Borden’s Towne Marker

Borden's Towne Marker
100 Crosswicks St.
In front of Clara Barton School
Map / Directions to the Borden's Towne Marker
Map / Directions to all Bordentown Revolutionary War Sites

This area was first settled in 1682 and was originally called Farnsworth Landing. In 1717, Joseph Borden bought up much of the property, and the town was renamed Borden's Towne, and later Bordentown. A plaque in front of Clara Barton school commemorates some of the Revolutionary War activity that took place in Bordentown.

Before the Battle of Trenton — December 1776 [1]

On November 19, 1776, British and Hessian forces invaded New Jersey, disembarking at Huyler's Landing in Bergen County. At the time, General George Washington and the Continental (American) army were in nearby Fort Lee. Washington's army had recently suffered a string of defeats in New York city. Upon learning of the landing of the British and Hessian troops at Alpine Landing, the Continental Army began a retreat across New Jersey that ended when they crossed over the Delaware River into Pennsylvania on December 2.

While the Continental Army was on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River, British and Hessian forces occupied a number of towns throughout New Jersey. Soldiers under the command of Hessian Colonel Carl von Donop occupied Bordentown at this time.

Six miles to the north of Bordentown, Hessian Troops under the command of Colonel Johann Rall occupied Trenton.

The Hessian troops at Bordentown were drawn south towards Mount Holly to engage with a small group of American troops under the command of Samuel Griffin. They fought the Petticoat Bridge Skirmish on December 22 and the Battle of Iron Works Hill the following day.

Following the Battle of Iron Works Hill, the Hessians remained in Mount Holly for several days, instead of returning to Bordentown. This placed them eighteen miles away from Trenton, rather than six miles if they had returned to Mount Holly. As a result, they were too far away from Trenton to be of any assistance to the Hessians there when Washington's troops attacked Trenton after their famous crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night. The American victory at the Battle of Trenton helped to turn the tide of the war.

British Raid — May 8, 1778 [2]

British forces invaded Philadelphia September 26, 1777, and began an occupation of the city which lasted until the following June. Towards the end of this occupation, they mounted a raid of Bordentown and neighboring White Hill (now Fieldsboro).

On the night of May 7, 1778, the British sent a band of infantry troops by ship up the Delaware River. The following morning, they disembarked about thirty miles up the Delaware River near White Hill. At White Hill they encountered a group of American militia. The militia were dispersed by the British troops, who pursued them into Bordentown.

Great damage was done during this raid. Buildings and American military supplies were burned, and American ships in the waters alongside Bordentown and White Hill were destroyed. See the May 8, 1778 British Raid Marker and Colonel Joseph Borden House entries below on this page for more about the damage done.

Before the Battle of Monmouth — June 23, 1778 [3]

On June 18, 1778, the British troops in Philadelphia abandoned the city. They crossed over the Delaware River into New Jersey at Coopers Ferry (now Camden) and began a march across New Jersey towards New York City, the main British stronghold in America throughout the Revolutionary War. They marched on a path through Haddonfield, Cherry Hill, Mount Laurel, Moorestown, Mount Holly, Bordentown, Crosswicks, Upper Freehold and Monmouth Courthouse (now Freehold). On June 28, they encountered the Continental (American) Army at Monmouth Courthouse and fought the Battle of Monmouth, the longest sustained battle of the Revolutionary War.

It was on June 23 during this march that British troops came through Bordentown. They did further damage to this area, which had been raided just six weeks before. Among the damaged property was a large mill on the Black Creek, owned by a merchant named Nathaniel Lewis. (Black's Creek runs along to the east of modern-day Route 295, from the Delaware River.)

Four months later, Nathaniel Lewis ran a notice in the New-Jersey Gazette that he was selling the destroyed mill. The notice read in part: [4]

"FOR SALE — The ruins of a compleat merchant mill, (which was destroyed by the British army in their late march through New-Jersey) together with about 40 acres of Land, situate[d] on Black's creek, about half a mile from Borden-Town, in the county of Burlington, a healthy part of the country distant from Philadelphia 28 miles."