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Restoring Sacred Relationships: Bringing Back Lenape Squash
On Saturday, April 5, 2025, Dr. Karelle Hall described the work being done to cultivate ancestral varieties of corn, beans, and squash and reconnect Lenape and Nanticoke people with these foods and foodways. She linked this work with the broader effort to revitalize the language and cultural practices of these tribal communities who were the first to call what is now known as New Jersey their homeland.
Recordings of Karelle's previous talks for the Trent House - "Lenape Relationship with the Natural World" (2024) and "Ties That Bind: Nanticoke and Lenape Language and Revitalization" (2022) can be found below. |
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Sailing to Freedom: Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad
On Sunday, February 9, 2025, Dr. Timothy Walker, professor of history at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, presented a talk based on his edited volume, Sailing to Freedom: Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad. Sailing to Freedom highlights little-known stories of freedom-seeking by sea and describes the less-understood maritime side of the Underground Railroad. While research on the Underground Railroad has focused almost exclusively on overland escape routes from the antebellum South, Sailing to Freedom expands our understanding of how freedom was achieved by sea and what this journey looked like for untold numbers of African Americans.
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Celebrating the Visit to Trenton of the Marquis de Lafayette in December 1784
In December 1784 the Marquis de la Fayette visited Trenton, at that time the new nation's capital, where he was received by Congress and awarded an honorary citizenship. A hero of the American Revolution, he would have been feted by music of all kinds in private home and public houses.
On December 29, 2024 an original video recording of historic music of the period, produced by the Practitioners of Musick (John Burkhalter and Donovan Klotzbeacher), with introductory remarks by Mr. Burkhalter, was shown at the Trent House during Patriots Week. |
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Lenape Relationship with the Natural World
Developed in collaboration with members of the Nanticoke- Lenni Lenape Nation of South Jersey and the Nanticoke Tribe of Delaware, Trent House's production "Lenape Relationship with the Natural World" explores the dynamic relationships between Native Americans, particularly those of the Lenni-Lenape, with the Natural World, and their commitment to serve as stewards of the Earth. This video was made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this video do not necessarily represent those of the NEH or NJCH. The video premiered on October 12, 2024.
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Newcomers to Trenton 1679 to Today
On August 23, 2024, Samuel Stephens, PhD., Executive Director of the William Trent House, presented an overview of immigration patterns and the response to and impact of immigration in the Trenton area from 1679 to today.
This presentation was hosted by Trenton Health Team. |
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The Life of William Trent, Youngest Son of Judge William Trent
On July 20, 2024, Jason Cherry, a long-time research consultant with the William Trent House Museum, gave a talk on his newest book on William Trent, the son of the man who founded Trenton, who was still a child when his father died suddenly on Christmas Day 1724. After an 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. Cherry’s new book, William Trent, Factor of Ambition, is an in-depth account of Trent’s life from his childhood to his death in 1784, documenting his ambitious enterprises, his time as a factor or agent for a powerful land speculating company, and his connections with more well-known Americans, including Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. |
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Art, Imagery, and Parody of the Ten Crucial Days
On June 20, 2024, Roger Williams shared many of the interpretations of the famous Leutze painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware, pointing out how these images have reinforced certain beliefs about the Revolution and created opportunities for exaggeration and even distortion of the actual events. The slogan "Ten Crucial Days" refers to the period from December 25th to January 3rd in 1776-77 that “turned the tide of American fortunes toward independence.”
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Life and Times of William Trent Merchant of Inverness, Scotland
On Sunday, December 10th, 2023, Dr. Jim Mackay, chairperson of Kirkmichael in Scotland, shared via Zoom some of his research on the life and times of Inverness merchant William Trent, the father of Trenton's founder. William Trent (–1677) was a merchant and entrepreneur based in the port of Inverness in the 1600s, coming to prominence during its occupation by Cromwell’s army. In 1622, he married Issobell Stewart, daughter of a prominent Inverness merchant, and they had seven children. Additional details can be found in Dr. Mackay's extensive paper, "The Life and Times of William Trent, Merchant of Inverness, and his Family including son William Trent, founder of the City of Trenton, Capital of New Jersey, and brother Maurice Trent, Merchant of Leith." More information is available here.
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Native American Government & Sovereignty
"Native American Government & Sovereignty" explores and discusses the influence of Native American government on the United States Constitution, the impact of colonialism on Native American sovereignty, and the ongoing struggle for justice and recognition of Native American peoples today.
