America at 250: New Jersey: The Garden State
As one of the original Thirteen Colonies and the site of some of the most significant battles of the Revolutionary War, America’s Semiquincentennial takes on a special meaning in New Jersey.
New Jersey’s small size belies the enormous role it has played in American history. Indigenous peoples made their homes between the Delaware River and the Atlantic coast for thousands of years before European settlement. From battlefields that helped determine the course of the American Revolution to factories, potteries, laboratories, and communities that helped shape an industrial nation, the Garden State has repeatedly found itself at the crossroads of change.
A Brief History of the Garden State
New Jersey has been inhabited since the end of the last glacial period. Paleoindians followed game as the glaciers retreated and established camps where they gathered plants and hunted. Their descendants were among the Indigenous peoples who lived throughout the region for thousands of years. By the time Europeans arrived, the Lenape inhabited much of present-day New Jersey and surrounding areas. They practiced agriculture, hunted, gathered wild plants, and fished in the region’s rivers and streams. Today, archaeological sites throughout the state preserve evidence of thousands of years of Indigenous life.
Dutch and other European explorers reached the region in the early 1600s. The Dutch established settlements as part of New Netherland, which included portions of present-day New Jersey. The English took control in 1664, and the colony was subsequently divided into East and West Jersey. In 1702, the proprietors surrendered their governing authority to the Crown, and New Jersey became a unified royal colony.
New Jersey was one of the original Thirteen Colonies to declare independence from Great Britain. The first Constitution of New Jersey was adopted on July 2, 1776, shortly before the Declaration of Independence. Its voting provisions were unusually broad for the period, extending the franchise to property owners who met the requirements, including some single women and free Black men. Those voting rights were restricted in 1807, when the state legislature limited the franchise to free white male citizens.
New Jersey is called the “Crossroads of the Revolution” because so much of the Revolutionary War was fought across the state. Among its major engagements were the battles of Trenton, Princeton, Monmouth, and Springfield. The campaign known as the Ten Crucial Days began with Washington’s crossing of the Delaware on December 25, 1776, followed by the first Battle of Trenton, the second Battle of Trenton, and the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777. The victories revived American morale at a critical point in the war. Crossroads of the American Revolution describes the Ten Crucial Days as a turning point in the conflict.
The Battle of Trenton is immortalized in American art and history by the many powerful images of Washington and his troops crossing the Delaware River the night before. Washington also led the Continental Army at the Battle of Monmouth, but another legendary American figure emerged from the fighting. The name “Molly Pitcher” became associated with women who carried water to soldiers and, according to tradition, sometimes took their places at the guns. The best-known story is often linked to Mary Ludwig Hays, although historians continue to debate how much of the familiar tale can be documented.
In the 19th century, New Jersey once again had a key role in an American revolution, this time the Industrial Revolution. Water power from the Passaic River made Paterson an ideal site for textile mills, eventually earning it the nickname “Silk City.” Thomas Edison established workshops in Newark before opening his famous industrial research laboratory at Menlo Park in 1876. There, Edison and his associates developed inventions including the phonograph and an incandescent electric-light system. New Jersey’s manufacturing sector thrived throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries.
New Jersey remained at the center of several dramatic events in the 20th century. In 1932, Charles Lindbergh’s 20-month-old son was kidnapped from the family’s home near Hopewell. In 1937, the Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed while attempting to land at Naval Air Station Lakehurst. The following year, Orson Welles’ radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds, which placed a fictional Martian landing at Grover's Mill, became one of the most famous broadcasts in American radio history.
Today, New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation, shaped by centuries of immigration, industry, transportation, and its position between two of the country’s largest metropolitan areas.
Honoring the 250th
The Garden State is commemorating the nation’s anniversary through events, educational programming, exhibits, art, concerts, reenactments, and community projects throughout the state. The official commission, RevolutionNJ, is a collaboration between the New Jersey Historical Commission and the nonprofit Crossroads of the American Revolution Association. Its focus is on New Jersey’s crucial role in the American Revolution and how the state and its residents carry the revolutionary spirit into the present day.
New Jersey celebrates its history as one of the most significant sites of the Revolutionary War. More than 600 battles, skirmishes, and other acts of war took place in the state, and historic houses, landmarks, parks, memorials, and museums preserve that history throughout New Jersey. Those sites take on additional significance for America’s Semiquincentennial. Crossroads of the American Revolution identifies more than 150 historic sites associated with the Revolutionary era. Crossroads of the American Revolution
Many communities throughout New Jersey have developed their own 250th commissions with programming, exhibits, and festivities highlighting local places, historical figures, and events. These celebrations capture each community’s identity and role in history while connecting local stories to the larger American experience. A timeline by RevolutionNJ helps link specific events from the Revolutionary War to relevant present-day locations.
