Table of Contents
About the Display
Kingston: On The Map is one of five displays in the Kingston Historical Society display space in the Kingston Locktender’s House, former home for the employee of the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company in charge of operating the Kingston barge lock on the canal.
The new display includes prints from over a dozen maps showing the growth and evolution of the settlement of Kingston, New Jersey — from a path across Native American lands to the Lincoln Highway. Also displayed is a translated excerpt of the oldest record of travel across those lands in 1679. The excerpt, and many of the maps, are available online from the Library of Congress. Reference links are listed below.
The display of maps opened on April 9, 2022 at the display space in the Kingston Locktender’s House at the lock on the Delaware and Raritan Canal.
The press release describing the display is available HERE
Visiting The Kingston Locktender’s House
Finding the locktender’s house and parking lot can be a bit of a challenge. Because of the way zip codes work, the Locktender’s House, which is in South Brunswick Township, has an address in Princeton, NJ 08540:
Locktender’s House, D&R Canal State Park
GPS: 39 Old Lincoln Highway, Princeton, NJ 08540
Hours: 10-4 Weekends and holidays April through November
For those who are more adventurous, it can be found on the 1850 map at the top of this page, labeled “Gulick” accross the canal (the heavy black line) near the “BASIN”. Note that the 1850 map does not have the 1972 bridge over the Millstone, so turn into the state park and look for the “RAIL ROAD CROSSING” sign.
References
As noted below, these maps are from
the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division.
or from David Rumsey Historical Map Collection https://www.davidrumsey.com
Jasper Danckaerts Crosses New Jersey in 1679
Journal of Jasper Danckaerts, 1679–1680; ed. Bartlett Burleigh James … and J. Franklin Jameson. (translation copyright 1913.)
Full text at: http://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbtn.13556
1706 Large map of the state
A new mapp of East and West New Jarsey: being an exact survey [1706 printing]
Worlidge, John, and John Thornton. A new mapp of East and West New Jarsey sic: being an exact survey. [London, 1706] Map.
https://www.loc.gov/item/97683601/.
Credit Line: Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division.
1749 Map showing central New Jersey
Evans, Lewis, 1700?-1756, and L Hebert. A map of Pensilvania, New-Jersey, New-York, and the three Delaware counties. [Philadelphia, 1749] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/74691938/.
Crossing the Delaware/Trenton and Princeton Campaign 1776-7
Faden, William. Plan of the operations of General Washington, against the Kings troops in New Jersey, from the 26th, of December, to the 3d. January 1777. [London, 1777] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/74692205/.
British Evacuation/Battle of Monmouth Campaign 1778 (maps below)
Quotes from historical documents selected by C. Dieterich. Overlay on: A topographical map of the vicinity of Trenton, New Brunswick and Bordentown. George H. Cook, State Geologist, C.C.Vermeule, topographer. 1887. Geological Survey of New Jersey. Atlas sheet no. 8, Trenton. Julius Bien & Co., Lith. (1888)
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
https://www.davidrumsey.com
1804? Trenton and New Brunswick Turnpike-road
A Map of the Trenton and New-Brunswick Turnpike-road. [180?] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/73691816/.
1802 Traveler’s Map, strip shows Kingston on The Road
Road from Philadelphia to New York. (Maps) 7, 6, 8 and 9. N.B. The above Columns (7, 6) are transposed. No. 6 ought to be on the outside. Shallus, fc.
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
https://www.davidrumsey.com
1849 Mercer County
Otley, J. W, and James Keily. Map of Mercer County, New Jersey. Camden, N.J.: L. van der Veer, 1849. Map.
https://www.loc.gov/item/2004629246/.
1850 Somerset County Map
Otley, J. W, James Keily, Lloyd Van Derveer, and Robert Pearsall Smith. Map of Somerset County, New Jersey: entirely from original surveys. Camden, N.J.: Published by Lloyd Van Derveer, surveyor, 1850. Map.
https://www.loc.gov/item/2012593680/.
1850 Middlesex County Map
Otley, J. W, James Keily, Lloyd Van Derveer, Edward Herline, and Alex C Stansbie. Map of Middlesex County, New Jersey. Camden, N.J.: L. Van Derveer, 1850. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2004629245/.
1872 Topographical map of Middlesex Co., New Jersey
State atlas of New Jersey based on State Geological Survey and from additional surveys by and under the direction of F.W. Beers. Published by Beers, Comstock & Cline, 36 Vesey Street, New York. 1872. Lithogc. Power Press Printg. of Charles Hart, 36 Vesey St., N.Y. Engraved on stone by Louis E. Neuman, 36 Vesey St., N.Y.
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection https://www.davidrumsey.com
1913 The Lincoln Highway (collage)
Schmid, Frank S. The Lincoln Highway route: it’s ideals and purposes: a connected improved highway extending from New York City to San Francisco. [Fort Wayne, Ind.: Frank S. Schmid, ?, 1914] Map.
https://www.loc.gov/item/2012593369/.
and
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LH-Map-75.jpg
and
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LincolnHighwayMarker.svg
1925 State of New Jersey Highway Map
NJ State Transportation Map of 1925 (front)
https://www.nj.gov/transportation/refdata/gis/map.shtm