No Power in Lambertville?

10/31/2011, and UPDATED Power has been restored to many of the areas of town following the early snow storm. But according to a map on the JCP&L website, there were still 1,787 customers in Lambertville without power, as of 3:34 pm this afternoon, October 31, 2011. ** As of 5:16 pm the number changed to 1,914 -- apparently they recalculated.** And, then it dropped to 1,874 as of 5:33 pm. And 1,875 as of 5:51 pm. And, suddenly as of 6:43 pm the number is down to 699. (The "Lambertville" number apparently includes West Amwell as well.)

That would be a drop of "1,176" locations without power in a matter of 52 minutes (5:51 pm until 6:43:pm). A little quick math . . . that would be a nearly 63% drop! Wow, that's a good sign! Keep it up JCP&L!

UPDATE: Power was restored to a significant number of customers in the downtown area off of Main Street over night, and to the Laceworks area around 9 am this morning, but the number of customers without power listed for Lambertville actually rose again this morning.

As of 10:05 am, 11/1, it was up to "784" and by 11:10 am it was only down slightly to "772." A transformer up on Hewitt Road apparently went out, affecting a significant number of people in that immediate area. UPDATES: As of 12:34 pm, back down, currently at "671" and as of 1:24 pm, we are down to "562" people without power. And, as of 4:13 pm the City total is down to "401" but back up to "574" as of 5:38 pm, and "674" as of 6:46 pm. Seems a little odd, or a uncertain at best, no? UPDATE: Wed. 11/02/2011 at 11:42 am-- according to the map listings, 501 locations are still without power.

That is still a significant number of locations, and for an extended period of time without power. So, if you know of a neighbor without power, especially someone who may be elderly, or who cannot otherwise get around, please be sure to knock on their door and check up on them. Sometimes people are a little reluctant to call for help on their own.

UPDATE from the City, 4:40 pm, 11/1/11:

JCP&L UPDATE: Most of Lambertville had power restored this morning, Tuesday, November 1. 401 Customers with the 08530 zip code remain without power. JCP&L is working around the clock to restore power. They anticipate power will be restored to 95% of the residents by Thursday, November 3 and to 100% by Friday, November 4. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as we receive them.

Also, as JCP&L points out on their site:

Numbers shown are predictions of the number of customers affected, based on calls received from customers. If your power is out, please call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) to report an outage.

Unfortunately, there is no specific restoration information posted there for our immediate area -- telling us when the work for our particular areas will be done.

But if you are still without electric power in Lambertville, including in the south end of the City, please note that there is a "Main Street" line that is out. It runs down South Main and heads south. JCP&L estimates that it may not be back up for a few days, possibly Thursday or Friday. UPDATE: Most of the southern end of town was fortunately reconnected 11/1.

The outage extends onto the side streets, such as Ferry Street, Swan Street and Mt. Hope Street, whose residents hook up to that "Main Street" line.

You may have noticed a few homes and businesses in the immediate vicinity that actually do have lights and electricity. For example, a gas stations on Main Street and Bridge is up and running, but the City Library, right next door is without any power, while a small travel business across the corner on the same side of the street, has power.

The reason is because there are apparently two power lines on Main Street -- over and under -- so if your location happens to feed off the "good" line, you are in luck. Otherwise, if you connect to the "bad" line you may unfortunately not have power for a few days.

The City says most Hunterdon residents without power will be reconnected by this Thursday, November 2d, and all by Friday, November 3rd. (see notice below).

There is a parallel power line running south down Rt. 165, located on the other side of 165, and that one is up and running.

The City posted the following notice regarding the outage for Hunterdon County earlier today:

October 31, 2011

JCP&L UPDATE: The Office of Emergency Management participated in a conference call at 11 am this morning with Hunterdon County Office of Emergency Management. Jersey Central Power and Light advised that over 31,000 residents are without power in Hunterdon County. They anticipate power will be restored to 95% of the residents by Thursday, November 3 and to 100% by Friday, November 4. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as we receive them.

Please feel free to come to City Hall to recharge your phones and/or computers.

