Ewing Township, New Jersey

Ewing Township is a township in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township falls within the Trenton-Princeton metropolitan statistical area (which includes all of Mercer County), which is part of the New York combined statistical area as defined by the United States Census Bureau. It borders the Philadelphia metropolitan area and is part of the Federal Communications Commission's Philadelphia Designated Market Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 37,264,

History

thumb|Woodlands along [[West Branch Shabakunk Creek represent Ewing Township's appearance before the arrival of European settlers.]]

The earliest inhabitants of present-day Ewing Township in the historic era were Lenni Lenape Native Americans, who lived along the banks of the Delaware River. Their pre-colonial subsistence activities in the area included hunting, fishing, pottery-making, and simple farming. European settlers, mostly from the British Isles, began to colonize the area in 1699. One of the earliest European settlers was William Green, and his 1717 farmhouse still stands on the campus of The College of New Jersey.

The area that is now Ewing Township was part of Hopewell Township in what was a very large Burlington County at the beginning of the 18th century. In 1714 Hopewell was removed from Burlington County and added to Hunterdon County. By 1719, the area which was to become Ewing Township had been removed from Hopewell Township and added to the newly created Trenton Township. Portions of Trenton Township were incorporated as Ewing Township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 22, 1834, posthumously honoring Charles Ewing for his work as Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. The township became part of the newly created Mercer County on February 22, 1838. After incorporation, Ewing Township received additional territory taken from Lawrence Township and the city of Trenton in 1858. In 1894 the city of Trenton took back some of that territory, annexing more in 1900.

When Ewing Township was incorporated in the 19th century, it was primarily farmland with a handful of scattered hamlets, including Carleton (now known as Ewing), Cross Keys (now known as Ewingville), Birmingham (now known as West Trenton) and Greensburg (now known as Wilburtha). It was used by the United States Navy as a jet engine test facility until its closure based on the recommendations of the 1993 Base Closure and Realignment Commission. The base's Marine operations were transferred to Fort Dix, which has since become Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. A charity to end homelessness acquired the base at no cost in October 2013 in a process involving the United States Department of Defense, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Mercer County and Ewing Township.

Geography

thumb|The [[Delaware River forms the western border of Ewing Township.]]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 15.56 square miles (40.29 km2), including 15.21 square miles (39.38 km2) of land and 0.35 square miles (0.90 km2) of water (2.24%). while the lowest point is just below AMSL along the Delaware River near the border with Trenton.

The largest body of water completely within the township is Lake Sylva, a man-made lake covering that was created in the 1920s when an earthen dam was constructed across the Shabakunk Creek. The lake is located on the campus of The College of New Jersey. Watercourses in Ewing include the Delaware River along its western boundary and the Shabakunk Creek in the eastern and central portions of the township.

The township has a number of distinct neighborhoods, including Agasote, Altura, Arbor Walk, Braeburn Heights, Briarcrest, Briarwood, Cambridge Hall, Delaware Rise, Ewing, Ewing Park, Ewingville, Fernwood, Ferry Road Manor, Fleetwood Village, Glendale, Hampton Hills, Heath Manor, Hickory Hill Estates, Hillwood Lakes, Hillwood Manor, Mountainview, Prospect Park, Scudders Falls, Shabakunk Hills, Sherbrooke Manor, Somerset, Spring Valley, Weber Park, West Trenton, Whitewood Estates, and Wynnewood Manor. Some of these existed before suburbanization, while others came into existence with the suburban development of the township in the 20th century.

The township borders the municipalities of Hopewell Township, Lawrence Township, Trenton in Mercer County; and Lower Makefield Township, Upper Makefield Township and Yardley in Bucks County across the Delaware River in Pennsylvania.

thumb|600px|center|Map of Ewing Township neighborhoods

Demographics

Ecology

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Ewing Township would have a dominant vegetation type of Appalachian Oak (104) with a dominant vegetation form of Eastern Hardwood Forest (25).

