Place:Mercer, New Jersey, United States

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Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Trenton, also the state capital, prompting the nickname The Capital County.[1] Mercer County alone constitutes the Trenton–Princeton Metropolitan Statistical Area and is considered part of the New York Combined Statistical Area by the United States Census Bureau, but also directly borders the Philadelphia metropolitan area and is included within the Federal Communications Commission's Philadelphia Designated Market Area. As of the 2020 United States Census, Mercer County's population was 387,340, making it the state's 12th-most populous county, an increase of 20,827 (5.7%) enumerated at the 2010 U.S. Census, when its population was enumerated at 366,513,[2] in turn an increase of 15,752 (4.5%) from the 350,761 counted at the 2000 Census, retaining its position as the 12th-most populous county in the state.[3]

The county was formed by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 22, 1838, from portions of Burlington County (including Nottingham Township), Hunterdon County (including Ewing Township, Lawrence Township, Trenton and portions of Hopewell Township), and Middlesex County (including West Windsor Township and portions of East Windsor Township). The former Keith Line bisects the county and is the boundary between municipalities that previously had been separated into West Jersey and East Jersey. It was named for Continental Army General Hugh Mercer, who died as a result of wounds received at the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777. The Mercer Oak, against which the dying general rested as his men continued to fight, appears on the county seal and stood for 250 years until it collapsed in 2000.

Mercer County is home to Princeton University, Princeton Theological Seminary, the Institute for Advanced Study, Rider University, Westminster Choir College, The College of New Jersey, Thomas Edison State University and Mercer County Community College. Trenton–Mercer Airport, in Ewing Township, is a commercial and corporate aviation airport serving Mercer County and its surrounding vicinity. The official residence of the governor of New Jersey, known as Drumthwacket, is located in Princeton, and is listed on both the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.

Contents

History

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Founded February 22, 1838, from portions of surrounding counties, Mercer County has a historical impact that reaches back to the pivotal battles of the American Revolutionary War. On the night of December 25–26, 1776, General George Washington led American forces across the Delaware River to attack the Hessian forces in the Battle of Trenton on the morning of December 26, also known as the First Battle of Trenton. Following the battle, Washington crossed back to Pennsylvania. He crossed a third time in a surprise attack on the forces of General Charles Cornwallis at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek, on January 2, 1777, also known as the Second Battle of Trenton, and at the Battle of Princeton on January 3. The successful attacks built morale among the pro-independence colonists.

Ewing Church Cemetery in Ewing is one of the oldest cemeteries in the area, having served the Ewing community for 300 years. It is home to the burial places of hundreds of veterans from The Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War.

Mercer County has the distinction of being the famed landing spot for a fictional Martian invasion of the United States. In 1938, in what has become one of the most famous American radio plays of all time, Orson Welles acted out his The War of the Worlds invasion. His imaginary aliens first "landed" at what is now West Windsor Township. A commemorative monument is erected at Grover's Mill park.

There were 27 Mercer County residents killed during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in Lower Manhattan. A long steel beam weighing one ton was given to the county by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in March 2011 and is now displayed at Mercer County Park.

Timeline

Date Event Source
1838 County formed Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1840 First census Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
1840 No significant boundary changes after this year Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990

Population History

source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
Census Year Population
1840 21,502
1850 27,992
1860 37,419
1870 46,386
1880 58,061
1890 79,978
1900 95,365
1910 125,657
1920 159,881
1930 187,143
1940 197,318
1950 229,781
1960 266,392
1970 303,968
1980 307,863
1990 325,824

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Mercer County, New Jersey, United States

Research Tips

External links

www.mercercounty.org/


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