The Crosswicks Creek Site III is a historical
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 a ...
in the vicinity of
Bordentown in
Burlington County and
Hamilton Township in
Mercer County, New Jersey. It encompasses the remains of
Revolutionary War-era ships that were sunk in
Crosswicks Creek
Crosswicks Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in Burlington County, New Jersey.
Description
Crosswicks Creek water ...
in 1778. The site was listed on 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 ...
on November 26, 1990, for its significance in military and maritime history.
[
]
History
Many Continental ships were trapped in the Delaware River watershed above Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
following the capture of that city by the British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
in 1777. Prior to departing the city in 1778, the British staged a raid to destroy ships that Continental and state forces had secreted in various waterways on May 8. A significant number of these were located in and around Bordentown, with two known to have been scuttled in Crosswicks Creek. These two wrecks were discovered by an historical archaeological survey in 1984.
See also
* Abbott Farm Historic District – also an archaeological site
References
External links
*
*
{{NRHP in Mercer County, New Jersey
Bordentown, New Jersey
Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
National Register of Historic Places in Burlington County, New Jersey
National Register of Historic Places in Mercer County, New Jersey
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Shipwrecks on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey