South Trenton in Mercer County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Trenton’s Early Houses of Worship
A handful of Quaker meetinghouses were built in the area prior to 1700, with the Trenton meetinghouse finally being erected in 1739. By the middle of the 18th century there were also several well-established Presbyterian and Episcopalian congregations. Presbyterian churches were in existence in present-day Lawrenceville, Pennington and Ewing by the second decade of the 18th century. Trenton’s first church of this denomination was built in 1726. the original St. Michael’s Church on North Warren Street, the first Episcopalian house of worship in Trenton was erected in 1747-48 to replace an earlier house of worship in Ewing that dated from 1704-05.
In the second half of the 18th century both the Methodist and Baptist denominations took root in Trenton. The first Methodist church in New Jersey was erected in Trenton in 1773 on South Broad Street, while a Baptist congregation began to organize in the city soon after the Revolutionary War. Catholicism began to be openly practiced soon after 1800 and the Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church incorporated in 1811 as the first African-American religious organization in Trenton.
Links to learn more – Quaker Meetinghouse, Trenton; St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Trenton
Erected 2004 by New Jersey Department of Transportation.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Churches & Religion • Colonial Era. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, and the Quakerism series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1700.
Location. 40° 11.899′ N, 74° 45.505′ W. Marker is in Trenton, New Jersey, in Mercer County. It is in South Trenton. Marker can be reached from New Jersey Route 29. This marker is part of South River Walk Park which is built over Route 29. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Trenton NJ 08611, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. From Federal City to State Capital (here, next to this marker); Slavery – An “Odious and Disgraceful” Practice (here, next to this marker); The Battles of Trenton, Turning Point of the Revolution (here, next to this marker); 1673 (a few steps from this marker); 1664 (a few steps from this marker); 1682 (a few steps from this marker); 1674 (a few steps from this marker); 1676 (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Trenton.
More about this marker. This is one of four subject markers under the 18th Century Arch.
On this marker are etched pictures of four Trenton churches, and have the following captions:
- "Quaker Meeting house, East Hanover Street, built 1739, original building contained within present structure."
- "St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, North Warren Street view of present building erected in the 18th century, which contains parts of the mid-18th-century church."
- "First Presbyterian Church, East State Street (built 1726; no longer standing)."
- "First Methodist Church, North Broad Street (built 1723; no longer standing)."
Credits. This page was last revised on January 23, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 16, 2007, by Gary Nigh of Trenton, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,179 times since then and 25 times this year. Last updated on January 23, 2024, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 16, 2007, by Gary Nigh of Trenton, New Jersey. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.