The King's Highway Historic District covers the portions of

U.S. Route 206 U.S. Route 206 (US 206) is a north–south United States highway in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, United States. Only about a half a mile (800 m) of its length is in Pennsylvania; the Milford–Montague Toll Bridge carries it over the D ...

and

New Jersey Route 27 Route 27 is a state highway in New Jersey, United States. It runs from U.S. Route 206 (US 206) in Princeton, Mercer County northeast to an interchange with Route 21 (McCarter Highway) and Broad Street in Newark, Essex County. The route p ...

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 Delawa ...

that connect Lawrenceville (in Lawrence Township) with Kingston (in Franklin Township /

South Brunswick, New Jersey South Brunswick is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The township is centrally located within the Raritan Valley region and is an outer-ring suburb of New York City in the New York metropolitan area. As of th2020 ...

) through

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nin ...

. This historic roadway dates to

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

times and was a portion of the

King's Highway King's Highway or Kings Highway may refer to: Roads Australia * Kings Highway (Australia), connecting Queanbeyan to Batemans Bay Canada * King's Highways, an alternative designation for the primary provincial highway system in Ontario * King's ...

that was laid out by order of

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child o ...

to connect

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

with Charleston. It is lined with many institutions and sites that have played an important role in the

History of the United States The history of the lands that became the United States began with the arrival of the first people in the Americas around 15,000 BC. Numerous indigenous cultures formed, and many saw transformations in the 16th century away from more densely ...

, including

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

and the

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of t ...

. Along the road can be found five

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 liste ...

s: the

Lawrenceville School The Lawrenceville School is a coeducational preparatory school for boarding and day students located in the Lawrenceville section of Lawrence Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Lawrenceville is a member of the Eight Scho ...

, Morven, Maclean House,

Nassau Hall Nassau Hall, colloquially known as Old Nassau, is the oldest building at Princeton University in Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. In 1783 it served as the United States Capitol building for four months. At the time it was built ...

, and the Joseph Henry House. The highway also runs through eight historic districts, from west to east, Lawrence Township Historic District, Princeton Battlefield / Stony Brook Village Historic District, Princeton Historic District,

Jugtown Historic District The Jugtown Historic District consists of a cluster of historic buildings surrounding the intersection of Harrison and Nassau Street in Princeton, New Jersey. The settlement dates to colonial times and is sometimes known as Queenston. It was ...

Kingston Mill Historic District The Kingston Mill Historic District is a historic district in Kingston, New Jersey. It is roughly bounded by the Millstone, River, and Princeton-Kingston Roads in the townships of Princeton in Mercer County, South Brunswick in Middlesex Cou ...

, Lake Carnegie Historic District, Delaware and Raritan Canal Historic District and the Kingston Village Historic District. The governor's mansion of New Jersey, Drumthwacket, independently 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 ...

, is found on the road in the western part of Princeton. The district was added to the

on December 21, 2000 for its significance in commerce, exploration, settlement, military, politics, government and transportation from 1660 to 1950. The highway itself is the only contributing structure.With

Gallery

File:Edith Memorial Chapel, Lawrenceville School (Lawrenceville, NJ).JPG, Edith Memorial Chapel at the Lawrenceville School File:Drumthwacket1.jpg, Drumthwacket, the governor's mansion of New Jersey File:Nassau Hall, Princeton.jpg, Nassau Hall, the original building of Princeton University and capital of the United States in the summer of 1783 File:Kingston Mill on the Millstone River several miles North of Princeton,NJ.jpg, The Kingston Mill with Lake Carnegie

References

{{NRHP in Somerset County, New Jersey Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey Historic districts in Princeton, New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Mercer County, New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Middlesex County, New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Somerset County, New Jersey Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey South Brunswick, New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places

Gallery

See also

References