The Bridges of Trenton

The main reason we headed to the Delaware River today was to take photos of the ice. Every day for weeks I've been enjoying the view of the choppy white ice and wondering where to stand for the best views. Today we did some exploring, and I managed to shoot all the bridges of Trenton. Enjoy the trek!

The "Trenton Makes" Bridge (1928)

The current bridge was installed in 1928, replacing a series of bridges at this crossing including the first bridge to span the Delaware. (Before them, in the eigtheenth century, there was a ferry here.) The first letters spelling out "Trenton Makes the World Takes" were added in 1935 and replaced in 1981. In 2005, those letters were replaced with brighter neon ones which are usually lit when I drive by at night.

The "Trenton Makes" bridge has a convenient sidewalk, but you'd better walk your bike.

The Trenton sign from the inside of the bridge.

Looking north: not all the river is frozen. (That's Trenton back there.)

I've been wanting this shot for years. (From the PA side looking north.)

Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge (1908)

Trains used to cross the river on a predecessor of the current Trenton Makes Bridge, but then the Pennsylvania Railroad built this masterpiece of a stone arch bridge, downriver from the Trenton Makes Bridge.

Standing under the U.S.1 bridge to shoot the Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge

Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge in the icy river

Calhoun Street Bridge (1884)

This bridge is an oldie, about a mile north of the Trenton Makes Bridge. It's 1,273 feet long and opened in 1884, replacing an older, wooden bridge that burnt earlier that year. The older bridge was built in 1861 to replace a ferry crossing. The present bridge was built on the original bridge's piers and abutments. 

The Calhoun Street Bridge

This is where the Calhoun Street Bridge came from

The Reading Railroad (West Trenton) Bridge (1913)

My favorite, the Roman aqueduct-style Reading Railroad Bridge from the NJ side looking southwest

Reading Railroad Bridge from New Jersey looking northwest

I celebrated the 100th birthday of this bridge by blogging about it on another snowy winter day: Click here to read more details and see photos from the Pennsylvania side.

Washington, Crossing the Delaware

We were a little late arriving in Titusville, NJ, this year for the annual reenactment of General George Washington's historical 1776 crossing of the Delaware River, but we got to see his boat land on the New Jersey side. By the way, Washington and his troops used Durham boats, manufactured in Pennsylvania since 1750 to cross the river. You can read more about them here: http://durhamhistoricalsociety.org/history2.html

You'll recall from eighth grade history that the Americans were not winning battles much at this point of the Revolutionary War. Washington, the great leader that he was, empowered the exhausted troops with his plan to cross the river from their camp in Bucks County, PA, to Titusville, NJ, and march south to Trenton. there they would surprise the Hessian soldiers who fighting for the British. The Hessians, thinking the war was won, were celebrating Christmas in Trenton. Other troops would join Washington's from Princeton, a few miles inland. Washington's plan, originally suggested by a man from Bordentown, NJ, (just south of Trenton), was successful and it turned the tide of the American Revolution.

The historic river crossing is reenacted every Christmas afternoon, and draws rather large crowds on both sides of the river. Uniformed reenactors mingle with the spectators, and some even pose for photos. (That's Gladys, held by her "cousin" Cecily, posing with some soldiers.) Gladys was not thrilled about this event because of the incessant cannon fire which sounded a lot like fireworks to her. She HATES fireworks. Gladys and I wonder: wouldn't cannon fire have alerted the partying Hessians that something was amiss upstream? We're supposing the cannon fire had more to do with showing off artillery than authentic reenactment, but that is just conjecture.

This year's crossing went smoothly from what we could tell, but it doesn't always. Back in 2007, Washington's boat was swept away by the swift current (towards Trenton), and we got a side view.

All was well as 21st-century rescuers were waiting on hand, and Washinton's troops finished their triumphant march through the park.

The Hamilton-Trenton-Bordentown Marsh

I write a lot about Cape May, so much so that many readers probably assume that I live there. No, it was my parents' home, I was born there, and my sister and I maintain our family home there. I planted myself in Hamilton, NJ, because I'm near highways, trains and airports that lead me to all the places I like to visit. (Was that a long story not made short enough?)

My house sits on a bluff overlooking the Hamilton (-Trenton-Bordentown) Marsh, now a county park, but hundreds of years ago it was Lenni Lenape territory. Hunters would wait in what is my backyard for game to appear in the marsh below. Location, location, location.

At the turn of the last century and after, there was an amusement park in the marsh centered around Spring Lake. It was built by a trolley company so that people in Trenton would have a reason to ride the trolley on weekends. This stairway is leftover from that time. Visitors would walk down these steps to get to the amusements after riding the trolley through my current neighborhood's backyards. The houses on my street were built in the 1950s, but this neighborhood is a hodgepodge of single homes, duplexes, and rowhomes of all ages. There is even a mansion once owned by Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's older brother. I don't think he lived there, but his mistress did, and he lived on the other side of the marsh in Bordentown. Location, location, location.

Today the marsh is a great place to go to photograph nature in all seasons. In spring, the water lilies begin to bloom in Spring Lake.
And the Old Man Tree is surrounded by new growth.

In summer, wildflowers abound and avian residents hang near the lake to stay cool. This photo, "Single Cattail," actually sold at a marsh photography show a few years ago.

In fall, the leaves turn and start to drop revealing less obstructed views like this one of beaver lodges.

In winter, it's a treat to stand in my backyard and see the marsh covered with snow. Location, location, location.