Ad hoc committee may look at southern Route 206

Revelation comes at King’s Highway meeting last week

By: T.J. Furman
   The stretch of Route 206 south of Franklin Corner Road that was excluded from the state and national historic register nomination may be reconsidered in the future by the King’s Highway Ad Hoc Committee, despite the state’s opinion that it may not be warranted.
   That announcement was made during a public meeting at the Lawrence Township Municipal Building June 22. The meeting was held so residents could hear a presentation and ask questions about the nomination.
   Last week’s meeting was the third of five public meetings scheduled on the topic. The 10-mile length of the King’s Highway (Route 206 and Route 27) being sought for designation stretches from Franklin Corner Road in Lawrence to Raymond Road on the Franklin and South Brunswick township border. The road also passes through the Princetons.
   During the question-and-answer portion of the two-and-a-half-hour meeting, Deputy Mayor Doris Weisberg voiced displeasure that the stretch of Route 206 south of Franklin Corner Road had not been considered by the ad hoc committee.
   However, ad hoc committee member Joe Logan claimed there was much debate among committee members about whether or not to include the southern portion of the road.
   "I argued very strenuously for the southern part of Lawrence to be included in this," Mr. Logan, a Lawrence resident, said to Mrs. Weisberg. Mr. Logan then said that area may be considered for a nomination in a "second phase."
   The King’s Highway Ad Hoc Committee consists of representatives from the five municipalities through which the road passes – Lawrence, the Princetons, and Franklin and South Brunswick townships.
   Robert Craig, the principal historic preservation specialist in the state Office of Historic Preservation, said during a walking tour of the road June 21 that the southern portion of the road would like not merit a historic designation (see related story). Mr. Craig was at last week’s public meeting.
   Township Historian Winona Nash also was at the meeting and pointed out the southern part of the road deserved the recognition the northern portion is receiving as well because of its importance in the Revolutionary War as a link between the Battles of Trenton and Princeton.
   David Schure of Princeton Township, the ad hoc committee chairman, confirmed the southern part of 206 was a concern of the committee and that it may be investigated in the future.
   "There were a lot of different issues and a lot of different goals," Mr. Schure said. "We never had any exclusionary kind of thoughts going at all."
   The next step for the ad hoc committee will be to seek a "scenic byway" designation from the state for the same stretch of the road in the historic register nomination, Mr. Schure said. After that, the committee may consider a historic nomination south of Franklin Corner Road.
   Township Council has refused to pay its $3,000 share of the cost of the study because all of 206 in town was not included. Councilwoman Pam Mount announced that a collection among private citizens had raised $2,000 toward the township’s share.
   According to the nomination, the King’s Highway originated as a Native-American trail and later served as a main link between New York and Philadelphia. Part of the road became one of New Jersey’s first turnpikes in the early 1800s. It became a part of the Lincoln Highway, the country’s first transcontinental route.
   The road connects seven historic districts, including the village of Lawrenceville, and intersects an eighth, the Delaware and Raritan Canal.
   Mr. Craig said the nomination being sought is on the "cutting edge." Roads that have been included on the state and national registers in the past were placed there because of their unique designs. Mr. Craig called the King’s Highway an "involved historic roadway."
   "It’s in that sense that this is a rather novel idea that we hope will succeed," Mr. Craig told the audience.
   Constance Greiff, president of Heritage Studies Inc., conducted the historical study of the roadway for the nomination and presented a slideshow that included 18th-century maps and photographs of the road as it appears today.
   After that, residents and public officials asked questions ranging from the presentation that will be made to state and federal officials to the impact a historic designation would have.
   Michael Pressel, who lives on Route 206 in Lawrence, asked if the designation could possibly mean slower speed limits on the road in coming years. Mr. Schure responded that it would not, but that a scenic byway designation possibly could.
   Ray and Cindy Arnold of Route 206 suggested doing everything possible to present the road in its best light to help the nomination. Mr. Craig said that professional-style photography would more likely hurt the road’s chances than help it because of the standards the state Review Board of Historic Sites is accustomed to.
   The next meeting concerning the nomination is for residents of all of the municipalities the road passes through. It will be held at the main meeting room of the Valley Road Building on Witherspoon Street in Princeton Township at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 16.
   The nomination will be considered by the state review board Sept. 27 at the State Historic Preservation Office on East State Street in Trenton.