Economy

In May 2013, Church & Dwight relocated its corporate headquarters from Princeton to Ewing. In mid–2013, Celator Pharmaceuticals established an office presence in Ewing.

Government

thumb|Ewing Township Municipal Building

Local government

Ewing Township is governed under the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, within the Mayor-Council plan 2 form of New Jersey municipal government, as implemented as of January 1, 1995, based on the recommendations of a Charter Study Commission. The township is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide governed under this form. The township's governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the five-member Township Council, all of whom are elected by the voters at-large to four-year terms of office on a staggered basis. with either three seats up for election or two seats and the mayoral seat up together in even-numbered years as part of the November general election.

, the Mayor of Ewing Township is Democrat Bert H. Steinmann, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026. Members of the Ewing Township Council are Council President Kevin Baxter (D, 2024), Vice President Jennifer L. Keyes-Maloney (D, 2024), David P. Schroth (D, 2024), Sarah Steward (D, 2026) and Kathy Culliton Wollert (D, 2026).

Federal, state and county representation

Ewing Township is located in the 12th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 15th state legislative district.

The New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission has its headquarters in the township.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 21,714 registered voters in Ewing Township, of which 9,358 (43.1%) were registered as Democrats, 3,256 (15.0%) were registered as Republicans and 9,087 (41.8%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 13 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 73.0% of the vote (11,910 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 25.8% (4,218 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (190 votes), among the 17,947 ballots cast by the township's 23,230 registered voters (1,629 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 77.3%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 70.0% of the vote (11,911 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 28.1% (4,787 votes) and other candidates with 1.2% (200 votes), among the 17,021 ballots cast by the township's 22,913 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.3%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 62.0% of the vote (10,091 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 34.7% (5,653 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (135 votes), among the 16,284 ballots cast by the township's 22,019 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 74.0.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat Barbara Buono received 53.7% of the vote (5,279 cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 44.7% (4,395 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (163 votes), among the 10,070 ballots cast by the township's 22,876 registered voters (233 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 44.0%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 59.4% of the vote (6,529 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 34.1% (3,751 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 4.7% (520 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (81 votes), among the 10,989 ballots cast by the township's 22,263 registered voters, yielding a 49.4% turnout.

Education

thumb|[[Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf entrance]]

Ewing Public Schools serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 3,444 students and 333.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.3:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are

W. L. Antheil Elementary School with 623 students in grades PreK-5, Francis Lore Elementary School with 500 students in grades K–5, Parkway Elementary School with 358 students in grades K–5, Gilmore J. Fisher Middle School with 827 students in grades 6–8, and Ewing High School with 1,080 students in grades 9–12.

A 1946 court case challenged a policy of the Ewing Public Schools under which the district provided bus transportation to students living in the districts who attended private parochial schools. In Everson v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled for the first time that state and local government were subject to the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, but that it had not been violated in this instance.

The Ewing Public Education Foundation, established in 1995, is an independent, not-for-profit citizen's organization whose mission is to mobilize community support, concern, commitment and resources to help improve the quality of education in Ewing Township. EPEF provides grants to Ewing Township Schools for innovative educational programs through fund-raising activities, and corporate and institutional sponsorship. The Foundation also seeks to match corporate and organizational donors with teachers to fund additional projects of mutual interest. These programs enhance the educational experience without the use of additional taxpayer dollars.

Eighth grade students from all of Mercer County are eligible to apply to attend the high school programs offered by the Mercer County Technical Schools, a county-wide vocational school district that offers full-time career and technical education at its Health Sciences Academy, STEM Academy and Academy of Culinary Arts, with no tuition charged to students for attendance. The Thomas J. Rubino Academy (formerly Mercer County Alternative High School) is one of Mercer County's only alternative schools, offering an alternative educational program for students who have struggled in the traditional school environment, featuring smaller classes, mentoring and counseling.

The Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf opened in Trenton in 1883 and was there until 1923, when it moved to West Trenton. It serves 175 hearing-impaired students on a campus covering that was opened in West Trenton in 1926. The school was established in Ewing through the efforts of Marie Hilson Katzenbach and was renamed in her honor in 1965.

