Past Events

The Trent House hosts lectures on a wide range of historical topics, community and family programs, and special events. Featured are events and programs held in 2019 on.

Celebrating the 240th Anniversary of the March to Yorktown and the Encampment of Washington's and Rochambeau's Armies in Trenton

​Saturday, August 28, 2021 - 10 am to 5 pm on-site

Just as it was in 1781, the Trent House grounds hosted American and French infantry and artillery soldiers. Re-enactors demonstrated how soldiers in the Continental Army under General Washington and America's French allies under General Rochambeau lived during the 680-mile march from New England to Yorktown, Virginia, and how they prepared for the decisive battle that ended the Revolutionary War.

It was at the end of August 1781 that the two armies first converged in Princeton.  They then proceeded down the King’s Highway, now New Jersey Route 206, to encampment at Trenton, New Jersey before crossing the Delaware River.   French cannons were parked on the estate known as Bloomsbury and owned by Assistant Quartermaster General of the Continental Army, Colonel John Cox. In the early 1700s this estate had been the home of William Trent, for whom Trenton is named. The final major battle of the Revolutionary War took place in October 1781 when the combined forces of the Continental Army and its French allies finally captured British General Cornwallis’ army at Yorktown in Virginia. This victory, after five years of warfare, ensured America’s independence.

Two re-enactor organizations – Le Regiment Bourbonnais and Le Regiment Saintonge – represented French infantry and artillery. Also participating were re-enactors of African American infantrymen of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment and John Lamb’s Artillery Company. Interpreters from the Old Barracks were also be on-site. The William Trent House Museum as a site on the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Heritage Trail was recognized with presentation of a sign by National Park Service Trail Administrator Johnny Carawan.

Remarks were given by Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, Mayor Reed Gusciora, Director of Trenton Parks, Recreation & Culture Maria Richardson, City Councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson, and Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes. The Congresswoman and the Mayor are shown below with many of the re-enactors.

Center - Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman and Mayor Trenton Reed Gusciora

Co-sponsors of the event included the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie, the Lawrence Historical Society, and the National Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association (W3R-US) and its local New Jersey chapter. The event was partially supported by the National Park Service and W3R-US. ​

Black August - Then and Now: Historical Origins and Current Relevance

Sunday, August 22, 2021 - 4:00 to 5:30 pm via Zoom

 After the widely televised death of George Floyd, the world was awakened to how wrong encounters with law enforcement can go. During the late sixties and early seventies, similar attention was brought to murderous encounters in the United States prison system. Names like Jonathan and George Jackson, Angela Davis, Attica, Soledad, Counterintelligence Program, and San Quentin Prison captured the attention of activists of the day, leading to a vibrant movement for prison condition reform. Out of that movement came the creation of “Black August.”  The “Black August – Then and Now” panel discussion and poetry readings informed our audience about this movement of resistance to oppression and demand for prison/criminal justice reform. The program was jointly hosted by the Trent House Association (THA) and the Greater Trenton Branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). 

Artwork by Ojure Lutalo, artist and former political prisoner.

Panelists:   Bonnie Kerness, Program Director of the American Friends Service Committee Prison Watch; Pastor Lukata Mjumbe, Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church, Princeton, NJ. Poets:   Nekiel Butler, Raul Cortes Jr. Opening and closing remarks: Gerald Truehart II, President of the Greater Trenton Branch of ASALH. Moderators: Christine Samson-Clark, Secretary of the Trent House Board of Trustees, and Deborah Roussell, Trustee. ​

Archaeology and Ancient Technology - Celebrating New Jersey's Indigenous People 

​Saturday, June 26, 2021 - 12 noon to 3 pm

Visitors met the archaeologists been working on the Museum’s grounds and viewed some of the artifacts left by native people thousands of years ago. Demonstrators exhibited how stone tools, pottery, and wampum were made and used by New Jersey’s first residents. Activities for children gave them hands-on experience in finding and identifying artifacts.

The 2021 archaeology project was supported by a grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust, a generous gift from NJM Insurance Group, and members and donors of the Trent House Association.​ 

Event partners included Hunter Research, a Trenton-based archaeology and cultural management firm, ​the New Jersey State Museum, the Tulpehaking Nature Center, and the Friends for the Abbott Marshlands, where the Center is located. 