As we get further specific restoration information on outages in town, we'll post it here. Feel free to share this with your friends and neighbors, especially those who you know are without power, but who maintain internet/phone contact.

Or, you can pass along any additional and related information to us at lambertville.info@gmail.com.

SSR

Weather Hydrograph -- Water Level Information

(UPDATED)
Here is a screenshot of the National Weather Service hydrograph for Lambertville and New Hope as of 10:45 AM, September 10, 2011.

We have now clearly passed the "second" crest for this storm (Lee), which "secondary" peak reading was 15.1 inches at 8:00 AM on Friday morning (09/09/11). The highest reading for this storm was recorded early on Thursday morning -- 16.14 feet at 7:00 AM EDT.

The graph above shows the "real time" and "projected" flood level readings of the Delaware River at the free bridge in town, as they were at that specific time earlier Saturday morning.

The dark blue line represents the actual observed readings, and the current forecast readings are represented by the dotted green line. (To enlarge, right click on the image, and open in a new tab.)

The actual on-line version of this is a dynamic graph. You may want to "favorite" it for future reference.

It changes somewhat frequently, based on the latest readings and on the changing forecast from the National Weather Service, including for Lambertville. The latest data set records that a second "crest" of 15.1 feet for this storm appears to have been reached at 8:00 AM yesterday morning (09/09), and that the river level is now dropping. Just past midnight, it began dropping below the 13-foot flood stage, and by mid-afternoon at 2 PM (09/10), the 10.5 foot point will be reached, where, as was announced earlier by the City, the fire company can begin pumping out basements in the flood zone.

On Thursday, the projected "second crest" was for 15.2 feet, which prediction was down from 16.7 feet, as had forecast several hours earlier, at 11:45 that morning. And, the data set indicated that it had been forecast to occur later in the day -- at 2:00 PM EDT in the afternoon (18:00 UTC), rather than at 2:00 AM as had been previously forecast. An earlier forecast was for the "secondary crest" to be even higher, but fortunately that did not happen.

The prior actual "crest" of 16.14 feet, reached at 7:00 AM EDT on Thursday (09/08) as a result of the intense rains on Wednesday, had abated somewhat, down to a trough of 14.35 feet on Thursday evening, when it began to climb up again as a result of flood waters from north of here reaching our area.

As you can see, forecasts change, and sometimes quickly. So, be sure to check for updates frequently at the link! If you click over to the actual tabular data sheets, keep in mind that the times on the "tabs" are recorded in UTC, or "Coordinated Universal Time" and are therefore four hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), and five hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST). It is also a "24" hour clock, like military time. For example, if a time recorded there reads "09/10 18:00" subtract 4 to get 14:00, which is "09/10 at 2:00 PM."

Again, to see the current on-line hydrograph for Lambertville/New Hope, click here.

For our local Lambertville weather forecast, click here.

To view the broader regional hydrograph map for NJ/PA/NYC/DE, click here. If you are traveling or have relatives or friends in an area in the region that you want to check on, this map is useful. Just click on any of the small colored buttons for up-to-the-date hydrographic information any specified area.

To read the City of Lambertville official updated emergency management bulletins and other important information, click here.

Be safe! Remember, part of being safe is keeping up with the latest available information.

______________________________________________

To illustrate how the hydrograph can significantly change over a relatively short time period, below are nine comparative screenshots of the Lambertville/New Hope hydrograph, taken over time. The latest one was as of 9:45 AM Saturday morning (09/10); one as of 6:45 PM Friday evening (09/09); one as of 5:45 PM Friday evening (09/09); the next one as of 8:45 AM Friday morning; one as of 8:45 pm Thursday night (09/08); one as of 3:45 pm Thursday afternoon; another one as of 2:45 pm Thursday afternoon; the eighth as of 1:45 pm Thursday afternoon; and the ninth as of 11:45 am Thursday morning.

Lambertville Lodging: Places to Stay

Here is a quick alphabetically-arranged rundown on the current places to stay, right here in Lambertville, NJ.

