Trenton’s Westward Residential Flow from 1840-1930

Trenton’s Westward Residential Flow from 1840-1930

Arthur L. Finkle

The more successful immigrants and especially their children moved to the Western part of Trenton, which, until the late 1890’s was generally farmland. In quick succession, there was residential building.

The Calhoun Street Boundary

In 1830, ‘The country’ included anything west of Calhoun Street Calhoun Street passed through the little settlement of ‘Camptown,’ at West Hanover Street and Calhoun Street (that served as a recruiting station during the early years of the Civil War.

In 1849, Isaac L. Pearson, originally a resident of Philadelphia, who, erected his summer home named "Glencairn." In 1926, this spot later became the site of the luxurious, in its day, Glen Cairn Arms.

THE HORSE CAR LINE

The Horse Car Line defined the westerly flowed of city residents. By 1883, The Horse Car Line extended  just beyond Calhoun Street. Thereafter to Prospect Street.

BELLEVILLE MANSION

"Belleville," a charming rural retreat dating from Colonial times, stood on a site near

where Prospect Street now meets West State. Sir John Sinclair (St. Clair), a baronet of Nova Scotia, was an early occupant of this rural retreat.  He distinguished himself in Revolutionary history because an American General with a British title.  ‘Lord’’ Stirling took a leading part in the Battle of Trenton. He was a resident of Somerset County and commanded the New Jersey Continental Line at the beginning of the conflict.

THE MCCALL-MONTGOMERY ESTATE

Further west on State Street stood "Berryville," formerly the Montgomery estate. ,In 1886, Patrick J. Berry purchased this tract to the fifteen-acre tract into a new residential district of brick-row homes on State Street, West End Avenue, Montgomery Place and North Fisher Place.

THE HERMITAGE

Going West some more, a short distance west of "Berryville," was the  the Dickinson

estate. Prior to the revolution, the Rutherford family built a  mansion, "Hermitage." General Philemon Dickinson ,in 1776, shortly before the Battle of Trenton, purchased this mansion. It housed fifty Hessian mercenaries prior to the Battle. After the revolution, famous visitors to this mansion included    George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Livingston, Benjamin Franklin, George Clymer (Pennsylvania representative, Clymer was, along with five others, a signatory of both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution), Marquis de Lafayette, (former soldier) Baron Fredrich von Steuben (American General), Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau, Louis Phillippe and Joseph Bonaparte.

In 1850, Philemon Dickinson sold the mansion to Edward J. C. Atterbury. Atturbury developed "Atterburys Woods” in 1904 into the residentiual streets Atterbury Ave., Colonial Ave. General Greene Avenue, Hermitage Ave, Murray St. and Boudinot St.

CADWALADER PLACE

The Cadwalader family owned the  land west of Overbrook Avenue, comprising about one-hundred-and-fifty acres.

Dr. Thomas Cadwalader. In 1750,  gave five-hundred pounds to found the Trenton Library Company, which gave Trenton the honor of having the first "public" library in New Jersey.

After the death of General Thomas Cadwalader, his heirs developed the property into large suburban., under the supervision of the famous landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmstead & Company, with the help of  Trentonian Edmund C. Hill.

In 1896, the first dwelling at 904 Riverside Avenue stimulated the extension of the electric street car to Cadwalader Place.

1897 - Cadwalader Place (around Cadwalader Park, including Berkeley and Carteret Streets)

The paving and sidewalk records of the city bear the western expansion.

LOVERS’ LANE

Beyond Cadwalader Place was the roadway known as "Lovers’ Lane" leading to

"Ellarslie," the original name of the Calwalader Park mansion.

As the city grew and traffic on the Belvedere division of the Pennsylvania Railroad increased.  danger of accidents. To avoid accidents, the City built an entrance in the rear of the park. Then the City built a tunnel in 1934 on Parkside Avenue.

George W. Farlee, a New York broker, secured "Ellarslie." He developed the Hillcrest residential tract.

Mr. Farlee remained at Ellarslie" until he sold the eighty-acre tract to the city of Trenton in 1888 for $50,000, as part of the Cadwalader Park tract.
The city the park authorities built an outdoor skating 1897, with 1500 skaters on the scene. Across State Street, where Junior High School Number 3 now stands, stood the Y. M. C. A. athletic field.

http://www.trentonhistory.org/Old&New.html#

Historical Chronology

In order to understand the development of the park landscape, the park history is divided into several major chronological periods. These are:

·        Settlement/The Country Seat (1680–1743)

·        Ellarslie/The Estate (1776–1888)

·        Park Implementation (1888–1892)

·        Cadwalader Park (1892–1911)

·        Cadwalader Park (1912–1936)

·        Cadwalader Park (mid-century).

We addressed the first two periods. The park changed as did changes in American society.

