June Roadtrip, Day 20...One Day in Trenton

Day 20

Sunday, June 20

     With all the years I spent living in New Jersey, and all the times I’ve been back, one place that had eluded me was my own state capital.  That’s right, I had never actually been to Trenton.  That’s the reason I stayed in Bordertown for two nights.

     I knew I had to hit the state capital and some of the bigger monuments.  From there, the rest of the day was simply for discovery.  

     The state capital has daily tours, just not on Sundays.  Even the adjacent parking garage was closed. I tried parking on State Street, but all the parking meters had No Parking signs.  The reason quickly became clear.  Within seconds of having pulled off to the side of the road, a street sweep appeared in my rear view window.  I wound up parking a few blocks away, in front of a Starbucks.  Fortunately, the one hour parking restriction wasn't enforced on Sundays.

     Somehow it just seemed appropriate the state capital building would be getting some work done.

     Across State Street is the state's World War II memorial.

     I never knew such a place existed...

     The Old Barracks Museum was closed on Sundays, but I did het a kick out of this sign...

    The state War Memorial, also closed on Sundays...

     

       

         One classy looking Subway...

      Just a few blocks away, food trucks were setting up.  Curious, I walked up to Mill Hill Park to check it out.  The city's first grist mill was built here alongside Assunpink Creek in 1679, thus the name.

     Soundchecks were still being performed on the stage and tents were still being set up..

       This was a celebration of our newest national holiday, signed into law just days earlier, Juneteenth.  It's a celebration that began in Texas as Jubilee Day in 1865.  The Civil War was over, and slavery legally abolished.  Slaveowners in Texas simply didn't tell their slaves.  Word didn't get out until General George Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas in the spring of 1865.  In a speech he announced, "The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free."  

      In 1979, Texas made Juneteenth a state holiday.

      Murals alongside the park...

     This guy saw me lining up a shot and told me I needed to take his picture, so I did.  The guys at the neighboring food truck found it humorous.

At the far end of the park is where you'll find the Mill Hill Playhouse, home of the 

Passage Theater Company.  I just like the vines growing outside...                                       

                                  

      The food trucks weren't ready to serve anyone yet, so I walked back to the car.  I was having that weird roadtrip craving for pizza.  So, I did did a search for "voted best pizza" and every site mentioned a place called Covellas.  Google even said they were open, but alas...

      So, I wound up at Jerry's Pizza, the second on the list of local favorites.  Good food, and great staff!

     Random Big Chicken...

   Site of the old Kudra Furs store...

      My next stop of the day was Joe Roebling Park.  Roebling was a German immigrant who moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1837.  His attempt at farming had been a failure, so he turned to engineering.  He was hired by the state as a surveyor.  In 1843 he patented his design for wire rope.  His idea was a vast improvement to the current wire cabling and made larger bridges possible.  In 1867, he was hired as chief engineer on the project that would become the Brooklyn Bridge.  

     Within the park you'll find the Abbot Marshlands, named after Charles Abbot who discovered Native American ruins within the swamp, later unearthing thousands of relics.  There's a loop trail that's just under a mile through the marsh.  It was such a nice day, I did the loop twice.

      The parking lot is on the site of the former White City Amusement Park.  In its heyday, the park boasted a carousel, rides, a theater and dance hall.  The city trolley line was even expanded to reach the park.  All that's left are the stairs to the old trolley station.

          In a parking lot along the Delaware River, I came across this memorial...

       

       John Fitch settled in Trenton in 1769, setting up his own brass and silversmith shop.  He spent the Revolutionary War repairing weapons for the army.  After the war, he spent a few years surveying land as far west as the Oregon Territory.  

      Through it all, he kept working on the idea of a steam powered wagon.  That didn't work out, and he switched to the possibility of a steam powered boat.  Getting a steam powered engine was the problem.  Britain had banned their export.  So, he had to build one from scratch.  

     In August of 1787, Fitch gave his first demonstration on the Delaware River.   A year later, he had built a larger boat and offered ferry service to as many as thirty people at a time.  

      This is as far as I felt safe walking upriver on the Jersey side. Heavy traffic and a blind curve didn't seem like a smart place for a pedestrian.

     

     So, I crossed the river on Hwy 1 and the Lower Trenton Bridge...eventually...

        Take the first left across the river and there's plenty of parking by the bridge.  But, be careful and choose your approach wisely.  

      I didn't and wound up in thick, slippery river mud, almost landing on my butt twice.  It was worth it though.

The text on the bridge reads, "Trenton Makes, the World Takes."                     

       I texted one of these photos to a friend who informed me I just HAD to come back at night when the bridge is lit.  Now that I knew where the slick spots were, I seriously contemplated it.

      With a little time to kill, I left Trenton and took a short drive to Burlington.

      I wound up walking into the Third State Brewing Company as they were announcing last call.   A pint of their house stout and I was good to go.

     With the day waning, I drove back into Trenton and crossed the river into Morrisville, Pennsylvania.  Originally set up as a trading post for the Dutch East India Company in 1624, the town was officially establishes in 1804 and named after Robert Morris, one of the town's founders.  

     Tonight, all the activity seemed to be at the local Dairy Queen.

       

     Back at the motel, there were a few benches by the parking lot.  I would up having a lengthy conversation with a guy who was waiting on a call about a freelance gig.  This was for a theater in Philly that was about to reopen.  He said the pay was really good, but these sort of jobs basically meant carrying stuff.  One of the things he does is remove and replace seats.  Some venues remove floor seats for some shows and put them back for others.  This means hauling them out of storage and bolting them down.