The list includes the several Inn and B & B locales here in town, along with brief but key information on the number and kind of rooms available, the basic attractions and ancillary benefits available for each, a few illustrative photos, and brief phone contact information. We have also provided links to their websites. No pricing information is included.

Our primary focus here is on the room accommodations, as well as, where available, common areas and event or retreat accommodations. Mention is made in those cases where the Inns also feature restaurants, cocktail lounges, taverns, galleries and shops on site, which may also be included in greater detail under separate postings on this website.

Another post will also list many of the places to stay in New Jersey in the immediate Lambertville area, including Stockton and Sergeantsville, and a few across the Delaware River in Pennsylvania, such as those in New Hope, Solebury and Upper Makefield Townships.

But if your preference is to stay right in Lambertville, here are your available places to stay!


Bridge Street House Bed & Breakfast 75 Bridge Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530 -- 609-397-2503

This is a cozy Inn, set into a pre-Victorian Federal-style townhouse. It offers five antique-filled guestrooms, one of which is a mini-suite on the second floor, and all having private baths. It is conveniently located right next door to the corner of Bridge and Main Streets. All rooms have window air-conditioning, basic cable television, and DVD may be made available on request. Continental breakfast is served throughout the week, with an "extended" continental breakfast available on both Saturday and Sundays.

Common areas include a parlor area with a fireplace, and a lovely private courtyard which is located in back of the Inn, graced with a small pond and fountain. Or guests can opt to relax on the front porch.

Boutique shops, a small antique emporium, scattered art galleries a few churches and other attractions are situated in the immediate area of this small but comfortable place of lodging.

Available services for patrons include wireless internet and fax service. Free parking is available on the streets behind the house (subject to clearly marked sweeper-day restrictions), and metered parking is available in front. Patrons may also inquire about securing private parking, as available.

The primary downtown shopping area of Lambertville is located in the immediate vicinity of the Inn. The Bridge Street House is located literally at the crossroads of Lambertville and routes elsewhere throughout New Jersey, as well as to the vehicle and pedestrian truss bridge into central Bucks County in Pennsylvania.


Chimney Hill Farm Estate Bed & Breakfast 207 Goat Hill Road, Lambertville, NJ 08530 -- 609-397-1516

This spacious and elegant bed and breakfast facility offers the perfect quiet get away, or an ideal event or retreat facility, which radiates out from a large and fully renovated old stone home, circa 1820. It also includes possible accommodations in a charming and fully upgraded barn building, as well as having a few other complimentary structures, including meeting rooms and even an old-fashioned green house, all comfortably located on a scenic eight and one half acre rolling hilltop plot.

Set into the quiet and charming country backdrop of Goat Hill Road, it is located just up the hill from town, where the two-story stone farmhouse gently overlooks the road. The house and property structures were first expanded and significantly improved back in 1927 by Margaret Fulton Spencer. Married to artist Robert Spencer, she was one of the first women architects in the United States, and one of the first women graduates in architecture from MIT.

The Inn offers 12 luxurious guest rooms each decorated with period furnishings. The setting is quite picturesque, surrounded by farm and woodland plots, and a few scattered country homes. Just a short hike or bike ride away is scenic Goat Hill Overlook, featuring a few truly beautiful hilltop views of this historic stretch of the Delaware River.

With its immediately adjacent out buildings and facilities, Chimney Hill is ideal for hosting events of all kinds. It features adequate off-street parking availability, and all guest facilities come with wireless internet access, full baths, DVD players, and many have full cable TV. Four of the suites have Jacuzzi baths.

The common dining area is located in the main house where breakfast is served, and there are several patio and garden areas on the property for relaxation and enjoyment by guests. The facility even boasts a small herd of alpacas that can be seen by simply strolling back to that area of the property.

The downtown area of Lambertville, NJ begins just a half mile or so down the hill from the facility, and New Hope PA is located just a quick walk or drive across the truss bridge from town.


