Trenton gaol (jail), Trenton

Identifier
NJS-PLC-00174
Place Type
Corrections Facility
Alternate Name
Trenton Gaol
Hunterdon County Jail
Located In
Trenton
Description
Trenton was originally part of Hunterdon County (until the creation of Mercer County in 1838) and was the site of the Hunterdon County Court House. The Court House was built in 1719 and stood on the east side of Warren Street, midway between Front and State Streets. A section of the Court House was used as a county jail from about 1721, and the county sheriff would be in charge of the jail. The jail is typically called "Trenton gaol" in primary sources from the 18th and early 19th centuries. Fugitives from slavery were held in this jail when they were captured in Hunterdon County. Prisoners of war were also held at the jail during the Revolution.

After 1780, the Hunterdon County court moved to Amwell (and later to Flemington, when Flemington became the county seat of Hunterdon in 1791). The Trenton jail continued operating and eventually was taken over by the Trenton town jailer. The old court house and jail was decommissioned in 1805 and the building became a bank after being sold to the Trenton Banking Company.

Note that a separate state prison known as the New Jersey Penitentiary House was built in Trenton in 1798.
Locality
Trenton
County (Modern)
Mercer County
County (Historical)
Hunterdon County
State or Province
New Jersey
Country
United States of America
Related Place
New Jersey Penitentiary, Trenton
Latitude
40.219814
Longitude
-74.765859
References

Trenton Historical Society. A History of Trenton, 1679-1929: Two Hundred and Fifty Years of a Notable Town with Links in Four Centuries. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1929. Pages 296-299. https://archive.org/details/historyoftrenton00unse/page/296.
Record Contributor
Jesse Bayker
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