Collecting New Jersey
The first potters in New Jersey were Indigenous peoples, who made pottery long before European settlement. Centuries later, the state became home to some of America’s most important commercial potteries. Trenton, in particular, developed into a major ceramics manufacturing center during the 19th century, producing everything from utilitarian wares to fine art porcelain. New Jersey companies including Fulper and Stangl are especially well known to American pottery collectors.
Trenton also had several porcelain factories that made decorative pieces with distinctive styles. Boehm birds, Cybis figurines, and American Belleek pieces by Willets and Lenox are all sought by collectors. Trenton’s ceramics industry included internationally recognized makers of art porcelain, with Walter Scott Lenox working at both Ott & Brewer and Willets before establishing the Ceramic Art Company, later Lenox.
New Jersey also has a long history of glassmaking, dating back to the colonial years. There are collectors for all sorts of glassware made in New Jersey, from antique whiskey flasks to Durand art glass. But among the state’s most distinctive glass pieces are Millville rose paperweights, named for the New Jersey city where glassworker Ralph Barber developed a metal crimp used to create the characteristic rose design.
New Jersey’s many industries included some of America’s best-known toy manufacturers. Unique Art Manufacturing Company of Newark made colorful lithographed tin windup toys during the 20th century, while Barclay Manufacturing Company became known for its small metal figures. Another New Jersey company that became a major name in toys began in 1926 as Mantua Metal Products, a manufacturer of model-train equipment. The company later developed the Tyco brand and eventually became Tyco Toys before being acquired by Mattel.
New Jersey also provided inspiration for classic toys. One of the most famous, and today among the most expensive, Lionel toy trains is the Blue Comet, inspired by the luxury passenger train operated by the Central Railroad of New Jersey from 1929 to 1941.
Collectors of antique and vintage technology are likely to find items with roots in Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park laboratory. The most famous, and most collectible, may be the phonograph. Edison invented the phonograph at Menlo Park in 1877, and the technology went through many changes in the decades that followed. Today, collectors can choose among numerous Edison models and formats.
Of course, Thomas Edison wasn’t the only New Jersey innovator. One Newark company played an important role in the development of a favorite collectible, the pinback button. The Whitehead & Hoag Company, founded in 1892, became a major producer of celluloid novelties and advertising items after acquiring rights to patents for celluloid pinbacks in the 1890s.
If your historical heroes are a bit more, well, creepy and kooky, New Jersey offers another collecting connection. Cartoonist Charles Addams grew up in Westfield, where the houses and surroundings of his hometown helped shape the macabre sensibility that later made him famous. His characters inspired The Addams Family television series, films, a stage musical, and an enormous range of collectibles. Original Addams illustrations can sell for substantial prices, while prints, books, and memorabilia offer more accessible options for pop culture collectors.
Looking Ahead: New Jersey’s America 250 Calendar Highlights
Throughout 2026 — America 250 New Jersey Statewide Programming
Communities across New Jersey are commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary with educational programs, arts and entertainment, heritage events, and opportunities to explore the people and places that shaped the Garden State. New programs continue to be added throughout the year.
Through February 2027 — Spirit of ’76: The Bicentennial, New Jersey State Museum, Trenton
The Spirit of ’76: The Bicentennial exhibition looks back at how Americans celebrated the nation’s 200th anniversary in 1976. Drawing from the State Museum’s collection, the exhibition features art and artifacts produced for the Bicentennial, including New Jersey-connected works. It opened Feb. 14, 2026, and runs through February 2027.
Sept. 25–26, 2026 — The Crossing Musical Concert Preview, Flemington
A preview of The Crossing, a new musical centered on Black Revolutionary War patriot Jacob Francis, comes to the Historic Hunterdon County Courthouse ahead of the production’s world premiere in Trenton on the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Trenton. Performances are scheduled for Sept. 25 and 26.
At Rockingham State Historic Site, visitors can learn how cacao was prepared in the 18th century as historical foodways interpreter Susan McLellan Plaisted demonstrates traditional chocolate-making techniques.
Nov. 6, 2026 — November 1776: When the Revolution Came to Newark
A program at the Newark Public Library explores Newark’s experience during the critical months of 1776 as the Revolution reached the city.
December 2026 — Patriots Week, Trenton
Trenton’s annual Patriots Week commemorates the events surrounding the Battles of Trenton with historical programming, tours, art, music, and living history. The 2026 observance marks the 250th anniversary of the first Battle of Trenton.
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