Inn at Lambertville Station 11 Bridge Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530 -- 609-397-4400

This impressive contemporary Inn is centrally located in the downtown area of Lambertville, with the entrance tucked right next to the pedestrian and vehicle truss bridge to New Hope. The Inn itself is scenically situated right on the banks of the Delaware River, with a full view of the river from the Riverside Ballroom, a sizeable facility adaptable for a variety of events, including everything from weddings to business events. Swan Creek flows to the quiet rear of the building into this historic stretch of the Delaware River.

The Inn has forty five antique-filled guestrooms, and more than ample free off-street parking for patrons, plus conference facilities, and its own unique restaurant on site, the Lambertville Station, so named because it was originally the railroad station for the Belvidere Delaware railroad, which ran through town.

D & R Canal parkland, including walking and bicycling pathways are all located adjacent to the property. All guest rooms are air-conditioned in the summer. Basic cable TV and wireless internet access are also included for patrons.

Guest rooms overlook Swan Creek as it flows into the Delaware, and common areas include a comfortable lobby area, as well as a generous accompanying deck area.


Inn of the Hawke 74 South Union Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530 -- 609-397-9555

The setting for this lovely Inn is an historic building, circa 1840, which is centrally located in Lambertville, but tucked just away from the hustle and bustle, nestled as it is down in the quiet southern end of town. The three story structure was originally the McCready House.

The Inn has six guest rooms, four of which have private baths. The restaurant within the building has the feel of both a classic tavern restaurant, plus the options of more intimate side dining room areas, or a fully enclosed but spacious and well-shaded patio area nestled amongst stately Sycamore trees. A small herb garden graces the corner of the lot.

Guests enjoy off street parking, and rooms come with wireless internet access. Breakfast is also included. The Inn is located well within a short and scenic walking distance of the shopping area of Lambertville, and has great access to some of the most charming and interesting stretches of the Delaware & Raritan Canal parkland. Guests can opt to sightsee and walk (or perhaps bicycle) into town, either along the side streets or those scenic pedestrian stretches of the towpath.

A well-maintained toddler park is also conveniently located just adjacent to the property.


Lambertville House 32 Bridge Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530 -- 609-397-0200

This classic Inn (circa 1812), which is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, is today a luxury hotel located in the very center of downtown Lambertville.

It has a combination of 26 guest rooms plus a selection of several event or conference rooms of differing sizes. The building has boutique shops both within the building, and in the area adjacent. A separate conference center building is also located on the property.

The main lobby area on the first floor of the hotel features a classy bar called Left Bank Libations, having a comfortable lounge area, plus easy access to front porch seating that is elevated just a step or two up off the street.

Breakfast is included, which guests may opt to enjoy in a comfortable lounge and patio area, in a more private setting of the first floor.

Guests also have off-street parking, and the building has wireless internet access. In addition, guest rooms come equipped with basic cable television and Jacuzzi baths. The building was fully renovated in recent years but it retains the charm of the well known 19th and early 20th century inn that travelers between New York and Philadelphia knew so well when they reached the Delaware River.


Martin Coryell House Bed & Breakfast 111 North Union Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530 -- 609-397-8981

Located in the heart of historic "uptown" Lambertville, this bed and breakfast offers six fully decorated guest rooms/suites, where Victorian antiques and accents have been mixed with modern comforts including plush featherbeds, fireplaces, and fully renovated baths. It has available off street parking and a host of in-room amenities including wireless, high-speed internet, air conditioning, phones and cable television, plus DVD player.

Guests enjoy breakfasts, comfortable common areas, including a private garden area, and 24-hour keypad access to the house.

The neighborhood surrounding the B & B is a truly historic residential one, with a number of restored and preserved homes, many Victorian, but also pre-Victorian homes, including a number of Federal style structures, along attractive tree-lined streets.


York Street House Bed & Breakfast 42 York Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530 -- 609-397-3007

This lovely Bed and Breakfast is located in an historic and beautifully restored early twentieth century brick mansion, known as the Massey Mansion (circa 1909).

The compound is set back a bit off the quiet residential street, York Street, offering guests a distinctively private and peaceful atmosphere, including a lovely side veranda for relaxing outdoors under cover.

Each of the six guestrooms within includes private baths, luxurious bedding and amenities, cable TV, electric fireplaces and air conditioning. Several rooms offer whirlpool baths. Complimentary wireless internet is available throughout the inn.