This video was made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and premiered on November 18, 2023.
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A Talk with Robert A. Selig
What made Trenton the best tactical site for crossing the Delaware? What logistical challenges needed to be considered and overcome? Dr. Robert Selig shared how this major military operation was planned and executed, during Army Meets Town —the 3rd Annual Re-enactment of the 1781 Encampment of Continental and French Armies in Trenton—on August 26, 2023, on Trent House grounds. Dr. Selig is a specialist on the role of French forces under the comte de Rochambeau during the American Revolutionary War and serves as project historian to the National Park Service for the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail.
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Whispers of Freedom Just Between Us, A Trent House Story
Whispers of Freedom Just Between Us - A Trent House Story premiered on March 12, 2023, imagining a conversation between Joan and Nanny, two of the people of African descent enslaved by William Trent. After Trent died unexpectedly on Christmas Day 1724, Joan and Nanny faced uncertainty about their futures. This video portrays what they might have been thinking and planning during the extended period between Trent's death and the final settlement of his estate in 1728. An earlier video, "Mary Coddington Trent Reflects - 1726," and "Whispers of Freedom Just Between Us" contrast the possible futures faced by these women—Mary Coddington and Joan and Nanny—and the options they had to shape the future for themselves.
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Hogmanay & Shortbread: Tasting History with Max Miller
With permission from Max Miller of Tasting History, this video was adapted for the Trent House's annual celebration of Hogmanay on December 31, 2022.
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Quakers and The American Revolution: Fallsington Friends Take to Arms, 1775
On September 18, 2022, Kimberly Praria, executive director of Historic Fallsington, Inc., rounded out the Trent House Museum’s Summer of Revolution program series with an exploration of how Quaker men living in the village of Fallsington responded to the call for war against the British. Contrary to Quaker principles, some men of the village joined the Continental Army during the Revolution. During her talk, Ms. Praria considered such questions as what compelled these men to go against their faith and fight in a war, and were they alone or did other Philadelphia area Friends take to arms as well.
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Opening Remarks of the 1781 Reenactment and Recognition of Morven Museum and Garden as Historic Site
On August 27, 2022, the William Trent House was honored by the presence of a number of elected officials - Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, Mercer County Commissioner Samuel Frisby, Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli, and Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds Jackson. Commissioner Frisby recognized Morven Museum and Garden as the Mercer County Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Historic Site for 2022 and presented the certificate to Jill Barry, Executive Director, and Liza Morehouse, Chair of the Board. Princess Hoagland, immediate past president of the Trent House Association, read a proclamation for Morven from Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes.
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The Good Americans: His Majesty's Loyal American Troops, 1775-1784
Lieutenant General James Robertson, one of Britain’s most senior generals in America and the last royal governor of New York, famously stated it was always his intention to subdue the bad Americans with the “Good Americans.” Who was he speaking of? During the period of the war, perhaps some 50,000 Americans, both black and white, served King George in a variety of roles, often shoulder to shoulder with His Majesty’s Regulars. Todd Braisted's presentation on August 7, 2022, was a guide to the roles and makeups of those American corps in British pay.
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Governor Morris' 1742 Kitchen & Other Findings at the Trent House
In 1742, newly appointed Governor of the colony of New Jersey Lewis Morris considered renting the Trent House under one condition: that a new, separate kitchen building be constructed, large enough to accommodate his enslaved servants. While the existence of the kitchen has long been known, no trace of it remains above ground. In 2014 Hunter Research was commissioned by the Trent House Association, with funding from NJM Insurance Group, to conduct a preliminary excavation and with continued support from NJM and NJ Historic Trust additional excavations have been conducted. Richard Hunter and Jim Lee of Hunter Research, together with Dr. Richard Veit of Monmouth University shared findings from this years-long effort on July 24, 2022.
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The Price of Silence: The Forgotten Story of New Jersey's Enslaved People - Making the Documentary
Headed by Ridgeley Hutchinson, Truehart Productions is a nonprofit corporation formed in 2019 to produce a documentary on slavery in pre-Emancipation New Jersey. The film describes the prevalence of slavery during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries and its lasting effects throughout New Jersey during the 20th century.
On July 19, 2022, Mr. Hutchinson described the story behind the documentary with illustrations from the filming. |
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First Historian of the Battle of Trenton: Francois-Jean de Chastellux, 1734-1788
On July 9, 2022, Dr. Iris de Rode offered a host of new insights about the significant role of the French in the American war for independence and the personal relationships that were forged within the ranks with Washington and his men, drawing on previously undiscovered private papers on the Chastellux estate.
