Description

“Trenton Makes the World Takes” is the slogan showcased on the Lower Trenton Bridge, which connects Trenton, NJ to Morrisville, PA over the Delaware River. The capital of New Jersey was one of the biggest industrial cities in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It had a foot in many industries such as pottery, steel cable, and cigar.
With many factories, many jobs also appeared. This attracted many immigrants to travel to the United States for work. Neighborhoods in Trenton provided workers with close proximity to the factories that they could walk there. Chambersburg was one of these neighborhoods.
Also known as “The Burg”, Chambersburg was historically one of the most diverse communities in Trenton. Immigrants from Poland, Slovakia, Ireland, Hungary, Ukraine, and Germany moved to Chambersburg. However, the Italians made the neighborhood “The Burg”. They opened up restaurants and shops as well as worked in the nearby factories.
John A. Roebling Son’s Company was the most prominent factory in Chambersburg (and Trenton). In 1848, John A. Roebling moved from Prussia to Trenton and began the company, which was later passed onto his sons. The 7-acre company was the leading producer of wire rope, which was used to build bridges such as the Brooklyn Bridge, which Roebling designed. There were four factories in the Trenton location with about 8,000 employees.
Cigar manufacturing was another big industry for Trenton. An important factory during Trenton’s industrial peak was the American Cigar Company on Division Street. It was erected in 1902, acted as cigar factory and tobacco warehouse where many women worked. Many Havana Cigars were produced during its active years. The American Cigar Company closed in the 1940’s.
Now many of the large factories in Trenton have closed as the industrial period declined. The Italian and European neighborhood of “The Burg” has shifted to a Latin American community. However, the history is still present. The Trenton Museum held an exhibition on Trenton’s cigar industry in 2003 called “Churchills in Chambersburg: Trenton Cigar Making” (the exhibition is on the cigar industry as whole, but focuses on the Henry Clay and Bock Company).
Roebling Son’s Co. had closed in 1974, leaving behind four abandoned buildings and the iconic water tower. However, the company is not forgotten with its own museum, The Roebling Museum, in Roebling, NJ. A play was also performed by a community theater in 1992 that took place in the Roebling’s Sons Co. factory.
On the factory’s site, the Roebling Market was built, which houses various stores. Additionally, there have been development plans to convert some of the factory buildings into loft apartments and more shops. This construction plan dubbed Wirerope Lofts has recently begun its steps into the first phase.
“The Burg” is changing, but still keeping to its roots. However, this historically industrial part of Trenton could have left behind a contaminating footprint.
Danielle Leng
Site Profile – 114 Division Street Trenton, NJ
In 2001, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) added 114 Division Street, a residential home, as an active site with known contamination on its DataMiner database. Lynn Mitchell, NJDEP case manager of the site, has clarified that the contamination was heating oil #2, which was delivered to the wrong address and entered the home’s basement.
Heating oil #2 is used often in homes and according to East Coast Petroleum website, it produces low pollutants compared to other oils. Wisconsin Department of Health services states long-term exposure can disruption organ system functions. If breathed in for a long period of time, fuel oil can cause headaches and light-headedness. Fuel oil can contaminate soil and water through spills. Additionally, oil is combustible.
Incidents like this have occurred such as in Alexandria, Virginia in 2010. NBC Washington reported that 325 gallons of oil were pumped into the Virginia residential home, which no longer used heating oil, through an abandoned pipe that connected from the outside into the basement.
Currently, the site is nearby Columbus Park and across the street from Immaculate Conception Church. It is surrounded by other residential homes. Mitchell says the site is now inactive, but that further remediation plans are needed.