Museum Re-opening & Presentation of 1677 Deed of Trenton's First English Colonist

Sunday, June 6, 2021 - 2 to 4 pm
​Presentation of deed at 2:30 pm

​The Trent House Association in partnership with the City of Trenton announced the re-opening of the 1719 William Trent House Museum with a special welcome-back program, free to all. Visitors were able to view new exhibits in the Museum, Visitor Center, and garden exploring the rich history of the many people whose lives were connected with this historic site.

The Trenton Historical Society joined the Association in presenting a deed signed in 1677 by the first English resident of the area, Mahlon Stacy, that was recently purchased by the two organizations. The deed will remain on view at the Trent House through the summer before being donated to the Trenton Free Public Library for its Trentoniana Collection. ​

A Taste of History with Chef Walter Staib
Sunday, May 16, 2021 - 2pm

A third-generation restaurateur with over five decades of culinary experience, Chef Walter Staib is an author, Emmy Award winning TV host, James Beard-nominated chef and culinary historian. His career began in Europe, receiving formal training in many of Europe’s finest hotels and restaurants.
 
As founder of Concepts By Staib, Ltd., a global restaurant management and hospitality consulting firm, Walter Staib has opened more than 650 restaurants worldwide and was the driving force behind Philadelphia’s City Tavern for 26 years.
 
Chef Staib is best known as host of A Taste of History, which has received Fifteen Emmy awards. Staib has also made appearances on national cooking shows, such as 60 Minutes, the Today show and the Food Network’s “Best Thing I Ever Ate” and “Iron Chef.” Chef Staib’s culinary excellence has earned him numerous other awards, including induction into the American Academy of Chef’s Culinary Hall of Fame by the American Culinary Federation.

"We Are Still Here:" The History and Continuing Culture of New Jersey's Indigenous Tribal Communities
Saturday, April 17, 2021 - 1 pm

The land on which the Trent House was built is part of the traditional territory of the Lenni- Lenape, called “Lenapehoking.” The Lenni-Lenape People lived in harmony with one another upon this territory for thousands of years before European colonization.  During the colonial era and early federal period, many were removed west and north, but some remained among the three continuing historical tribal communities of the region: The Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation; the Ramapough Lenape Nation; and the Powhatan Renape Nation. The Trent House acknowledges the Lenni-Lenape as the original people of this land and their historic and continuing relationship with their territory.

Rev. Dr. J.R. Norwood, Jr. spoke on the Lenape,  the original people who lived in what is now New Jersey, and their contributions to our state’s rich diversity.

​The Rev. Dr. J.R. Norwood, Jr., is an ordained Christian clergyman and founding pastor of the Ujima Village Christian Church of Ewing, New Jersey. A member of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation, he served as an elected Tribal Councilman from 2004 to 2019, is currently the first Principal Justice of the Tribal Supreme Court of the Nation, and represents the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape in the National Congress of American Indians, where he serves as co-chairman of the Task Force on Federal Acknowledgment. ​

​Passing the Time with Major William Trent - Video Premiere and Talk
Saturday, March 13, 2021 - 1 pm

The younger William Trent was still a child when his father died suddenly on Christmas Day 1724. After a mercantile apprenticeship in Philadelphia, Trent followed in his father’s footsteps as a man of business, trading with Native Americans for furs. But unlike his father he was also a military man.

​Jason Cherry developed the script and portrays Trent in the video, based on his extensive research on the Trent family.  As a research consultant to the William Trent House, he also provided much of the information presented in the Museum’s recently released video, “Mary Coddington Trent Reflects – 1726,”  about Trent's mother.  Jason speaks frequently on the French and Indian War and is working on the complete biography of Major William Trent. ​

"Open the Door, I'll Get It Myself:" The Great Migration to New Jersey
Saturday, February 27, 2021 - 1 pm

​New Jersey's African American population multiplied during what is known as the Great Migration in the early decades of the 20th century. A leading history scholar and acclaimed speaker, Dr. Linda Caldwell Epps explored the factors leading African Americans to take on the challenges and risks of leaving communities and families in the South for an unknown, but hoped for, better future in the North.  She shared stories of some of these migrants and discuss how their arrival changed life and culture in New Jersey's cities.