Though it has the truly private setting, this B&B is nevertheless located right within the downtown area of Lambertville, thereby boasting close proximity by foot to the significant variety of quaint shops including art galleries, antique stores and restaurants of the town. A lovely and historic memorial park is located just adjacent to the compound, at the corner of George Street.

Parking is free on York Street (subject to clearly marked sweeper-day restrictions).

Friday Night Fireworks!

The Lights On The River is a weekly fireworks display to be held each Friday night between 9 and 9:30 right on the Delaware River between Lambertville, NJ and New Hope, PA, which will run for 15 weeks -- between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The project is a joint partnership of the New Hope and Lambertville Chambers of Commerce.

Here was the first fireworks display in the series, recorded back on June 4th, as was captured for posting on the YouTube channel, NewHopePennsylvania.


Good work!

And below is a video of the exciting show held on Friday, June 18, 2010, from a different vantage point. It is a little bit of a distance, at a site called Goat Hill Overlook, located in West Amwell, NJ, overlooking the Delaware River between Lambertville and New Hope. The overlook is within a state park, in neighboring West Amwell Township, NJ.



Here is a scenic view of Lambertville near sundown taken from that same Goat Hill Overlook. The fireworks are launched just south of the lower bridge seen to the left in the photo, right where Coryell's ferry operated during the time of the American Revolution. The upper bridge is the Route 202 Toll Bridge of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.

Coryell's Crossing

Coryell's Crossing was a critical location during our American Revolutionary War. The fireworks you see are being launched from the exact location of that famous ferry crossing -- just south of the bridge connecting the communities of Lambertville, NJ and New Hope, PA on the Delaware River.

Following the retreat of the Continental Army from New York and as it was crossing New Jersey during the fall of 1776, General Washington ordered several troops to go ahead and to gather all the boats along the Delaware. His plan was for his Continental Army to cross into Pennsylvania, leaving no boats behind for the British to use in pursuit. Most critically, he sought to prevent the British from taking a force of sufficient size across the river that could attack Philadelphia, which was at the time was the Capitol of our fledgling nation. It was where the Continental Congress was meeting at the time.

An attack on Philadelphia and the possible capture of the delegates to the Continental Congress at that vulnerable point could have caused a stunning, perhaps fatal setback to the American experiment in self government,* which had only been proudly proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence just five and a half months earlier. "These are the times that try men's souls . . ." wrote Thomas Paine in The American Crisis, while accompanying Washington's army during much of that harried retreat, and who wrote those words to describe the plight of the patriot army. He eventually went ahead to Philadelphia, where his pamphlet was printed and widely distributed. It was even reportedly read to Washington's troops for inspiration, just before the Christmas Crossing.

During the 1776 retreat from New York, the advance unit gathered all those boats from up into the Lehigh River and down into Delaware Bay. From those that were garnered, a small but critical fleet of them, including many of the famed Durham boats, were hidden behind Malta Island, which hugged the Pennsylvania shore just south of Coryell's Crossing -- literally within shouting distance. A long "race," or passage, known at the time as the "horserace" ran behind that heavily wooded island, as it swiftly guided the commercial traffic on the river around the very treacherous rapids known as Wells Falls.

In very early December, when the remaining contingent of Washington's troops reached Trenton, they accomplished their objective of crossing over the Delaware to safety into Pennsylvania, taking the boats with them. The Continental Army under his command and various supporting militia units thereupon fanned out along the river banks in the countryside, mostly north of there, setting up pickets and guns to defend against any attempt by the British troops to cross. They succeeded, and the British and their Hessian mercenaries settled into a series of cantonments across New Jersey for the winter, including the cantonment in Trenton which was populated largely by Hessians.

Local legend holds that during the subsequent run-up to the famous 1776 Christmas Crossing at McKonkeys and the Battle of Trenton that General George Washington, whose Headquarters were at the Keith Farm in Brownsburg, over in Pennsylvania, traveled the short distance up to Coryell's Ferry and secretly crossed over onto the New Jersey side, where he was escorted to the top of Smith's Mountain (now known as Goat Hill) by Cornelius Coryell, a local patriot whose family members were the operators of the crossing. From there it was said that Washington was able to see to his own satisfaction that any British troops reconnoitering in the area would be unable to see the boats he had ordered hidden behind Malta Island.


