Photos

General George Washington crossed the Delaware River into New Jersey from near this point on Christmas Eve in 1776. The landing took place near the white house you see across the river. The boats you see in the photograph are replicas of the those used by Washington and his men that night in their crossing of the Delaware River.

It took until about 3 am for 2400 men and artillery to cross from near this point, but not a single man, horse, or gun was lost in the crossing. Washington and his men then marched 9 miles to Trenton where they surprised the Hessian forces there and won the Battle of Trenton. This was one of the major turning points in the American Revolution. So you can say that these boats literally helped turn the tide of the war.

These boats are called Durham boats and in the 1700's they were used mainly to transport iron from the Durham Iron Works (located several miles upstream) to Trenton and Philadelphia.

These replicas you see in the photograph have been removed from the building they are housed in through the year and are being "acclimatized" to the elements in preparation for the re-enactment of Washington crossing the Delaware that takes place annually on Christmas Day.

The photo was cropped from the original. Debris and branches have been cloned out. Contrast masking and unsharp mask were used.