The Country Seat period, for instance, represents a time in American settlement when wealthy individuals built retreats from the crowded, dirty cities. often as summer homes, on the rural edges of urban areas.

The period at the turn of the century was a golden era for the building of urban parks and park systems in the U.S, known as the city Beautiful Movement. One of the foremost leaders was Frederick Law Olmstead, Many of these parks were designed by the same Olmsted Brothers firm, a famous landscape architectural form.

In 1858, he and his partner Calvert Vaux beat out thirty-two entrants to design the famous Central Park in New York City. Over the next fifteen years, Olmsted and Vaux designed Prospect Park and Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, Washington and Jackson parks in Chicago, and the Buffalo park system.

Then, working on his own, Olmsted planned the park at Mount Royal in Montreal and Belle Isle in Detroit. In 1884, his stepson, John C. Olmsted, became his partner. The two men developed the extensive system of Boston parks known as the “Emerald Necklace.”

Two years before they began work on Cadwalader Park, the Olmsteds’ started planning the park system of Rochester, NY; and in 1891 they initiated the design of the park system of Louisville.

Cadwalader Park and Frederick Law Olmsted

By 1890. Olmsted, five years from retirement, began to design Cadwalader Park.  Cadwalader Park the only New Jersey park Law Olmsted designed. Between 1890 and 1892, Olmsted worked on planning Cadwalader Park as well as planning residential subdivisions adjacent to park. One development, Cadwalader Place, extended from Overbook Avenue to Lenape Avenue (the street west of Junior 3) along State St. to the Water Power. Another area, across Parkside Avenue, was Cadwalader Heights. The Olmsted firm returned to plan Cadwalader Heights more fully during 1905-11.

Olmsted did not write an extensive report about Cadwalader Park, apparently because he expected that it was going to be considerably enlarged.

The Olmsted Plan of September 1891

The “Preliminary Plan” of 1891 represents the final version of Frederick Law Olmsted’s design for Cadwalader Park. The plan presents Olmstead elements including making full use of the landscape qualities and a coherent system of walks and drives by which parks users ae able to enjoyt the scenery in all kinds of weather.

Scene at Cadwalader Park illustrates open quality beneath tree canopy typical of early park

A concourse provided a spacious gathering place for the carriages of those using the refectory: it also overlooked the music stand in the adjoining concert grove. By this means, Olmsted introduced a feature that he and Calvert Vaux had first used in Prospect Park in the 1860s—a concert area designed for both pedestrians and people in carriages.

Initial city improvements simply added park features, such as benches, tables, and a temporary bandstand and demolished agrarian estate features, such as the fences.

The Ellarslie residence transformed into space for a natural history museum and a restaurant. Citizens began to donate small animals and birds to the park, thus establishing a menagerie. City officials converted old stable and other outbuildings to accommodate this “zoological garden” and the variety of animals grew to include larger animals such as deer, monkeys, and a black bear cub, brought to the park by Edmund Hill.

Playgrounds and Team Sports Facilities

Olmstead also planned for “Cadwalader Playgrounds,” or “Cadwalader Common.” He improved the e improvedH“common” by laying out a baseball diamond and cricket field.” The Olmsted plan included a sidewalk and rows of shade trees along Parkside Avenue and the northern border (i.e., along Lenape Avenue).

In 1912, the Olmstead firm proposed a tunnel to carry the canal feeder to the Delaware and Raritan Canal. The city completed this tunnel in 1932.

CADWALADER PARK (1892–1911)

In 1892, a new mayor, backed by groups opposed to further major expenditure on parks, proceeded to scale down Olmsted’s Plan. The state legislature established a Park Commission appointed by the mayor

In 1911, the Olmstead firm designed a Lower Recreation Area to include tennis courts, a running track and two small toilet/locker room facilities.

CADWALADER PARK (1912–1936)

Cadwalader became a city focal point for parades, picnics, reunions, celebrations and visitors strolling along its paths. The park advertised itself with displays of annuals beds spelling “CADWALADER PARK” along the canal embankment. The Park Greenhouse grew assorted annuals in 1908.

In 1913, the city built an enclosure for the park deer. The menagerie buildings, adapted from the Ellarslie carriage house and stables, converted into a new monkey house, animal shed, and aviary; and the Park Commission enlarged the nearby bear cage was enlarged.

WPA Projects

The Works Progress Administration of the New Deal era brought some long-term changes with consequences for West Trenton and Cadwalader Park. Ellarslie mansion became the site of a monkey house for the park menagerie. 

Another WPA project of the New Deal era filled in most of the Delaware and Raritan Canal in Trenton.  Although a feeder canal that passed through Cadwalader Park, all possible navigation ceased in the city.

The D&R Canal abandoned in 1933; deeded first to the state and, in 1936, to the city. Later, the D & R, the city adapted parts of the property as a water supply system. See Cadwalader Park Master Plan