Trenton Makes

Trenton’s museums are alive with the history of the capital city.

See related story:
Trenton’s Pottery Past
By: Anthony Stoeckert
   Trenton’s museums are alive with the history of the capital city, from the days of the Revolution to 19th century pottery.
   The Old Barracks Museum re-opened this summer with the exhibit Remarkable For His Industry: William Richards, Trade & Manufactory in Revolutionary Trenton, which offers a glimpse at how Trenton’s businesses were run when George Washington crossed the Delaware to take on the British and Hessians who occupied the city.
   Mr. Richards’ endeavors included running a commercial fishery, a bakery, and a store in Lamberton that sold clothing dyes, medicines and pottery to the region.
   Fancy Rockingham Pottery: The Modeller and Ceramics in Nineteenth Century America at the New Jersey State Museum shines a light on world-class ceramics, which Trenton started producing in the 1770s. The teapots and pitchers on display show beautiful design work of flowers, marine life and, in one instance, a scene of a young boy holding a bird’s nest.
   Also noteworthy are a collection of "Tobys." Named after the jovial character in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the grinning, hard-drinking fellow is seen on various pitchers.
Remarkable For His Industry: William Richards, Trade & Manufactory in Revolutionary Trenton is on view at the Old Barracks Museum, 101 Barrack St., Trenton, through July. Hours: daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $8, $6 seniors/students/children; (609) 396-396-1776is on view at the New Jersey State Museum Auditorium, 205 W. State St., Trenton, through May 31. Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-4:45 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is free; (609) 292-6464; www.state.nj.us/state/museum