The Association
Annual Hogmanay Celebration at the Trent House.
When the House was opened as a museum in 1936, a Trent House Commission was formed to establish, maintain, and manage the House Museum. A furnishings committee or “Women’s Committee” oversaw the furnishing of the House in the 1930s, using the 1726 probate inventory as a guide, while the Garden Club of Trenton accepted the responsibility of restoring the Trent House gardens. In 1957 the Trent House Association was formed, gaining its status as a non-profit organization in 1975.
The Trent House Association works in cooperation with the City of Trenton to preserve the historical integrity and expand the interpretation of the William Trent House through stewardship of the site, research, and public programming.
For many years the Association was responsible primarily for acquiring and preserving the furnishings in the historic house, with full-time professional staff employed by the City providing site management and programming. In 2011, these staff were laid off as part of overall municipal budget cuts. Over the subsequent years the Association has taken on increasing responsibility for both managing the site and providing programming. In addition the Association has taken the lead in acquiring funding for research, capital improvement, and public history projects and for building strong relationships with other local cultural and educational institutions as well as with the City administration. The Association is governed by a board of trustees and holds an annual meeting in December.
Over the past 10+ years programming at the William Trent House has expanded to include more family and community events such as an annual ice cream social, re-enactment of the 1781 Revolutionary War encampment, and celebration of Hogmanay in recognition of Trent’s Scottish heritage; a regular program of presentations, video premieres, poetry readings, and music; exhibits on topics such as the daily life of the Trent family and enslaved workers, archaeological artifacts from Native American occupation and European colonization, house restoration history, and neighborhood residents and industrial workers of the late 19th to mid-20th centuries.
The Trent House Association works in cooperation with the City of Trenton to preserve the historical integrity and expand the interpretation of the William Trent House through stewardship of the site, research, and public programming.
For many years the Association was responsible primarily for acquiring and preserving the furnishings in the historic house, with full-time professional staff employed by the City providing site management and programming. In 2011, these staff were laid off as part of overall municipal budget cuts. Over the subsequent years the Association has taken on increasing responsibility for both managing the site and providing programming. In addition the Association has taken the lead in acquiring funding for research, capital improvement, and public history projects and for building strong relationships with other local cultural and educational institutions as well as with the City administration. The Association is governed by a board of trustees and holds an annual meeting in December.
Over the past 10+ years programming at the William Trent House has expanded to include more family and community events such as an annual ice cream social, re-enactment of the 1781 Revolutionary War encampment, and celebration of Hogmanay in recognition of Trent’s Scottish heritage; a regular program of presentations, video premieres, poetry readings, and music; exhibits on topics such as the daily life of the Trent family and enslaved workers, archaeological artifacts from Native American occupation and European colonization, house restoration history, and neighborhood residents and industrial workers of the late 19th to mid-20th centuries.
Meet The Officers
Peter J. Maruca, President |
James T. Peeples, Vice President |
Christine Sampson-Clark, Secretary |
Ronald W. Zilinski, Treasurer |
The Trustees
|
Patricia Atkins
Diane Campbell Anne Clementson, DAR Representative Michael Days |
Damian Malave
Carolyn Stetson Jocelyn Francis White |
Executive Director
Samuel Stephens
Museum Administrator & Docent
Shawn Carney
Historic Horticulturist
Charles Thomforde