Dr. de Rode is author of François-Jean de Chastellux (1734-1788): Un soldat-philosophe dans le monde atlantique à l'époque des Lumières (French Edition. 2022) and researcher fellow at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, |
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Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli Reflects on Capturing and Creating the History and Vision of Trenton
On July 9, 2022, in anticipation of Dr. Iris de Rode's presentation of The First Historian of the Battle of Trenton: Francois-Jean de Chastellux, 1734-1788, Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli of the 15th District offered a personal reflection of his own history in the "neighborhood" of Trenton's capitol and shared the importance of exploring and remembering history's past and creating today's history and legacies.
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Trent House Association 2022 Annual Meeting
On June 23, 2022, the Trent House Association held its annual meeting to disclose its current state of affairs, short and long term goals, and to acknowledge those who have contributed to its successes and those who carry on the mission.
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Jewish Life in Trenton
On June 12, 2022, Arthur Finkle, chair of the Trenton Jewish Historical Society, described the history of the Russian Jewish community in the Trent House neighborhood in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Mr. Finkle, whose roots in Trenton reach back three generations, researched and documented the city’s Jewish history, resulting in Trenton’s Jews: Beginning, Adaptation and Achieving the American Dream, published in 2016. |
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Major William Trent, Revolution, and the Lower Ferry
William Trent, son of the Philadelphia merchant who established Trent’s Town (Trenton), was a trader as well as head of militia serving the British cause during the French and Indian War in mid-18th century. He returned to Trenton and operated a ferry on Delaware River. In1775 fighting in Massachusetts and the colonies brought the impending Revolutionary War closer to New Jersey. Trent had to make a decision between king and country.
On June 5, 2022, Jason Cherry described the role that Major William Trent and the Lower Ferry played in the Revolutionary War. Cherry is the author of Pittsburgh's Lost Outpost: Captain Trent's Fort and William Trent: Factor of Ambition.
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The Americanization of Eastern European Immigrants
"The Americanization of Eastern European Immigrants--Roebling Factory Workers in Early 20th Century" was presented by Samuel Stephens, Trent House Association trustee, at Pennwood Village's Penn Hall on Tuesday, May 17, 2022.
His talk reviewed analysis of employee records of nearly 900 workers in Roebling Factory's Rope Shop No. 2 to address the question “Why are some workers who emigrated to the United States considered 'American' while others were not?” How was the process of becoming American influenced by public attitudes and the political circumstances of the day? Are there parallels with migration issues today?
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George Washington and the Dey Family, 1780
The Dey Mansion, built ca. 1770, served as General George Washington’s headquarters during July, October, and November of 1780. This site was chosen because of its strategic position and accessibility to food and forage.
On May 12, 2022, Kelly McManus, museum specialist with the Passaic County Department of Cultural and Historic Affairs, described what it must have been like to have a military command post set up in one’s home and how feeding and housing troops during wartime must have affected the local community. |
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The History of Greater Mount Zion AME Church - The Oldest Black Church in Trenton
Greater Mount Zion AME Church is the oldest Black congregation in Trenton, first incorporated as “The Religious Society of Free Africans of Trenton” in 1811. Richard Allen, founder of the American Methodist Episcopal denomination, helped organize the Society as an AME church in 1816. Since then, Mount Zion, now Greater Mount Zion, AME Church has been a vital force in Trenton’s history, as reviewed by Rev. Dr. Charles Boyer on May 5, 2022. Rev. Dr. Boyer is pastor of Greater Mount Zion AME Church, founder of Salvation and Social Justice, and Senior Consultant to the Social Action Commission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
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Patriot? Loyalist? The Case of Dr. William Bryant
On April 20, 2022, William (Larry) Kidder outlined the evidence for and against Dr. William Bryant as a Loyalist during the American Revolution. His story, and the stories of people he knew in Trenton, tell us much about how people in Trenton grappled with difficult decisions about which side to support in the American Revolution and how public and vigorous their support would be.
Larry Kidder is well-known as an historian of the Revolutionary War. His books include Crossroads of the Revolution: Trenton 1774-1783 and The Revolutionary World of a Free Black Man: Jacob Francis 1754-1836 and a number of others.
