‘History Along the LHT’ Launches on Saturday May 14

Our Celebration of Centuries of Historical Events Along the LHT Kicks Off with a Very Special Saturday Morning Walking Club to Three Key Signs

History Along the LHT includes over 30 historically important spots along our 22 miles of trail that each played an outsize role in our region’s early days. From early settlements and mill sites to technology hotspots and transportation hubs, these sites help tell the story of Mercer County.

After years of planning, we are ready to officially launch our ‘History Along the LHT’ interpretive sign program with a talk and a walk!

Join us at 9:30am on Saturday May 14 for the unveiling at a deluxe Saturday Morning Walking Club. Former Lawrenceville historian and current LHT board member Dennis Waters will talk about how the signs bring history to life along the trail before we set out to visit three signs: the Brearley Oak, a tree between 255 and 410 years old; Lewisville Road, Lawrence Township’s oldest African American community; and Princeton Pike, one of New Jersey’s oldest toll roads.

Brearley Oak, May 2022, courtesy of Dennis Waters

“The Lawrence-Hopewell Trail passes through many locations that reflect centuries of the rich history of this corner of Mercer County. From ancient trees to colonial thoroughfares to abandoned grist mills to remnants of the trolley era, local history sprouts from the trail at every turn,” says Waters. “With this project, we bring this history to life through interpretive signs at 31 locations that are significant in local history along the LHT’s 22 miles.”

Meet us in the parking lot at the Bristol Myers Squibb campus, 3401 Princeton Pike in Lawrence. We will walk 1.4 miles to visit these three signs. To those interested in a longer walk — that means you Saturday Morning Walking Club members — we will continue to the Brearley House and back to the parking lot, for an additional 1.5 miles roundtrip, a total walk of 2.9 miles.

And before we set out, we invite you to learn a bit more about the ‘History Along the LHT’ project on our website. Check out the ‘History on the LHT’ homepage here; click here to learn more about Hunter Research — the Trenton-based historical research consultancy behind our signs; and learn a bit more about Dennis Waters here.

A postcard view of the Princeton Pike bridge over Stony Brook, 1907, courtesy of Hunter Research