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"In Graves of Their Own:" Reclaiming the Locust Hill Cemetery
Saturday, February 6, 2021 - 1 pm

​Algernon Ward, a notable figure in Trenton’s history community and member of the 6th Regiment of the United States Colored Troops Civil War re-enactor organization, will highlight the history of the Locust Hill Cemetery from its beginnings in the 18th century as the earliest known burial place of African Americans in Trenton. He will outline current efforts to ensure the cemetery’s preservation and commemorate the people buried there, including several Civil War veterans. 

Mr. Ward and the 6th Regiment are leading that project, which includes developing an interpretive center next to the cemetery. The Locust Hill Cemetery joins other sites important to Trenton’s African American history, including the 1856 Higbee School, the first free school for African Americans in Trenton, and the Carver Youth and Family Center, a social and cultural center for Trenton’s Black community. 

For a recording of this talk, go to our videos page.

Immigration and Americanization - Eastern European Workers in Trenton's Roebling Factories
Saturday, January 23, 2021 - 1 pm

​The Trent House Museum continues to expand its interpretation of Trenton's history. In this program, available via Zoom, records of Roebling Factory employees in the years immediately after World War I are used to explore the question, "Why were some workers who immigrated to the United States from Europe considered 'American' while others were not?" 

​Four boxes of employee records found in the Trentoniana Collection of the Trenton Public Library are a treasure trove of detailed information about nearly 900 men who worked in Rope Shop No. 2, Department 50, of the Roebling Wire Factory in Trenton in the early part of the 20th century. Samuel Stephens, trustee of the Trent House Association, and Matthew Xu, student intern from West Windsor - Plainsboro High School South, present the results of their examination of these records. They focus on factors that affected why some workers' employment records showed with a dual nationality combining their country of origin with "American," and others did not. They explore factors in the individual workers' lives as well as in the social and political dynamics of the time and ask us to consider what the experiences of these immigrants might tell us about immigration to the United States today. 

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​Celebrating Hogmanay with Scottish Music 
Saturday, December 26, 2020 - 1 pm

 The Trent House Association presented The Practitioners of Musick in a performance honoring the Scottish heritage of William Trent , including music that George Washington and his family enjoyed. He was said to be especially fond of William Shield’s comic opera Rosina, which was performed in Philadelphia, the nation’s capital, during his Presidency. Some of the opera’s melodies drew on Scottish folk songs. John Burkhalter and Donovan Klotzbeacher founded the Practitioners of Musick to the research and performance of the musical riches of 18th century Great Britain and the Colonial and Federal periods in America. They have performed and lectured at libraries, museums, and historic sites throughout the region and beyond.

Following the concert, Marisa Benson read her original poem "Step into the New Year," written especially for the 2020 Hogmanay program. Click here to download and play her reading.

Mary Coddington Trent Reflects - 1726
​Video Premiere
Sunday, December 20, 2020 - 2 pm

The video can be viewed by clicking here.

Re-enacted by the American Historical Theater, the Trent House's newest video project portrays what we know about the life of William Trent's second wife and her experiences after his sudden death on Christmas Day 1724. Dressed in a new gown in the latest fashion, Mary Trent recounts her early life and events from her marriage to Mr. Trent. Set in 1726, she is awaiting the outcome of her lawsuit against her eldest step-son James that will determine her financial standing and security. ​

The Art of the Historical Poster: The Washington-Rochambeau Route through Mercer County to Victory at Yorktown, 1781 - An Illustrated Virtual Talk
David Bosted
November 14, 2020 

​The Trent House played a significant part in the movement of the French and Continental Armies to trap General Cornwallis and his British-Hessian army at Yorktown, Virginia in 1781. What is the best way to tell this epic story about how the French & American Armies accomplished a 580-mile march to Yorktown, with Mercer County being the critical halfway point?  Spoiler Alert:  Historical Poster(s)!  Urbanologist David Bosted, a Trustee at the Trenton City Museum, explained how the long march was accomplished, the role of Trenton and the Trent House, and why historical posters are the best way to tell the story.​

Digging Up Trenton's History Before Stacy and Trent - An Illustrated Virtual Talk
Richard Adamczyk
October 10, 2020

Richard Adamcyzk, archaeologist with historic preservation firm of Richard Grubb & Associates and Second Vice President of the Archaeological Society of New Jersey, reviewed the field of prehistoic archaeology in New Jersey, showed Native American artifacts found recently on the Trent House property, and explained how the property fits into the greater complex of ancient Trenton sites.

