The Princeton Battlefield State Park on Mercer Road will gain a new visitor and education center as well as landscaping to restore it to its 1777 appearance, according to the American Battlefield Trust.
The New Jersey state budget includes $1.3 million for the multi-year project entitled “Washington’s Legacy.”
The initiative is a joint effort launched by the American Battlefield Trust, the Princeton Battlefield Society and the New Jersey State Parks, Forest and Historic Sites.
The nearly 100-acre park is the site of the Battle of Princeton, which was the third battle in what has become known as the Ten Crucial Days campaign in December 1776 and January 1777.
The first of the three battles, known as the First Battle of Trenton, occurred on Dec. 25-26, 1776. Gen. George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River from Pennsylvania and surprised the Hessian garrison in Trenton. The Americans crossed the river back into Pennsylvania after the battle.
The Second Battle of Trenton took place on Jan. 2, 1777. Washington expected a British counterattack and decided to meet it in Trenton. The Americans crossed the Delaware River again and took up a position along the Assunpink Creek in Trenton. The British attacked three times, but they were pushed back.
The British were going to continue the fight the next day. But during the night and into the morning of Jan. 3, 1777, Washington led his troops around the British and Hessian encampments and followed a back road to Princeton. The Americans were going to attack the British garrison in Princeton.
A contingent of British troops stationed in Princeton had been dispatched on Jan. 3 to march to Trenton. The American and British troops crossed paths, and the Battle of Princeton ensued. The Americans won the Battle of Princeton.
The Continental Army claimed victory over the British and Hessian troops in the battles, following a string of defeats during the summer and fall of 1776 that nearly ended the Revolutionary War for the Americans. The three victories that occurred in December 1776 and January 1777 gave them a boost in their quest to break free of British rule.
“If you think about the birth of our country, you have to think about Princeton and the Battle of Princeton,” said state Sen. Andrew Zwicker (D-Hunterdon Mercer Middlesex Somerset).
The Princeton Battlefield State Park attracts visitors from all over the world because of its importance, said Zwicker. He pushed for funding in the state budget for the “Washington’s Legacy” project to make improvements to the park.
State Assemblywoman Mitchelle Drulis and Assemblyman Roy Freiman, along with Zwicker, also advocated for state funding for the “Washington’s Legacy” project. Zwicker, Drulis and Freiman represent the 16th Legislative District, which includes the four counties of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset.
Benjamin Strong, president of the Princeton Battlefield Society, praised the three lawmakers for their support for the Washington’s Legacy project.
“The money spent here to preserve and rehabilitate the Princeton Battlefield State Park will ensure that the memory of the incredibly brave and courageous patriots who fought here will never be forgotten,” Strong said.
Shawn McBurney, the director of government relations for the American Battlefield Trust, described the Princeton Battlefield as “the very foundation and the very start of our nation.”
The proposed design for the Washington’s Legacy project includes a Visitor and Education Center, a visitor orientation circle, a one-way vehicle loop, parking spaces, and a commemorative area, according to the American Battlefield Trust.
The Princeton Battlefield State Park, which spans Mercer Road, is anchored by the Thomas Clarke House. The house was used as a hospital for wounded British and American troops.
American General Hugh Mercer died at the Thomas Clarke House several days after he was stabbed by British and Hessian troops during the battle.
The original Mercer Oak – the tree under which Gen. Mercer rested after he was bayonetted by British and Hessian troops – collapsed in 2000. A small oak tree has been planted at the site of the original Mercer Oak. It was grown from a seedling of the original oak tree.
On the other side of Mercer Road, the Colonnade stands at the entrance to the common grave of 37 British and American troops who were killed during the Battle of Princeton.
