The William Trent House Museum is now open for tours
Wednesday - Sunday 1:00 pm to 4:30pm
With thanks to the New Jersey Historic Trust &
the City of Trenton for the new energy-efficient HVAC system!

​​Welcome to the Trent House

Open for tours Wednesdays through Sundays, 1:30 to 4 PM
​Except City Holidays

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​The land on which the Trent House and the city of Trenton stands is part of the traditional territory of the Lenni-Lenape, called "Lenapehoking." During the colonial era and early federal period, many were removed west and north, but some also remain in continuing historical tribal communities of the region. We acknowledge the Lenni-Lenape as the original people of this land and their continuing relationship with their territory.​

This image of a painting by Thomas Dorsey or Tom Two Arrows (1935-2007), an Onondagan-adopted Lenni Lenape (Delaware) Indian and artist based in the Albany NY area, is used with permission of the Albany Institute of History and Art and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. 

​​Born in Scotland, William Trent immigrated to the American colonies in the early 1690's and embarked upon a successful career as a Philadelphia merchant. In his business he participated in the slave trade, buying and selling enslaved people in the West Indies and in the North American colonies. In 1714, Trent purchased a large tract of land in the colony of West Jersey from the initial English colonist, Mahlon Stacy, and built a grand house there in 1719.  In 1720 Trent laid out a settlement surrounding his residence and built several mills and other commercial enterprises. Trent, with his family and eleven enslaved individuals of African descent, lived on this 1,000 acre plantation at the Falls of the Delaware until his death in 1724. 

​The city of Trenton, New Jersey, takes its name from “Trent’s Town.”

​The Trent House Museum is a co-founder of the Sankofa Collaborative, with 1804 Consultants, The New Jersey Historical Society, and Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum.

Formed in 2017, the Collaborative's mission is to build the capacity of individuals, groups, and organizations to learn about, present, and discuss the complex and difficult issues in the history and current experiences of African American citizens of New Jersey.  ​Learn more about the Collaborative and explore its resources at https://sankofacollaborative.org.
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​The Trent House's newest initiative seeks to reach and engage Spanish-speaking residents ​of Trenton and surrounding communities. The initiative's slogan "Esta Es Su Casa - This Is Your Home" reflects the Museum's mission to share the history of the house, property, and people with all our communities. 
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