Incarnation-St. James Catholic School (formerly Incarnation School), constructed in 1955, was a Pre-K to 8th grade parish school administered by The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and overseen by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton. In 2006, the Incarnation School and parish combined with the St. James School and parish. The school was closed by the parish at the end of the 2014–15 school year.

The Villa Victoria Academy is a private Catholic school in Ewing Township, christened as a private academy in 1933, and operated by the Religious Teachers Filippini. This single-gender school offers an education to young women from sixth to twelfth grade.

The College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State College) is located on a campus covering within the township.

Transportation

Ewing Township is traversed by multiple main roadways, as well as by a passenger rail line and is the location of an airport.

Roads and highways

thumb|View south along the Daniel Bray Highway and River Road ([[New Jersey Route 29|Route 29 and Route 175) in Ewing]]

thumb|Signage for the Delaware River Scenic Byway along [[New Jersey Route 29|Route 29]]

, the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Mercer County, by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, which also has its headquarters in Ewing, and by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.

Several highways pass through the township. Interstate 295 crosses the northwestern section of the township. It is a , 4-6 lane divided freeway facility. Originally part of Interstate 95, it was constructed as a four-lane roadway in the 1960s, and widened to six lanes in the 1990s, with the exception of the Scudder Falls Bridge over the Delaware River. It connects south with Philadelphia and connects north to U.S. Route 1, where Interstate 295 curves south. From there, travelers use U.S. 1 or Interstate 195 and the New Jersey Turnpike to reach the next major destination northwards, New York City. The Ewing portion of Interstate 95 was redesignated as Interstate 295 in March 2018 ahead of a direct interchange between Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Turnpike being completed, re-routing Interstate 95 onto the New Jersey Turnpike at Exit 6 (in Mansfield Township).

U.S. Route 206 (Princeton Avenue) skirts the southeastern section of the township. It is a , undivided four-lane roadway. Although part of U.S. 206, it is maintained by the Mercer County Department of Transportation as part of County Route 583, which runs as a concurrency with U.S. 206, which connects south to Trenton, as well as north to Princeton and Somerville.

Route 29 (Daniel Bray Highway and River Road) extends north–south along the western edge of the township, along the Delaware River. The southern section, Daniel Bray Highway, is a , divided four-lane facility with at-grade intersections and traffic lights, and was constructed in the 1950s. The northern section, River Road, is a , undivided two-lane facility whose construction as a state highway dates from the 1930s. NJ 29 connects southwards to Trenton, and northwards to Lambertville and Frenchtown. The entire section of Route 29 in Ewing is designated the Delaware River Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway. Route 175 serves as a frontage road along the divided portion of Route 29.

Route 31 (Pennington Road) extends north–south towards the eastern side of the township. It is a , undivided four-lane facility whose construction as a state highway also dates to the 1930s. It once also carried a trolley line, but it has long since been removed. It was once proposed to be bypassed by a freeway, but this plan has since been cancelled. Route 31 also connects south to Trenton, and connects north to Pennington, Flemington, and Clinton.

Public transportation

thumb|[[West Trenton Railroad Bridge across the Delaware River]]

The West Trenton station is at the terminus of SEPTA's West Trenton Line. This commuter rail facility mainly serves commuter traffic to and from Philadelphia. NJ Transit has proposed a new West Trenton Line of its own, that would stretch for from the West Trenton Station to a connection with the Raritan Valley Line at Bridgewater Township, and from there to Newark Penn Station in Newark.

Ewing Township is the site of the Trenton-Mercer Airport, which first opened in 1929 and is one of three commercial airports in the state. The airport has 100,000 takeoffs and landings annually, and is served by Frontier Airlines, which offers nonstop service to and from 10 different locations nationwide.

Ewing Township is also traversed by the Delaware and Raritan Canal near the Delaware River. Originally important to commerce and trade, the advent of railroads caused the canal's commercial demise. The strip of land along the canal is currently part of the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park.

