DESTINATION

Trenton

In 1776 Hessian troops occupied the city for the British as Gen. George Washington and his army crossed New Jersey into Pennsylvania. On Dec. 26, 1776, after crossing the Delaware 8 miles upstream, Washington surprised the Hessian garrison, taking about 1,000 prisoners. The victory at the Battle of Trenton was his first in the Revolutionary War.

The city was designated the state capital in 1790; the State House, at 125 W. State St., was constructed in 1792. The 1883 opening of the Brooklyn Bridge brought fame to Trenton-based John A. Roebling's Sons Co., also designers of the George Washington and Golden Gate bridges. Trenton was the center of the American pottery industry for 60 years after the Civil War, and porcelain from Boehm and Cybis ranks among the city's major manufacturing products.

Seven historic districts preserve many key sites. The Mill Hill Historic District, between Mercer and Jackson streets, has brick sidewalks, gaslights and restored Victorian houses. The State House Historic District, W. State Street between Willow and Calhoun streets, is an architecturally rich area where 19th-century Trenton's prominent families have been supplanted by 21st-century Trenton's prominent lobbyists.

Veterans' Park, 2206 Kuser Rd., is dedicated to area residents who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The 320-acre park contains the Camp Olden Civil War and Native American Museum, which features Civil War and Delaware Indian exhibits, and the John Abbott II House, a two-story home built in 1730 that served as a repository for funds as the British advanced on Trenton in 1776.