Port Mercer Canal House
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
Area residents often refer to all of Lawrence Township as Lawrenceville. Lawrenceville is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Lawrence Township...
. It is situated along 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,...
near the border of West Windsor Township and Princeton Township, New Jersey
Princeton Township, New Jersey
Also Princeton Borough is an independent municipality completely surrounded by the township.Princeton North is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Princeton Township....
. The house was built in the 1830s as housing for bridgetender and his family. The bridgetender was needed to open the swing bridge
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
when canal boats came through, then close it to allow traffic to cross over the canal. From approximately 1900 to 1934, the bridgetender was John Arrowsmith. He and his wife lived in the three bedroom house with their eight children. The Arrowsmiths loved living at the house and their children enjoyed sleeping outside by the canal in the summer and skating down the frozen canal to Trenton in the winter.
The Delaware and Raritan Canal and the canal houses are now part of the New Jersey State Park system. In the 1970s, the Lawrence Historical Society began restoring the Port Mercer Canal House to the 1890-1920 time period. Around 1900, a first floor kitchen was added. Prior to this addition, Mrs. Arrowsmith, who was known as a good cook, did all of the cooking for the large family and friends by the fireplace in the basement of the house. The house and the Port Mercer area are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Outside of the house, the grounds have been landscaped with small gardens and include an outhouse which was built just before the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Today, the house serves as the headquarters for the Lawrence Historical Society. Each year in June, the Historical Society holds an open house
Open House
Open House may refer to:*Open house , a common school event held in the United States and Canada*Open House , a 1960 album by jazz organist Jimmy Smith*Open House , a 2004 independent film...
and garden party event in which the public is invited for free house tours, live music, and food. Throughout the rest of the year, tours can be arranged by appointment by calling 732-873-3050. The second floor of the house is currently rented to a tenant, where the original three bedrooms have been converted into a kitchen, den, and one bedroom.