An Historic Site

An Historic Site. . During Colonial times this was the landing for the ferry to Pennsylvania. The building that was then located here served as a home for the ferryman and a Tavern for those who waited to cross the river. Washington and his Continental Army crossed here to attack Trenton on Christmas night in 1776., A covered bridge was built in 1834 ending the need for a ferry. This year also saw the Delaware and Raritan Canal completed during the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. The present building was added as a kitchen and servants quarters and the former Ferry Tavern became a Canal House to serve the boatmen manning the canal barges., In 1851 the Belvidere-Delaware Railroad was completed. More rooms were added to the building and it became the Alexander Nelson House, a Victorian resort and hotel for commercial travelers., Canal traffic declined, and the last barge went through in 1933. The main part of the hotel was torn down during the 1930’s. Then the use of trucks to haul freight led to the discontinuance of railroad service in 1975. The tracks were removed in 1977 to make room for the present bicycle path., This remaining building was renovated in 1980 by the Washington Crossing Association of New Jersey to serve as a center for historical displays and interpretation.