NJ Transit provides service between the township and Trenton on the 601, 607, 608, 609, and 624 routes.

Points of interest

thumb|Ewing Covenant Presbyterian Church

thumb|right|The Jones Farm, operated by the [[New Jersey Department of Corrections, was the last remaining farm in Ewing until it was shut down at the end of 2022]]

The William Greene Farmhouse was the home of Judge William Greene, who was born in the 1600s in England and died in 1722 in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. The William Green House is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.
Delaware and Raritan Canal – Runs along the eastern bank of the Delaware River in western Ewing Township.
Washington Victory Trail – Documents the trail taken by George Washington's army during the American Revolutionary War on December 26, 1776. This led to a successful surprise attack on the Hessian troops occupying Trenton, New Jersey. Victory trail begins in nearby Washington Crossing State Park, enters Ewing Township at Jacobs Creek Road (where George Washington's and his horse almost fell into the creek) and continues along Bear Tavern Road. General Sullivan's route follows Grand Avenue and Sullivan Way to Trenton. General Greene's route follows Parkway Avenue to Trenton.
Ewing Covenant Presbyterian Church is a historic American Revolutionary War-era congregation. It is the fourth church to be built in the cemetery grounds. The current church building, dating from 1867, had been under threat of demolition but is now preserved.
Ewing Church Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in the area, having served the Ewing community for 300 years. It is home to the burial places of hundreds of veterans from The Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War. The grounds span over 50 acres and also include a mausoleum.
Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, located on W. Upper Ferry Road, is a Roman Catholic church built in the early 1960s to meet the growing needs of the rapidly expanding township. Its architecture is similar to Saint Paul's Church in Princeton. The Church is a major worship center for the Catholic community in what is called the West Trenton section of the township.
Louis Kahn's Trenton Bath House was an early work of the influential mid-twentieth century architect, made for the Trenton Jewish Community Center (now the Ewing Senior & Community Center).
The offices and studios of radio station WKXW, "New Jersey 101.5", are located in Ewing.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Ewing Township include:

Terrance Bailey (born 1965), former basketball player who led NCAA Division I in scoring in 1985–86 for the Wagner Seahawks
Pierre Bernard, graphic designer and comedian for Late Night with Conan O'Brien on which he hosts the segment "Pierre Bernard's Recliner of Rage"
Peggy Blackford (born 1942), American Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau from 1995 until June 1998, when relations were suspended
Harold F. Brigham (1897–1971), librarian who served as director of the Indiana State Library and of the Louisville Free Public Library
Al Clark (born 1948), former professional baseball umpire who worked in 3,392 major league games in his 26-year career
Richie Cole (1948–2020), jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger.
Hollis Copeland (born 1955), former basketball player with the New York Knicks
Dudley Dorival (born 1975), hurdler
Nneka Ezeigbo, basketball player for the Robert Morris Colonials
Steve Garrison (born 1986), Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the New York Yankees
Janis Hirsch (born ), is a comedy writer best known for producing and writing for television series
Wayne Krenchicki (1954–2018), former MLB third baseman
William M. Lanning (1849–1912), Republican Party politician who represented New Jersey's 4th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1903 to 1904
Dick LaRossa (born 1946), politician who served two terms in the New Jersey Senate, from 1994 to 2000, where he represented the 15th Legislative District
Davon Reed (born 1995), NBA player signed with the Memphis Hustle
Glenn K. Rieth (born 1957), former Adjutant General of New Jersey (2002–2011)
Henry Rowan (1923–2015), engineer and philanthropist, for whom Rowan University was renamed, after he made a $100 million donation to the school
Steve Shimko (born 1990), American football coach and former player who is the quarterbacks coach for the Dallas Cowboys
Albert C. Wagner (1911–1987), director of the New Jersey Department of Corrections from 1966 to 1973
Bonnie Watson Coleman (born 1945), politician, who has served as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 12th congressional district since 2015 and in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2006 to 2010. She is the first black woman in Congress from New Jersey