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Survey of
Historic Sites and Buildings

	WASHINGTON CROSSING New Jersey and Pennsylvania
Location: N.J. 546 on Delaware River south of Titusville, Mercer County, N.J.; Pa. 32 and 532, on Delaware River at community of Washington Crossing, Bucks County, Pa. Washington Crossing State Park N.J. Washington Crossing Historic Park, Pa.

Ownership and Administration (1961). State of New Jersey, Department of Conservation and Economic Development, Forests and Parks Section; Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Forests and Waters, Washington Crossing State Park Commission.

Significance. Washington's crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night 1776, for the brilliant raid on Trenton, was a crucial episode in the struggle for independence. Despite an almost legendary character in the American tradition, the crossing was in fact a realistic and carefully planned stroke designed to rescue a waning cause. Washington carried the war to the enemy by his daring act, and gave the new Nation and his often-defeated army a taste of victory at the war's lowest ebb.

The close of 1776 found the cause of independence staggering under a succession of defeats. The Continental Congress had made provision for a long-term military force in October, but at the end of the year this establishment was on paper, not in the field where it was desperately needed. In his camp on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware, Washington realized that he must strike a blow at the enemy before his army melted away, and he determined to hit the Hessian garrison at Trenton. The American main force was ferried across the Delaware on the night of December 25 by Col. John Glover's hardy Marblehead fishermen, and in the bleak early morning hours assembled on the New Jersey shore for the march on Trenton, about 10 miles downstream. The surprise was complete, and within an hour and a half after the action opened the Hessians surrendered. Their loss was about 1,000 men captured, wounded, and killed, at a cost to the Americans of fewer than 10 casualties. Learning that the other column of his command had failed to cross the Delaware to join him, Washington returned to the Pennsylvania side of the river. A few days later he crossed again to New Jersey and defeated another enemy force at the battle of Princeton. A critical turning point was successfully passed, and valuable time won for the creation of the new military establishment. The epic crossing of the Delaware was a key to final victory.

The McKonkey Ferryhouse overlooks the New Jersey bank of the Delaware River, where Washington's troops landed on Christmas night, 1776, for the surprise attack on Trenton. The general warmed himself here, according to tradition, before moving on to rout the Hessians. (National Park Service)

Present Appearance (1961). On the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware, a well-maintained State park of 478 acres preserves the site of the embarkation of Washington's main force. On the riverbank is the old Ferry Inn, the present structure containing an ell which was part of the original ferryhouse of the Revolutionary period. Emanuel Leutze's famous painting, "Washington Crossing the Delaware," is displayed in the auditorium of the handsome park memorial building. Whatever the artistic merits and historical accuracy of the picture, it constitutes an inspiring interpretation of the event in spirit if not in factual detail. The Washington Crossing Monument, erected in 1916, overlooks the embarkation site. The Thompson-Neely House, headquarters of American officers in 1776, is at Bowman's Hill, a detached section of the park 4 miles north of the crossing site. The older section of the house was built in 1702, and the building is furnished and open to the public. An old mill nearby, still standing, ground grain for the American Army. Beneath the memorial flagstaff are the graves of unknown American soldiers who died during the encampment of 1776. The Bowman's Hill section of the park also contains a State wildflower preserve and a memorial observation tower.

On the New Jersey side of the river is a 372-acre State park preserving the scene of the landing above Trenton. A short distance from the riverbank is the McKonkey Ferryhouse, now a museum. An interesting park feature is the preserved trace of the old road used by the American Army in its march from the riverbank. Trees planted on either side of the "Continental Lane" preserve this historic roadway.

The parks on either side of the Delaware, connected by an automobile bridge, constitute an outstanding preservation of a key site in the winning of American independence. [37]