Titusville, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Titusville is an unincorporated area located within Hopewell Township
, in Mercer County
, New Jersey
, United States. The area includes a post office with its own ZIP code
(08560), a small village of homes, and a large park dedicated to George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River in 1776.
with stairwells connecting the village to private docks on the river. The Delaware & Raritan Canal runs parallel to the river just to the east of the village, which is connected to River Road (Route 29) by several two-lane bridges. A biking/walking trail follows the canal, constructed when a rail line was removed. Opposite the canal from the river, extending eastward, are a number of small residential streets, a county park centered about Baldpate Mountain, and the homes ringing the base of the mountain and county park.
Titusville is just north of the Johnson Ferry (later named Taylor's Ferry) House, the scene of Washington's crossing of the Delaware
during the American Revolution
. In 1831, the ferry was replaced by the Washington Crossing Bridge
, linking it with Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania
.
Each year on Christmas Day
, General
George Washington
's crossing of the Delaware River
is commemorated at Washington Crossing State Park
, which lies at the south end of Titusville. The annual reenactment depicts General Washington's December 25, 1776 river crossing and the attack on the Hessian troops in Trenton
, which was one of the key battles of the American Revolutionary War
. Re-enactors assemble on the Pennsylvania side of the river, where their commander reads Thomas Paine
's pamphlet, The American Crisis
. The soldiers then climb into boats and cross the river, though the crossing is often canceled due to weather and speed of river.
Washington Cross State Park includes a Visitor Center that features the Harry Kels Swan Collection of Revolutionary War artifacts. Nearly 900 military items from the American and British Armies are included in the collection. The center also includes interpretive history exhibits that cover the Revolutionary War from its prelude in 1758 to the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
The park also contains the Johnson Ferry House, where Washington and his officers are believed to have discussed military strategy. The Nelson House
lies along the river at the spot where Washington and his men landed. The house includes period furnishings and old photographs of railroad and canal transportation.
The park's natural area consists of 140 acre (0.5665604 km²) of mixed hardwood forests and fields that offer locations for hiking, picnics, nature walks and cross-country skiing. The Nature Center offers exhibits, displays, and educational programs for children, families and school groups. During warmer months, concerts and plays are held at the nearby Open Air Theatre.
The park is also home to the annual Spirit of the Jerseys State History Fair. The fair features historical programs, exhibits and hands-on interpretive activities.
Titusville is also home to Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., a division of Johnson and Johnson.
The town is bisected by state New Jersey Route 29, a busy road that conveys traffic along the Delaware River
.
Washington Crossing State Park
is an 800 acre (3.2 km2) tract of woods, fields, and streams. The park covers the gradual slope from Bear Tavern Road down to Delaware River.
, an American Viticultural Area
, is near Titusville, New Jersey, and its northern border is near Musconetcong Mountain
.
Hopewell Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 17,304. The racial makeup of the township was 86.7% White, 2.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 8.9% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races...
, in Mercer County
Mercer County, New Jersey
As of the census of 2000, there were 350,761 people, 125,807 households, and 86,303 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,552 people per square mile . There were 133,280 housing units at an average density of 590 per square mile...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States. The area includes a post office with its own ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
(08560), a small village of homes, and a large park dedicated to George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River in 1776.
History
Titusville's central feature is a small village that sits on a bluff overlooking a picturesque stretch of the Delaware RiverDelaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
with stairwells connecting the village to private docks on the river. The Delaware & Raritan Canal runs parallel to the river just to the east of the village, which is connected to River Road (Route 29) by several two-lane bridges. A biking/walking trail follows the canal, constructed when a rail line was removed. Opposite the canal from the river, extending eastward, are a number of small residential streets, a county park centered about Baldpate Mountain, and the homes ringing the base of the mountain and county park.
