gazette. July 10, 1849.
- John A. S. Crater. (1855, December 4). Valuable Real Estate for Sale. Daily True American. Trenton, NJ.
- Woodward, Evan Morrison, and John Frelinghuysen Hageman. History of Burlington and Mercer Counties with Biographical Sketches of Many of Their Pioneers and Prominent Men. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Everts & Peck, 1883.
- Keith, E Gordon. “Broadside,” 1992. Newsletter produced by the Historical Society of West Windsor. Keith, then a Port Mercer resident, details the history of Port Mercer.
- "Secretary of State Crater." Messenger-Press. March 28, 1912.
- "Crater Funeral Plans Complete." Courier Post. April 5, 1915.
- "Mather Dies at 89." Trenton Evening Times. November 26, 1952.
- “West Windsor Township Meeting Minutes, 1797-2012.,” n.d. Original Township Committee meeting minute database located in the Municipal Center.
- "Charles Mather has opened the grocery store at Port Mercer." Hopewell Herald. April 11, 1895.
- "Mather Dies at 89." Trenton Evening Times. November 26, 1952.
- "Lawrence Township." Hopewell Herald. November 12, 1895.
- “Deaths - Thomas J. Hurley.” Trenton Evening Times, February 17, 1910.
- West Windsor Township: People - Purpose - Progress. West Windsor, New Jersey: West Windsor Township, 1964.
- Keith, E Gordon. “Broadside,” 1992. Newsletter produced by the Historical Society of West Windsor. Keith, then a Port Mercer resident, details the history of Port Mercer.
- "Drowning." The Evening Post. August 9, 1839.
- "Drowned Child's Funeral Thursday." Trenton Evening Times. September 21, 1915.
- "Auto Driver IS Held Following Accident." Trenton Evening Times. September 10, 1921.
- "Death Victim’s Identity Never Was Unearthed.” Trenton Evening Times, June 16, 1946.
- "Girls Picking Flowers Find Murdered Man's Body In Township Field." Trenton Evening Times. May 20, 1946.
- "Camden and Amboy Railroad/Delaware and Raritan Canal Companies Minutes of the Joint Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, 1831 - 1872,” n.d. Located at the New Jersey State Archive’s Manuscripts Room. Accessed February 28, 2022.
- "West Windsor Aerial Photography Composite Map, 1975.” Map. Historical Society of West Windsor - Map Archives. West Windsor, NJ, 1975.
- "West Windsor Aerial Photography Composite Map, 2002.” Map. Historical Society of West Windsor - Map Archives. West Windsor, NJ, 2002.