The Washington Oak is a protected ancient white oak tree in Princeton, New Jersey, USA that overlooks the Princeton Battlefield State Park. The International Society of Arboriculture and the Tree Care Industry Association jointly recognize the Washington Oak as having lived at the time of the signing of the United States Constitution in 1787.
The Washington Oak, over 275 years old, stands on Millett's Hill [1] where the pivotal Battle of Princeton was ignited in 1777. On the morning of January 3 British Lt. Colonel Charles Mawhood's regiment marched out of Princeton on the Kings Highway (Rt. 206) to reinforce Trenton. But as they approached the top of the hill, Mawhood's men caught sight of General Mercer's forces massing on the other side of the Stony Brook. They reversed direction, recrossed the Brook and engaged the Americans. When Mercer's troops broke, General George Washington, the tree's namesake, rallied them to victory. [2]
The tree and its surroundings were the scene of a bitter, protracted dispute between a builder, the Township, and the State over development rights. In 1983 Calton Homes acquired the White Farm which included the Washington Oak. Calton planned to build over 1200 homes on the 124-acre (0.50 km2) property, but Township zoning limited the density of homes, allowing only 40. Calton sued the Township arguing the zoning requirements did not comply with the New Jersey Supreme Court's Mount Laurel rulings which required municipalities to develop affordable housing for low- and middle-income families. [3] This "second battle of Princeton" gathered so much attention that Gov. Thomas Kean referred to it in his 1989 State of the State address, claiming the farm was "threatened by weapons the British never carried" and "what General Howe and his British troops could never do, townhouses ... are poised to do: win a battle over ... New Jersey." [4] Later that year the parties settled, allowing Calton to build 300 properties on 73 acres (300,000 m2) while the preserving the Washington Oak and its nearby meadow as open space. [5] The resulting development, Washington Oaks at Princeton, provides 60 low- and moderate-income condominium units mixed with 240 market-rate single-family detached houses, townhouses, and condominiums. [6]
Mercer may refer to:
Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Trenton, also the state capital, prompting the nickname The Capital County. Mercer County alone constitutes the Trenton–Princeton Metropolitan Statistical Area and is considered part of the New York Combined Statistical Area by the United States Census Bureau, but also directly borders the Philadelphia metropolitan area and is included within the Federal Communications Commission's Philadelphia Designated Market Area. As of the 2020 United States Census, Mercer County's population was 387,340, making it the state's 12th-most populous county, an increase of 20,827 (5.7%) enumerated at the 2010 U.S. Census, when its population was enumerated at 366,513, in turn an increase of 15,752 (4.5%) from the 350,761 counted at the 2000 Census, retaining its position as the 12th-most populous county in the state.
Hopewell Township is a township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Located within the Raritan Valley region, the township is an exurb of New York City in the New York metropolitan area as defined by the United States Census Bureau, while also directly bordering the Philadelphia metropolitan area, being a part of the Federal Communications Commission's Philadelphia Designated Market Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 17,304, reflecting an increase of 1,199 (+7.4%) from the 16,105 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 4,515 (+39.0%) from the 11,590 counted in the 1990 Census.
Princeton Township was a township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, that existed from 1838 until it was dissolved after it was merged with Princeton Borough in 2013 to form Princeton, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 16,265, reflecting an increase of 238 (+1.5%) from the 16,027 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 2,829 (+21.4%) from the 13,198 counted in the 1990 Census.
Princeton Junction is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within West Windsor Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP's population was 2,465.
The Battle of Princeton was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, fought near Princeton, New Jersey on January 3, 1777, and ending in a small victory for the Colonials. General Lord Cornwallis had left 1,400 British troops under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood in Princeton. Following a surprise attack at Trenton early in the morning of December 26, 1776, General George Washington of the Continental Army decided to attack the British in New Jersey before entering the winter quarters. On December 30, he crossed the Delaware River back into New Jersey. His troops followed on January 3, 1777. Washington advanced to Princeton by a back road, where he pushed back a smaller British force but had to retreat before Cornwallis arrived with reinforcements. The battles of Trenton and Princeton were a boost to the morale of the patriot cause, leading many recruits to join the Continental Army in the spring.
Central Jersey is a central region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The designation of Central New Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquial one rather than an administrative one.
Hopewell Valley is a group of communities in Mercer County, New Jersey loosely affiliated through municipal service sharing agreements, all of which send their students to the Hopewell Valley Regional School District.