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Telling Women's Stories Across Four Generations
Often the stories of women have been omitted from historical narratives, even at historic houses and sites. Learning about and presenting the roles women from all positions in society have played is essential to understanding our state’s and our nation’s history.
On March 23, 2022, Tessa Payer described what she has learned about the lives of women associated with the Van Riper-Hopper House, built circa 1786, from her extensive research. She outlined a practical path for researching women’s history, describing available sources and databases. |
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Timbuctoo and the First Emancipation of the Early 19th Century
Guy Weston, the descendant of an early home owner in Timbuctoo, a community settled in southern New Jersey in 1826 and boasting at least two churches, a cemetery, two schools, and a benevolent organization, described its rich history with previously unpublished details about the lives of antebellum free Black people in this southern New Jersey town. This talk was given on February 9, 2022.
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Ties That Bind: Nanticoke and Lenape Language and Revitalization
For Lenape and Nanticoke people, revitalizing their languages is a way to reconnect with ancestors and to reclaim traditional ways of understanding the world that are embedded in language.
On January 23, 2022, Karelle Hall, a member of the Nanticoke Indian Tribe and a graduate student in anthropology at Rutgers University, traced the connections across the Lenape and Nanticoke diaspora and illustrated how language both shapes and reinforces those connections.
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West Airport Road Project
In partnership with the Greater Trenton branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the Trent House Association hosted presenter Charles "Cappy" Stults who shared information about the West Airport Road project on November 7, 2021. The project memorializes migrant and resident African American contributions to the area agriculture, railroading, and commerce.
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Opening Remarks & Induction as an Historic Site on the National Historic Trail
On August 28, 2021, the Trent House Museum hosted a
re-enactment to commemorate the 240th anniversary of the 1781 encampment at Trenton of the Continental army---under General George Washington---and the French allied army---commanded by Jean-Baptiste-Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau. On this occasion, the Trent House was honored by the presence of many dignitaries and by the presentation of a sign marking the Museum as an historic site on the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail.
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Black August- Then & Now
“Black August – Then and Now” panel discussion and poetry readings informed its 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) and took place on August 22, 2021. |
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Grist Mill
When Trent purchased land at the Falls of the Delaware, there was already a grist mill on Assunpink Creek, built by the first English colonist Mahlon Stacy. With the express permission of the History Channel, this video incorporated additional information and music into the original "George Washington's Grist Mill." This video was produced in August 2021.
Special thanks to Stacy Roth and Bob Dupre for their research and performance of "The Jolly Miller," a folksong of northwestern England from the 1700s. |
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William Trent House Museum Presentation of Mahlon Stacy's 1677 Deed
The William Trent House Museum, together with the Trenton Historical Society, purchased Mahlon Stacy’s 1677 Deed to New Jersey lands, which is currently on display at the Trent House Visitor Center. Damon Tvaryanas, Trenton Historical Society President, shared the history and importance of this artifact on June 6, 2021, marking the reopening of the William Trent House Museum.
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A Taste of History with Chef Walter Staib
A third-generation restaurateur with more than four decades of culinary experience, Chef Walter Staib has authored six cookbooks and is an Emmy Award winning TV host, James Beard-nominated chef, and culinary historian. He is also the host of the PBS-aired “A Taste of History”©.
In this talk on April 16, 2021, Chef Staib shared details of colonial cooking, the people and protocols involved in the colonial kitchen, and his own journey in the culinary world. |
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We Are Still Here
On April 17, 2021, Rev. Dr. Norwood provided an overview of the history and continuing culture of the Lenni-Lenape, New Jersey's Indigenous tribe communities.
Rev. Dr. Norwood, senior pastor of the Ujima Village Christian Church of Ewing NJ, has served the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation as an elected Tribal Councilman, the first Principal Justice of the Tribal Supreme Court, and minister to the tribal Christian Prayer Circle Fellowship Ministry. He is the founder of “1st Light Mission” Christian tribal outreach, the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape delegate to the National Congress of American Indians and General Secretary of the Alliance of Colonial Era Tribes. |
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A Conversation with Jason Cherry at Preview of "Passing the Time with Major William Trent"
Jason A. Cherry, historian and author of Pittsburgh's Lost Outpost: Captain Trent's Fort and William Trent: Factor of Ambition, shared new insights, details, and artifacts of the Trent family history at the premiere of "Passing the Time with Major William Trent" on March 13, 2021.