The story was that Washington stood atop a promontory formation on that steep hillside where he was able to get the best possible view of the island and the Pennsylvania banks of the river. It has since been known as Washington's Rock. Here you can see it today, showing in the background what are now the remains of Malta Island. The rock is located a mere hundred yards or so from the Goat Hill Overlook where the video, above was filmed.

British troops under the command of General Charles Cornwallis did indeed reconnoiter in the area between the 9th and the 14th of that December in 1776, and they were very much looking for boats. Few doubt they must have located that exact prominent hillside location as well in their search for boats.

In fact, a newspaper story printed in the Irish Gazette in very early January of 1777 reported on the Cornwallis mission. Of course, the story was printed before the news had reached across the ocean of the stunning military turnabout at the Battle of Trenton, and then a week later at Trenton II, and the Battle of Princeton. A hand-drawn map printed with the article showed the route Cornwallis had traveled, and even declaratively stated in a note written on the Pennsylvania side of that map of the immediate area, "Where the boats were destroyed." William Howe, the Commander in Chief of the British Army in America, had written a letter to the British Secretary of State for America, George Germain, on December 20, 1776, informing him of the search for the boats, and stated in a key paragraph:**



A year and a half later, at the beginning of summer, Coryell's Crossing again figured prominently in the strategic movement of the American patriot army. General Washington, marching up from Valley Forge, crossed at Coryell's and stayed between June 20th and 22d on the New Jersey side of the river, before marching out to engage the British troops on June 28th at the Battle of Monmouth. General Washington stayed at the home of Richard Holcombe, at the north end of present day Lambertville, NJ, while the bulk of his troops camped in an orchard located in what is now the downtown business section of the City of Lambertville.

Below is what General Charles Cornwallis himself is reputed to have acknowledged to General Washington, five years hence, in the fall of 1781. He reportedly made the remark, just after the siege and complete surrender of his troops to the Continental Army after the Battle of Yorktown, on the Chesapeake.

The indented paragraph is quoted from a speech by former President Calvin Coolidge on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of General Washington taking command of the Continental Army.

It is recorded that a few evenings after the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown a banquet was given by Washington and his staff to the British commander and his staff. One likes to contemplate the sportsmanship of that function. Amiabilities and good wishes were duly exchanged, and finally Lord Cornwallis rose to present his compliments to Washington. There had been much talk of past campaigning experiences, and Cornwallis, turning to Washington, expressed the judgment that when history's verdict was made up "the brightest garlands for your excellency will be gathered not from the shores of the Chesapeake but from the banks of the Delaware." We may fairly assume that Cornwallis, in the fullness of a very personal experience, was qualified to judge. Washington had outgeneraled and defeated him both on the banks of the Delaware and the shores of the Chesapeake. In giving the laurels to the Trenton-Princeton campaign he expressed not only his own judgment but the estimate which was afterwards pronounced by Frederick the Great, who declared that the Trenton-Princeton campaign was the most brilliant military performance of the century. For myself, without pretense of military wisdom, the lightninglike stroke of Trenton and Princeton in its supreme audacity and ideal execution has always seemed the most perfectly timed combination of military genius and political wisdom that we find in the records of warfare.

An honor for the ages, to be sure!


* Though the British did eventually take Philadelphia during the following September of 1777, other British forces under General Burgoyne were simultaneously being badly beaten in upstate New York, culminating in the complete capitulation of his forces at the Battle of Saratoga, in mid-October, which defeat was followed by the entry of France on the American side.

Eventually, the circumstances caused the British to entirely give up their occupation of Philadelphia, and to retreat with their forces back into New York City by the early summer of 1778. It was then when Washington led the American forces across the Delaware at Coryell's Crossing, and out to intercept the retreating British at the Battle of Monmouth.

