Assunpink Creek
Encyclopedia
Assunpink Creek is a 22.9 miles (36.9 km) tributary
of the Delaware River
in western New Jersey
in the United States
.
Assunpink Creek (from the Lenape
Ahsën'pink, meaning "stony, watery place") is born in rural Monmouth County
, about a mile north of Clarksburg
. Flowing westwards, it soon enters the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, where it has been dammed to form Rising Sun Lake. After an unnamed tributary enters from the south, it enters another reservoir, Assunpink Lake. The two lakes, as well as Stone Tavern Lake on the tributary, are popular fishing spots.
Below Assunpink Lake, the creek flows under Old York Road
and flows into Mercer County
. New Sharon Branch enters the creek from the south at Carsons Mills. The creek now turns northwest, passing under the New Jersey Turnpike
and then U.S. Route 130
, just southwest of Windsor
. Here, it finally exits the Wildlife Management Area.
Still further northwest, the creek enters Central Mercer County Park. Bridegroom Run enters from the north side as the creek turns west and is impounded to form Mercer County Lake. A small wildlife management area, the Van Nest Refuge, lies along the stream just below the dam. It then passes under Quaker Bridge Road and Interstate 295
before turning southwest and paralleling the Delaware and Raritan Canal
. The creek now enters a heavily built-up area. Miry Run enters near Hutchinson Mills. The canalized stream flows past the Trenton Rail Station
and finally empties into the Delaware River in Trenton
.
In 2011 Assunpink overflowed its banks in the heavy rains of Hurricane Irene, making the main rail line of the northeast corridor
impassible and stopping rail traffic between New York and Philadelphia for several days even as rail traffic was resumed after the storm from New York heading north and from Philadelphia south.
In January 1777, during the Second Battle of Trenton
of the American Revolutionary War
, soldiers of the Continental Army
and supporting militias, under the direct command of General George Washington
, held a defensive line along the south shore of Assunpink Creek south of Trenton, stretching from the mouth of the creek up to Philip's Mill. The American soldiers successfully repelled several charges by British and Hessian soldiers across a stone bridge over the creek, and also repelled an attempt to ford the creek near its mouth.
- Mouth of the creek
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
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...
in western 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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Assunpink Creek (from the Lenape
Lenape language
The Delaware languages, also known as the Lenape languages, are Munsee and Unami, two closely related languages of the Eastern Algonquian subgroup of the Algonquian language family...
Ahsën'pink, meaning "stony, watery place") is born in rural Monmouth County
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...
, about a mile north of Clarksburg
Clarksburg, New Jersey
Clarksburg is an unincorporated area located within Millstone Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP code 08510....
. Flowing westwards, it soon enters the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, where it has been dammed to form Rising Sun Lake. After an unnamed tributary enters from the south, it enters another reservoir, Assunpink Lake. The two lakes, as well as Stone Tavern Lake on the tributary, are popular fishing spots.
Below Assunpink Lake, the creek flows under Old York Road
Old York Road
Old York Road or King's Highway is a roadway that was built in the 18th century to connect Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with New York City, New York. Through New Jersey it was built along the Raritan "Naraticong Trail"...
and flows into 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 Sharon Branch enters the creek from the south at Carsons Mills. The creek now turns northwest, passing under the New Jersey Turnpike
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road in New Jersey, maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the Turnpike is the nation's sixth-busiest toll road and is among one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United...
and then U.S. Route 130
U.S. Route 130
U.S. Route 130 is a north–south U.S. Highway completely within the state of New Jersey. It runs from Interstate 295 and US 40 at Deepwater in Pennsville Township, Salem County, where the road continues east as Route 49, north to US 1 in North Brunswick Township, Middlesex County, where...
, just southwest of Windsor
Windsor, New Jersey
Windsor is a small historic community and unincorporated area located within Robbinsville Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 08561...
. Here, it finally exits the Wildlife Management Area.
Still further northwest, the creek enters Central Mercer County Park. Bridegroom Run enters from the north side as the creek turns west and is impounded to form Mercer County Lake. A small wildlife management area, the Van Nest Refuge, lies along the stream just below the dam. It then passes under Quaker Bridge Road and Interstate 295
Interstate 295 (Delaware-New Jersey)
Interstate 295 in New Jersey and Delaware is an auxiliary Interstate Highway, designated as a bypass around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The route begins at a junction with Interstate 95 south of Wilmington, Delaware, and runs to another junction with I-95 north of Trenton, New Jersey...
before turning southwest and paralleling the Delaware and Raritan Canal
Delaware and Raritan Canal
The Delaware and Raritan Canal is a canal in central New Jersey, United States, built in the 1830s that served to connect the Delaware River to the Raritan River. It was intended as an efficient and reliable means of transportation of freight between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City,...
. The creek now enters a heavily built-up area. Miry Run enters near Hutchinson Mills. The canalized stream flows past the Trenton Rail Station
Trenton Rail Station (New Jersey)
Trenton Transit Center, formerly known as Trenton Rail Station, is the main passenger train station in Trenton, New Jersey. It is the southernmost stop in New Jersey on the Northeast Corridor...
and finally empties into the Delaware River 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...
.
In 2011 Assunpink overflowed its banks in the heavy rains of Hurricane Irene, making the main rail line of the northeast corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
impassible and stopping rail traffic between New York and Philadelphia for several days even as rail traffic was resumed after the storm from New York heading north and from Philadelphia south.
In January 1777, during the Second Battle of Trenton
Second Battle of Trenton
The Battle of the Assunpink Creek, also known as the Second Battle of Trenton, was a battle between American and British troops that took place in and around Trenton, New Jersey, on January 2, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War, and resulted in an American victory.Following a surprise...
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...
, soldiers of the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
and supporting militias, under the direct command of General 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...
, held a defensive line along the south shore of Assunpink Creek south of Trenton, stretching from the mouth of the creek up to Philip's Mill. The American soldiers successfully repelled several charges by British and Hessian soldiers across a stone bridge over the creek, and also repelled an attempt to ford the creek near its mouth.
External links
- Mouth of the creek