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Passing the Time With Major William Trent
Jason A. Cherry, historian and author of Pittsburgh's Lost Outpost: Captain Trent's Fort and William Trent: Factor of Ambition, developed the script and provided the introduction and ending as Major William Trent for this video. In it significant events in the life of the founder of Trenton's youngest son are illustrated with narration by Bernard McMullan. The video premiered on March 13, 2021.
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"In Graves of Their Own": Reclaiming the Locust Hill Cemetery
On February 7, 2021,Algernon Ward reviewed 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 and outlined current efforts to ensure the cemetery’s preservation and commemorate the people buried there, including several Civil War veterans.
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, Ward and the 6th Regiment are leading that project, which includes developing an interpretive center next to the cemetery. |
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Marisa Benson Reads a Hogmanay Poem
During the December 30, 2020, celebration of Hogmanay, Marisa Benson read a poem she composed for the occasion.
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Caledonia
Caledonia is the Latin name given by the Romans to the land in today's Scotland north of their province of Britannia, beyond the frontier of their empire. Its modern usage is as a romantic or poetic name for Scotland as a whole, comparable with Hibernia for Ireland and Britannia for the whole of Britain.
On December 26, 2020, during Trenton's celebration of Patriots Week, a pre-recorded musical program of Scottish music of the 17th and 18th centuries was shown at the Trent House. John Burkhalter (recorder) and Donovan Klotzbeacher (harpsichord and organ) of the Practitioners of Musick performed and produced the video. |
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Mary Coddington Trent Reflects - 1726
Mary Coddington Trent, widowed after Trent’s sudden death, reflects on her life and uncertain future. Worried about her future, this video, first aired on December 20, 2020, shows her explaining her personal history and describing her concerns.
The script was researched by Shawn Carney and Jason Cherry and was revised by Kim Hanley and Jill Lawrence of the American Historical Theatre. Kim made Mary's costume and directed the production, Jill portrayed Mary, Bernard McMullan narrated, and Kirk Jarvis, Eleventhour Productions, was the videographer. Background music was recorded by the Practitioners of Musick. |
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NJTV Drive by History
The May 27, 2020, episode of NJTV's "Drive By History" covered an archaeological field school project on the Trent House grounds. Dr. Richard Veit, professor of archaeology at Monmouth State University and la ead archaeologist for the project, explained the archaeological methods and significance of the project, which was co-led by Hunter Research, Inc.
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1619 Jamestown
In 1619 the first documented Africans were forcibly captured and brought to Virginia to work the tobacco fields. This video is in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the landing of the first enslaved Africans in English-occupied North America.
This video was completed on October 5, 2019, and was the first produced by the Trent House Association. Narrators were Princess Hoagland, Bernard McMullan, and Frank Sasso. |
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Trent House Receives New Signage
A new Crossroads of the American Revolution interpretive and directional signage was unveiled at the annual Hogmanay celebration on December 29, 2018. The event, conducted during the annual Patriots Week celebration, also marked the start of Trent House's 300th year. Signage was sponsored by First Bank and NJM Insurance, while additional directional signage was sponsored by Callaway Henderson Sotheby’s International Realty.
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Trent House on "This is Jersey"
On the September 17, 2018, episode of "This Is Jersey" aired on Verizon FIOS 1 News, Shawn Carney gave guided tour of the historic house to Gary Gellman.
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Trent House on C-SPAN
Originally aired on C-SPAN on April 17, 2017, Samantha Luft described the William Trent House’s nearly 300 year history. William Trent, a wealthy merchant from Philadelphia, had the house built in 1719.
By 2017 the interpretation of the historic house included more information about colonial enslavement and the role of enslaved people on Trent's plantation. |
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Enslaved People of Trent's House
On February 27, 2012, this episode from NJTV was aired. Featuring an interview with Terry West of the Trent House Association, it recounted what was known and interpreted about the people that Trent had enslaved.
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1719 William Trent House Museum
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William Trent House Museum
Located at: 15 Market Street, Trenton, NJ 08611 Mailing address: P.O. Box 77234, Trenton, NJ 08628 Email address: [email protected]
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Hours of Operation
Wednesdays – Sundays 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm Closed Municipal Holidays Admissions Adults: $5.00 Children and Seniors: $4.00 Members: FREE |
Museum
(609) 989-3027 Trent House Association (609) 989-0087 Additional Information Accessibility Parking Groups or Special Tours Directions Volunteer
Visit Contact page |
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