** This image is copied from Google's scan of the Correspondence of Charles, first Marquis Cornwallis, Volume 1, found here. William Howe's entire letter is on pages 24 & 25.

A few key views ...

June 7, 2010 -- Key landmarks in and around our City of Lambertville include several primary locales, all within walking distance and right in the center of town. (Click on any of the photos to expand them.)

Pictured below is the historic Lambertville House, at the corner of Bridge Street and North Union Street.

Initially built as a tavern called the Stage House, the original structure was commenced by Captain John Lambert around 1814 to coincide with the building of the original Delaware Bridge across the river. It also housed the City's first post office, which had been obtained through the influence of his uncle, then-U.S. Senator, John Lambert. Captain John became the first postmaster of "Lambert's Ville."

Coryell's Ferry was located at the foot of Ferry Street, one block below that newly created Bridge Street. Prior to the bridges being built, it was the means for crossing the river. The old Ferry House Tavern was located there, and the building now found on that site is currently the home of the Ota-Ya Japanese Restaurant.

Coryell's Ferry -- so named at one point on both sides of the river -- was a key commercial crossing point during the 18th and into the 19th century, where the river intersected the York Road between Philadelphia and New York . It was historically of immense significance because of the key role the crossing played during the Revolutionary War period.

During the harried retreat of the Continental Army across New Jersey in the fall of 1776, General Washington ordered several troops ahead to collect all the boats, including those used for commercial purposes on the river, and to secure them on the Pennsylvania side. The fleet of vessels used to ferry the 2,400 American troops and supplies across for the Battles of Trenton and Princeton, were hidden behind Malta Island that December, which was located just south of present day New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Commercial passage on the river ran through the long race running behind the wooded island, thereby avoiding the danger of running through the treacherous Well's Falls. The small section of the map shown, drawn just 9 years later in 1785 by Redding Howell,* depicts how Malta Island was at the time. The later construction of the Delaware Canal in Pennsylvania, industrialization along the waterfront south of New Hope, and the installation of the wing dam intersecting it, all contributed to substantially changing the configuration of Malta Island over the years. Today, only bare tailings of the island remain.

Coryell's was crossed by American revolutionary forces numerous times during that period, including in the summer of 1778 on their way to the Battle of Monmouth.

Just prior to marching out to Monmouth, General Washington stayed at the home of Richard Holcombe, just north of town along Route 29. It is currently a private residence. The Continental Army Washington led to Monmouth that summer camped in an orchard for those few days, right in the center of what is now Lambertville.

The roadway Washington led the troops out of town would have crossed what is now Rt. 165 and up Quarry Street, to the old Toll House, which is also currently a private residence. There they would have gone right, marching up and across the old Farmer's Highway, to where it would have intersected near the current Rt. 518, in the vicinity of Rock Road West and Hunter Road in West Amwell.

During the early industrialization of the 19th Century, and primarily as a means for moving coal, both a railroad (the Belvidere Delaware , part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system) and a feeder for the Delaware & Raritan Canal were built along the Delaware, both passing side by side through Lambertville, and both located just yards in from the banks of the Delaware. The D&R Canal itself was commissioned by the state legislature in early 1830, and the railroad a few years later in 1836. The railroad line did not open, however, until 1851.

One fascinating and novel engineering feature employed at the time featured an "aqueduct" bridge and canal spillway, which is located just south of the Lambertville Station, and over which both the railroad line ran and the canal flowed, both spanning Swan Creek, as it flowed through town down to the river. In the photo (which was taken from the river side if the aqueduct) water can be seen dropping from the overflow spillway on the edge of the canal feeder.

Eventually, the portion of the railroad line south of Milford, NJ became defunct, and in the late 1970s most of the tracks south of Lambertville were pulled up, and along with the D&R Canal feeder, created the basis for a scenic walkway and bike path that threads all the way to Trenton, 18 miles south of Lambertville, and north to Bulls Island.

