Ashley Kerr
Titusville
The Historic Sites Council (HSC) is an advisory board to the NJ Department of Environmental Protection commissioner that weighs in on all decisions affecting places listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Today (Feb. 16), the HSC will meet at 10 a.m. in Trenton to make a determination on Mercer County’s proposed project to realign Bear Tavern Road and replace the Jacobs Creek and Ewing Creek bridges, a project that will destroy the Jacobs Creek Crossing rural historic district.
Below is a statement from the National Trust of Historic Preservation regarding the current project. “As the Historic Sites Council considers the impacts and encroachments of the above-referenced project upon the Bear Tavern Road/Jacob’s Creek Crossing Rural Historic District, the National Trust for Historic Preservation emphasizes that it sees the protection of the historic landscape as the primary consideration. Furthermore, the National Trust believes there have been other appropriate alternatives developed that would do more to protect the historic district. Cases such as these will continue to come forward as the State moves to address aging infrastructure. We see this project as an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the need for state transportation planning policy that gives appropriate consideration and significant weight to the stewardship and preservation of New Jersey’s historic resources.”
If NJ DEP Commissioner Bob Martin were to approve the current plan, our historic, rural area would be decimated and the safety of residents and motorists traveling this roadway would be greatly at risk. To see the current plan and obtain more information on where to voice your concerns, visit www.savethevictorytrail.com.