Titusville is just north of the Johnson Ferry (later named Taylor's Ferry) House, the scene of Washington's crossing of the Delaware
Washington's crossing of the Delaware
Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, which occurred on December 25, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, was the first move in a surprise attack organized by George Washington against the Hessian forces in Trenton, New Jersey...
during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. In 1831, the ferry was replaced by the Washington Crossing Bridge
Washington Crossing Bridge
Washington Crossing Bridge is a truss bridge spanning the Delaware River that connects Titusville, Hopewell Township in Mercer County, New Jersey with Washington Crossing, Upper Makefield Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1904 by the Taylorsville Delaware Bridge Company...
, linking it with Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania
Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania
Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, is a small unincorporated village located in Upper Makefield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with a zip code of 18977. Formerly known as "Taylorsville," it is most famous for Washington's crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas of 1776 during the...
.
Each year on Christmas Day
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
's crossing of the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
is commemorated at Washington Crossing State Park
Washington Crossing State Park
Washington Crossing State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is part of Washington's Crossing, a U.S. National Historic Landmark area. It is located in the Titusville section of Hopewell Township in Mercer County, north of Trenton along the Delaware River...
, which lies at the south end of Titusville. The annual reenactment depicts General Washington's December 25, 1776 river crossing and the attack on the Hessian troops in Trenton
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
, which was one of the key battles of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. Re-enactors assemble on the Pennsylvania side of the river, where their commander reads Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine
Thomas "Tom" Paine was an English author, pamphleteer, radical, inventor, intellectual, revolutionary, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States...
's pamphlet, The American Crisis
The American Crisis
The American Crisis was a series of pamphlets published from 1776 to 1783 during the American Revolution by 18th century Enlightenment philosopher and author Thomas Paine. The first volume begins with the famous words "These are the times that try men's souls". There were sixteen pamphlets in total...
. The soldiers then climb into boats and cross the river, though the crossing is often canceled due to weather and speed of river.
Washington Cross State Park includes a Visitor Center that features the Harry Kels Swan Collection of Revolutionary War artifacts. Nearly 900 military items from the American and British Armies are included in the collection. The center also includes interpretive history exhibits that cover the Revolutionary War from its prelude in 1758 to the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
The park also contains the Johnson Ferry House, where Washington and his officers are believed to have discussed military strategy. The Nelson House
Nelson House
- United States :*Nelson House , listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Baldwin County, Alabama...
lies along the river at the spot where Washington and his men landed. The house includes period furnishings and old photographs of railroad and canal transportation.
The park's natural area consists of 140 acre (0.5665604 km²) of mixed hardwood forests and fields that offer locations for hiking, picnics, nature walks and cross-country skiing. The Nature Center offers exhibits, displays, and educational programs for children, families and school groups. During warmer months, concerts and plays are held at the nearby Open Air Theatre.
The park is also home to the annual Spirit of the Jerseys State History Fair. The fair features historical programs, exhibits and hands-on interpretive activities.
Titusville is also home to Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., a division of Johnson and Johnson.
Geography
Titusville is located at 40.30°N 74.86°W (40.30, -74.86).The town is bisected by state New Jersey Route 29, a busy road that conveys traffic along the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
.
Washington Crossing State Park
Washington Crossing State Park
Washington Crossing State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is part of Washington's Crossing, a U.S. National Historic Landmark area. It is located in the Titusville section of Hopewell Township in Mercer County, north of Trenton along the Delaware River...
is an 800 acre (3.2 km2) tract of woods, fields, and streams. The park covers the gradual slope from Bear Tavern Road down to Delaware River.
Central Delaware Valley American Viticultural Area
The southern boundary of the Central Delaware Valley AVACentral Delaware Valley AVA
The Central Delaware Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The wine appellation includes surrounding the Delaware River north of Philadelphia. Its southern boundary is near Titusville, New Jersey, just north of Trenton, and its northern...
, an American Viticultural Area
American Viticultural Area
An American Viticultural Area is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau , United States Department of the Treasury....
, is near Titusville, New Jersey, and its northern border is near Musconetcong Mountain
Musconetcong Mountain
Musconetcong Mountain is a ridge in the Highlands region of New Jersey running south of and parallel to the Musconetcong River. The ridge travels through Alexandria, Holland, Bethlehem and Lebanon Township.-Central Delaware Valley American Viticultural Area:...
.