The D&R Canal itself had finally closed to all commercial traffic back in 1933. The canal and the feeder, which are today overseen by the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission, serve today not only as a enormously popular parklands, but also as a water supply source for the City of Trenton and other communities. Above is just one of many beautiful views that can be seen on a leisurely walk along the canal feeder tow path, this scene right here in town, from York looking south toward Coryell Street.

Twenty-five years ago, the former railroad station building, located a block away from the Lambertville House, and likewise bordering on Bridge Street, was completely restored and significantly improved, opening as a restaurant and inn. The main building, the Lambertville Station, is pictured here. Their facilities have been enhanced over the ensuing years, including the building of an inn on the waterfront.
From the just a few steps out on walkway of the bridge to New Hope, one can look north along the shoreline and see Lewis Island, which historically was known as Holcombe Island, named after one of the prominent founding families of this river town. That island became the home of a bustling shad fishing enterprise, avidly pursued over the years by the Lewis clan, and one that is still celebrated today during Lambertville's annual spring Shad Festival. The island can also be accessed from a walk-over bridge you can see in the photo, by walking up Lambert Lane to the foot of Coryell Street.

Heading back east on Bridge Street just half a block away from the Lambertville House, and on the other side of St. John the Evangelist Parish, is the current home of the Lambertville Historical Society, The Marshall House. It is also directly across the street from the First Baptist Church of Lambertville.

Originally built in 1816, therein resided young James Wilson Marshall, who was later credited as the discoverer of gold in the American River at Sutter's Mill out in California in 1848, thereby prompting the famous gold rush. The house is on both the National and New Jersey Registers of Historic Places.

Around the corner on North Union, is the First Presbyterian Church. It has a graveyard on the side of the building bearing numerous historical figures, including, among others, several individuals from the founding Coryell, Holcombe and Lambert families. One of these individuals was George Coryell, a son of Cornelius Coryell, who was a young man of 16 or so at the time of the Christmas Crossing. According to one account,** he played an essential role in scouting and reconnoitering on horseback all along the New Jersey side of the river between Coryells and Trenton on a secret spy mission for George Washington, just before that 1776 Christmas crossing at McKonkey's. The story was that he reported back to the General on Christmas Day that there were no unusual guards or patrols along the route.


Following the Revolution, he moved to Alexandria, VA at the behest of George Washington himself, and he married into society. He was ultimately given the honor of being a pall bearer at George Washington's funeral. Years later in 1845, following his wife's death, George Coryell returned to this area, where he lived out his days. He died in 1850 and was buried in the Presbyterian Church lot, where a sign is posted commemorating his historic role as a spy for Washington.

Two short blocks north on Union Street, on the northeast corner of York Street, is Lambertville's City Hall, at 18 York Street. Originally built in 1871, the "Second Empire" style stone building was the A. H. Holcombe residence, home to descendants of one of Lambertville's original settlers, John Holcombe. The building has been the location of City Hall since 1950, and has recently had restoration and upgrading improvements paid for through a grant by the Garden State Historic Preservation Trust Fund.

Just a few doors down the street from City Hall, also on York Street, is the Massey Mansion, a striking Williamsburg colonial revival home with a carriage house, that was built a century ago (in 1909). It was a twenty fifth anniversary gift by prominent businessman (coal supplier) George W. Massey for his wife, Hannah. Today, the mansion is a bed-and-breakfast, one of several in town, and in our area.

Finally, even an abbreviated compilation of downtown Lambertville scenes as this is would not be complete without at least one view along George Street, this one looking back down toward the center of town from the York Street area, next to the memorial park.


* The Reading Howell map of the Delaware River from Trenton north, was drawn under a contract between Mr. Howell and both states -- New Jersey and Pennsylvania -- and was undertaken for the purpose of determining the "boundary" with respect to the ownership of the islands in the river. The original map from which the section was photographed, is in the New Jersey State Archives. I found reference to the map via Mr. Edward Cohen, author of, Lambertville's Legacy: The Coryells, Ashbel Welsh and Fred Lewis (1999), at 17-18.

** New Doane Book: Bucks County's Bandittories of the Revolution, Bucks County Historical Society, Doylestown, PA (1952) at 44-45. See Lambertville's Legacy, ibid at 41-42.