1719 William Trent House Museum—The Significance of New Jersey’s Colonial History

Abstract

Have your students ever asked who the state capital of Trenton is named for? That man, William Trent, built his country estate north of Philadelphia, in New Jersey, at the Falls of the Delaware River about 1719. It was a large, imposing brick structure, built in the newest fashion of the day. Nearby, there were numerous outbuildings as well as grist, saw, and fulling mills along the Assunpink Creek. In 1720 Trent laid out a settlement, which he incorporated and named “Trenton.” After changing hands numerous times, the Trent House opened as a museum in 1939. Today it is owned by the City of Trenton and operated by the Trent House Association. The William Trent House is a designated National Historic Landmark and is listed in both the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Bring your classes to learn about colonial life, and challenge them to compare it to life as they know it today. This article includes references to the relevant New Jersey Curriculum Standards.