The Abbott Farm Historic District is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. It is the largest known

Middle Woodland In the classification of :category:Archaeological cultures of North America, archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 Common Era, BCE to European con ...

village of its type on the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...

.NHL Writeup
Significant evidence suggests that the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

was occupied by Paleoindian people for a long period. It was inhabited between 500 BC and 500 AD. It has been a source of controversy and debate around early development. The district encompasses some of marshlands and bluffs in southern Mercer County and northern

Burlington County Burlington County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county is the largest by area in New Jersey. Its county seat is Mount Holly.

, in the communities of Hamilton Township, Bordentown, and Bordentown Township. The John A. Roebling Memorial Park, part of the Abbott Marshlands, provides access to both historic sites and nature habitats in the area. The district was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

as the Abbott Farm Archeological Site on December 8, 1976 for its significance in prehistory and science. The importance of this site was established in the late 19th century by

Charles Conrad Abbott Charles Conrad Abbott (June 4, 1843 – July 27, 1919) was an American archaeologist and naturalist. Biography Abbott was born at Trenton, New Jersey, son of Timothy and Susan (Conrad) Abbott; grandson of Joseph and Anne (Rickey) Abbott, and a ...

, an archaeologist whose farm was located on one of the bluffs overlooking the marshlands. Abbott's finds on his farm, published in 1876, sparked a debate about when humans first arrived in the area, and consequently had significant influence on the direction of later archaeological work. Many finds from the site are at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology is a museum affiliated with Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1866, the Peabody Museum is one of the oldest and largest museums focusing on anthropological material, with ...

, for which Abbott served as assistant curator for many years.

Historic sites

In addition to its archaeological importance, the area includes historically important buildings and transportation-related structures, such as: * Bow Hill – Hamilton Township * Isaac Watson House – Hamilton Township * Point Breeze – Bordentown File:Bow Hill Trenton.JPG, Bow Hill File:Isaac Watson House, Hamilton Township, NJ.jpg, Isaac Watson House File:Point Breeze estate, Bordentown, NJ.jpg, Point Breeze

Gallery

File:Abbott Farm artefacts - Native American collection - Peabody Museum, Harvard University - DSC06073.jpg, Artifacts at the

File:Abbott Farm Historic District, Hamilton Township, NJ - information plaque.jpg, National Historic Landmark File:Abbott's Bluff Trail, Hamilton Township, NJ.jpg, Abbott's Bluff Trail File:Spring Lake, Roebling Park, Hamilton Township, NJ.jpg, Sprint Lake in the John A. Roebling Memorial Park

References

External links

* * {{NRHP in Mercer County, New Jersey Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey History of Trenton, New Jersey Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey Native American history of New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Mercer County, New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Burlington County, New Jersey Bordentown, New Jersey Bordentown Township, New Jersey Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey Farms on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places

Historic sites

Gallery

See also

References

External links