Hugh Mercer was a Scottish soldier and physician who participated in the Seven Years' War and American Revolution. Born in Pisligo, Scotland, he studied medicine in his home country and served with the Jacobite forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie, participating in the Battle of Culloden in 1746. With the failure of the Jacobite rising, Mercer escaped to Pennsylvania and served alongside a young George Washington in the British forces during the French and Indian War, and was seriously wounded during an engagement in September 1756.
The Borough of Princeton was a borough until December 31, 2012, that is now one of the two former municipalities making up Princeton, New Jersey. It was located in Mercer County, New Jersey, and was completely surrounded by the former Princeton Township, from which it was formed in 1894. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a population of 12,307, reflecting a decline of 1,896 (-13.3%) from the 14,203 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 2,187 (+18.2%) from the 12,016 counted in the 1990 Census.
The Millstone River is a 38.6-mile-long (62.1 km) tributary of the Raritan River in central New Jersey in the United States.
As the location of many major battles, New Jersey was pivotal in the American Revolution and the ultimate victory of the American colonists. This important role earned it the title of Crossroads of the American Revolution.
New Jersey's 12th congressional district is represented by Democrat Bonnie Watson Coleman, who has served in Congress since 2015. The district is known for its research centers and educational institutions such as Princeton University, Rider University, The College of New Jersey, Institute for Advanced Study, Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb. The district is primarily suburban in character, though it contains the state capital of Trenton as well as the smaller city of Plainfield.
The Forage War was a partisan campaign consisting of numerous small skirmishes that took place in New Jersey during the American Revolutionary War between January and March 1777, following the battles of Trenton and Princeton. After both British and Continental Army troops entered their winter quarters in early January, Continental Army regulars and militia companies from New Jersey and Pennsylvania engaged in numerous scouting and harassing operations against the British and German troops quartered in New Jersey.
The Mercer Oak was a large white oak tree that stood in Princeton Battlefield State Park in Princeton, New Jersey. The tree was about 300 years old when it was torn by strong winds in March 2000. It was the emblem of Princeton Township and appeared on the seal of the township. The tree is also the key element of the seal of Mercer County, New Jersey.
Stony Brook Meeting House and Cemetery are historic Quaker sites located at the Stony Brook Settlement at the intersection of Princeton Pike/Mercer Road and Quaker Road in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The first Europeans to settle in the Princeton area were six Quaker families who built their homes near the Stony Brook around 1696. In 1709 Benjamin Clark deeded nine and three-fifths acres in trust to Richard Stockton and others to establish a Friends meeting house and burial ground.
The Princeton Battlefield in Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, is where American and British troops fought each other on January 3, 1777 in the Battle of Princeton during the American Revolutionary War. The battle ended when the British soldiers in Nassau Hall surrendered. This success, following those at the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776 and the Battle of the Assunpink Creek the day before, helped improve American morale.
Saint Joseph's Seminary was an American Roman Catholic educational institution located in Plainsboro, New Jersey, though with an address in Princeton, New Jersey. It was founded in 1914 and was operated by the Congregation of the Mission, better known as the Vincentian Fathers, for the formation of their members and other candidates to the Catholic priesthood. The school closed in 1992 and a retreat center occupied the site until 2009. The Mother of God Orthodox Church had also occupied a small portion of the seminary until 2015 when American Boychoir School had been relocated there. The site is now home to private schools, but the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal is now home to the Princeton Abbey and Cemetery. The Abbey is now a public cemetery and event space for the Princeton area.
The Washington Road Elm Allée is a 0.7-mile-long (1.1 km) stretch of Washington Road in West Windsor, New Jersey that is lined with Princeton Elm trees. The allée runs through the West Windsor fields of Princeton University and provides, along with the bridge over Lake Carnegie, a dramatic entrance to the campus. The Delaware and Raritan Canal can be found at the northern end of the allée, just before the lake. A jogging path runs through the allée and connects to the canal towpath, the main campus of the university, and other trails through the adjacent fields.
The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777 is the title of an oil painting by the American artist John Trumbull depicting the death of the American General Hugh Mercer at the Battle of Princeton on Friday, January 3, 1777 during the American Revolutionary War. The painting was Trumbull’s first depiction of an American victory. It is one of a series of historical paintings on the war, which also includes the Declaration of Independence and The Capture of the Hessians at Trenton, December 26, 1776.