A Mercer County Timeline

November 18, 2011

1686- The Township of Nottingham is organized. It includes all of the present Hamilton
Township, as well as all of Trenton south of the Assunpink Creek.

1688- Daniell Coxe, Governor of West Jersey, acquires rights to a tract of land from 11 Leni Lenape Indians; this land includes all of what later becomes Hopewell Township.

1697- The village of Maidenhead is established in Burlington County/West Jersey. The town is renamed Lawrence in 1816 to honor Captain James Lawrence, a naval war hero from the War of 1812 famous for saying, “Don’t give up the ship!”

1699- Hopewell Township is incorporated as part of then-Burlington County. Boundaries include all of present day Hopewell Township, Hopewell and Pennington boroughs, most of Ewing Township, and much of the City of Trenton north of Assunpink Creek.

1714- The portion of Burlington County north of the Assunpink (including Hopewell Township) is set off, establishing Hunterdon County.

1719- The Township of Trenton is established from the southern part of Hopewell Township.

1750- King George III created the Township of Windsor in the southern part of then-Middlesex County

1790- The village of Trenton in Trenton Township became New Jersey’s capital.

1792- The City of Trenton is formally incorporated within Trenton Township.

1797- When residents disagree about how to maintain public roads, the New Jersey Legislature divides Windsor Township to form East Windsor Township and West Windsor Township.

1798- The New Jersey Legislature officially incorporates the State’s initial group of 104 townships. East Windsor, Hopewell, Maidenhead (now Lawrence), Nottingham (now Hamilton), Trenton, and West Windsor Townships are part of the original 104.

1813- Princeton Borough is incorporated. (In part, this was requested because the town lay in two counties, Somerset and Middlesex which made management of the town difficult.) Parts of West Windsor Township and Montgomery Township in Somerset County are set off to create Princeton Borough.

1834- The name of Trenton Township is formally changed to Ewing Township in honor of Charles Ewing, former Chief Justice of the New Jersey State Supreme Court.

1838- Mercer County is formed by the New Jersey Legislature using parts of Burlington, Hunterdon, Middlesex and Somerset Counties. The new county is named for Revolutionary War General Hugh Mercer who died at the Battle of Princeton.

1838- Princeton Township is incorporated using portions of West Windsor Township in Middlesex County and Montgomery Township in Somerset County.

1840- South Trenton is incorporated as a borough from portions of Nottingham Township. The borough is annexed to Trenton in 1851.

1842- Hamilton is incorporated from portions of the former Nottingham Township.

1853- The NJ Legislature officially incorporates Hightstown Borough from land within East Windsor Township.

1859- Washington Township (now Robbinsville Township) is established from part of East Windsor by the New Jersey Legislature.

1872- Chambersburg is independently incorporated from part of Hamilton Township. It is annexed to Trenton in 1888.

1882- Millham Township, a neighborhood in the southern portion (just below the Brunswick Circle) of Lawrence Township secedes to become an independent municipality. In 1888 it was annexed to Trenton.

1890- Pennington secedes from Hopewell Township and is established as an independent borough.

1891- Hopewell secedes from Hopewell Township and is incorporated as an independent borough.

1891- Wilbur is incorporated as a town from part of Hamilton Township. It is annexed to Trenton in 1898.

1894- Princeton Borough is incorporated as a fully independent municipality.

1915- Hopewell Borough and Pennington expand to their current configurations by annexing additional land from Hopewell Township

1970- Twin Rivers, the first planned unit development in New Jersey, opens on the eastern side of East Windsor Township.

2008- The name of Washington Township is changed by a vote of township residents to Robbinsville Township (named after George R. Robbins, a prominent township resident who served in Congress in the mid-1800’s).