Public Archaeology Day 
Hunter Research
July 9, 2020

Staff from Hunter Research, a Trenton-based cultural resources service firm, collected soil samples across the Museum grounds. The samples will be analyzed to learn more about where on the property are especially important sites for future excavation. Visitors were given an orientation to prior excavations with examples of artifacts and observed the sampling process and initial on-site analysis.

This project was generously supported by the NJM Insurance Group.

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Remember the Ladies – The Critical Role of African American Men and Women in Women’s Suffrage
Lecture by author Angela Dodson 
​March 14, 2020

​Opening our exhibit of Rightfully Hers on the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in the United States, local author Angela Dodson spoke about the role of African American men and women in the movement for universal suffrage. Copies of her book, Remember the Ladies: Celebrating Those Who Fought for Freedom at the Ballot Box, were available for sale and signing.

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Ms. Galloway with one of her quilts.

African American History In Quilts
A talk by members of the Princeton Sankofa Stitchers Modern Quilt Guild
In conjunction with If These Quilts Could Talk on display at the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie
February 29, 2020
 
Mada Coles Galloway, Juandamarie Gikandi, and Gail Mitchell, members of the Princeton Sankofa Stitchers Modern Quilt Guild, spoke about the art and craft of quilting, the history of the Guild and their personal background in quilting, and inspiration for their work in the African American experience.

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Needham Roberts – Trenton’s Own War Hero
Lecture by Algernon Ward
January 19, 2020 

Born and raised in Trenton, Needham Roberts was 17 when he enlisted in the Harlem Hellfighters. He and his fellow Hellfighter William Johnson were awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Purple Heart for their actions fighting off a German patrol in France in 1918. Regardless of these achievements, they and their fellow African American soldiers returned to the United States to face discrimination and prejudice. Trenton resident Algernon Ward, well known for his many roles as African American soldiers from the Revolutionary War through the World Wars, presented a fascinating portrait of Roberts in the context of race relations in America during the Jim Crow era. His illustrated talk was accompanied by a display of Army uniforms and military equipment of the time.

Harlem Hellfighters arriving in NYC in 1919 after serving in Europe during WWI - Photo credit: National Archives

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​Hogmanay 
December 28, 2019

More than 100 guests enjoyed a varied program honoring William Trent’s Scottish heritage in Hogmanay, the traditional celebration in Scotland of the New Year. The program included bagpipers from the Greater Trenton Pipes and Drums, 18th century Scottish songs performed by Liberty Tree (Stacy Roth and Bob Dupre), and Trenton Councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson reminisced about Hogmanay in her childhood home of Scotland. 

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​Caledonia – A Scots Musical Entertainment 
December 7, 2019 

The Trent House Association presented The Practitioners of Musick – John Burkhalter III and Donovan Klotzbeacher - in a performance honoring the Scottish heritage of William Trent and celebrating the 300th anniversary of the house he built at the Falls of the Delaware in 1719.  The program, “Caledonia,” included music for recorder and harpsichord composed by Bremner, Oswald, and Ramsey, among other Scottish masters, and was performed in the historic house. 

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Preserving Trenton’s African American History – The Higbee School
Presented by Lisa Michelle Toro
November 8, 2019

Trenton, like other northern communities, did not allow African American children to attend school with their white counterparts and instead built separate schools. The Higbee Street School was built in 1857 as a school for African American children in the city and was soon joined in the neighborhood by other segregated schools. The Trent House Association has joined with other groups and individuals in Trenton seeking to recognize the history of racial injustice and the struggle for equal rights that continues today by restoring the Higbee Street School. Once restored, the School can serve our community as a center for learning and commemoration.

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From HABS Drawings

History and Preservation of The William Trent House
Lecture by Kevin Joy
October 19, 2019

The 1719 home of Trenton’s namesake, William Trent, was the topic of this program in association with The Princeton Preservation Group. The William Trent House, now a museum, is significant historically and architecturally. In the course of its 300-year existence, it has seen many structural changes, in spite of which it remains remarkably intact. In this lecture, Kevin Joy – Trent House Association trustee and historic preservation specialist - presented a brief history of the house, an overview of its architecture, and examined in detail structural changes over the years. He also discussed recent rehabilitations and the conservation and preservation challenges faced in maintaining an antique house museum. 

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​History Never Tasted So Good - Colonial Style Dinner
October 12, 2019

A colonial style dinner was held at Trinity Cathedral for friends and supporters of the Trent House Association in celebration of the 300th anniversary year of the construction of the William Trent House.

See here for our 300th Anniversary program book.
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​Colonial Harvest Festival
October 8, 2019

​This event featured apple cider pressing by Charles Thomforde, historic horticulturist, and colonial cooking demonstrations by Hearth to Heart Cookery.

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The World of Captain William Trent
Lecture by Jason Cherry
July 21, 2019 

Author Jason Cherry shared the results of his extensive research into the life of William Trent’s youngest son as he lead a band of men to defend the English control of the Forks of the Ohio River- the frontier in the struggle between the French and the English for the heart of the continent. 

Colonial Encampment and Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social
July 20, 2019 

​The Trent House Museum’s annual Ice Cream Social for 2019 was enhanced by the presence of Pittsburgh-based Captain William Trent’s Company of re-enactors of the French and Indian War militia led by Trent’s youngest son William.

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​Archaeology at the Trent House
June - July, 2019

The Trent House invited the public to observe professional archaeologists conduct archaeological excavation in search of the foundation of the original colonial building on the site, Mahlon Stacy’s Dorehouse, and the 1742 kitchen wing.

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Celebrating 300 Years of the William Trent House
Hosted by the Philadelphia Chapter of the Institute for Classical Architecture and Art and The Trent House Association
June 1, 2019

Participants enjoyed fine food and drink on the grounds of the Trent House Museum as well as guided tours of the House and its recent restoration. The event was held in honor of the Museum’s 2019 Grand Jury Award for historic preservation from the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia.

See here for our 300th Anniversary program book.

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Painting depicting Mahlon Stacy, son, signing deed selling 800 acres at the Falls of the Delaware to William Trent, by Trenton artist William Pedrick, 1923.

Mahlon Stacy : Colonial Pioneer at the Falls of The Delaware
Lecture by Shawn Carney
May 18, 2019

This illustrated lecture explored what is known about Mahlon Stacy, the first European settlers in what is now Trenton.

​Shawn Carney, Trent House docent and researcher, discussed the situation in England that led Quakers like Stacy to immigrate to the American colonies and the experiences of the Stacy family on their plantation at the Falls of the Delaware, much of which was later purchased by William Trent.

For more information about this painting and how you can help the Trent House preserve it, click here!

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The Mystery of the Shoe in the Roof: Panel Discussion
April 7, 2019

Experts on concealed objects, Early American shoes, and the architecture of the Trent House gathered to explore why, when, and how a shoe was hidden in the House roof. Chris Manning explained the tradition of concealing objects such as old shoes in the roof or walls of buildings as a way to ward off evil spirits – a tradition that began in the Middle Ages in Europe and found its way to America through its immigrants. Valentine Povinelli, master shoemaker at Colonial Williamsburg, described his analysis of the shoe and his conclusion that it was likely a woman’s shoe from 1830-1850. Kevin Joy, Trent House Association trustee and historic preservation expert, documented changes to the Trent House roof over its 300-year history, specifically noting changes during the early-mid 1800s that provided the opportunity for workers to place the shoe there.

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​If These Stones Could Talk: Reading and Presentation
Beverly Mills and Elaine Buck
March 30, 2019

Cemeteries have stories to tell, voices to unearth–and lessons from the past that we can draw upon to better shape the future. If These Stones Could Talk documents, through dozens of oral histories, collected lives of a minority Black community in a predominantly White region and brings fresh light to a forgotten corner of American history in a small cemetery in central New Jersey. In their book talk, Elaine Buck and Beverly Mills shared excerpts and images from the book.

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​​Bishop Richard Allen’s Hymnal: Lecture & Concert
February 17, 2019

Jason Allen, former director of the museum at Mother Bethel AME Church, presented an illustrated lecture on AME church founder, Bishop Richard Allen, including his lifelong efforts as abolitionist and patriot that place him among our nation’s founding fathers. Philadelphia’s Craft Works Music group performed music from Bishop Allen’s hymnal, which used shape notes to encourage congregational singing.

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​The Unfortunate History of Slavery and the Quakers in New Jersey
Lecture by Richard Geffken
February 9, 2019

Richard Geffken, an archival historian with the Shrewsbury Historical Society and the Monmouth County Historical Association, presented an overview of the history and legacy of New Jersey’s two-hundred-year embrace of human bondage.