History of Trenton 1830-1850
By: TOM FRASCELLA JUNE 2013
1830-1850 saw the Greater Trenton area continue to make small but steady progress in building a foundation for industrial enterprise and social growth. Although the population of Trenton remained small, reaching only 6,000 by 1850, the area saw some remarkable people become associated with it. At the beginning of this period the major industrial mover in Trenton was John Stevens aided by his three sons. We saw in the earlier chapter covering 1810-1830 that John Stevens had by 1830 built a successful steam engine Delaware River ferry service between Bordentown and Camden/Philadelphia. In addition to Stevens’ company being a successful transporter of people and cargo his ferry company was responsible for a number of maritime steam engine and propeller design advances during this period.
In 1830 Stevens turned his attention to the new overland technology of rail transportation. New Jersey situated between New York and Philadelphia presented an ideal location for transport between two of the country’s largest population centers. Stevens chartered the Camden-Amboy railroad in 1830 which he headquartered in Trenton. Stevens’ intent was to build a rail line to move goods and people from Camden across the river from Philadelphia to Perth Amboy on the Raritan Bay with access to the port of New York. Mr. Stevens together with his sons, all trained engineers, continued to build not only a successful rail operation but also to innovate and improve on the models available. Among the technical advances that came out of Stevens’ mechanical work shops were the cow catcher which prevented derailments from things getting caught under a train, the “H” rail which prevented wheels from jumping off the tracks, wooden cross ties which produced a softer ride, the wooden rail hastener, and the steam engine safety release valve. Robert Stevens’ “H” rail design would also have industrial design impact far beyond rail technology.
The cutting edge engineering innovations of Stevens’ companies both maritime and railroad no doubt was well known throughout the country and the industrial world. The company’s reputation for engineering excellence contributed to Mr. Stevens’ acquiring the U.S. Navy contract to build the country’s first iron clad warship in 1837. The fact that the Navy was interested in building such a vessel also speaks to the forward thinking of this branch of the service as well. Unfortunately, John Stevens died in 1838 leaving the responsibility of completing the Navy contract to his brilliant and innovative sons. Had John Stevens not passed away when he did the history of the project may have been very different.
Under the control of his sons the project became one of engineering innovation and theory but not practicality. The brothers worked on the design for the next ten years costing the Navy hundreds of thousands of dollars and without producing a prototype. Eventually the Navy cancelled the contract. The Stevens brothers then sunk a million dollars more as they continue on their own. As a result of their contract failure the honor and historical recognition of building the first U.S. iron clad warship sadly does not go to the Stevens brothers. Interestingly, had they been successful in working out the engineering problems of their design they would have produced the most advanced war vessel in the world, one that was technically several decades ahead of its time.
Two Trenton families that were also linked to the Greater Trenton area in the earlier chapter were the Sartori family and the Hargous family. Some follow up to these two families during the time period 1830-1850 is also warranted. As we have written Giovanni Sartori and John Hargous financed the purchase of land and the building of the first Catholic Church in NJ in Trenton in 1814. In 1832 Giovanni Sartori returned to Italy with his two youngest daughters. The Church and grounds were turned over to the Diocese of Philadelphia which oversaw the southern part of New Jersey, including Trenton. As we noted Giovanni Sartori had a total of eleven children and ultimately five appear to have returned to Italy and one moved to South America. Of his five remaining “American” children Louis was an officer in the U.S. Navy, Charles became a physician and practiced in southern New Jersey near Atlantic City, Victor became a merchant in Philadelphia, a daughter Mathilda married and lived in Philadelphia and his oldest daughter, Eugenia married Peter A. Hargous the son of John and took up residence with her husband in New York City. Trenton records indicate that by 1845 all of the Sartori children had left the Trenton area and only Charles remained in New Jersey. The family mansion Rosy Hill was sold to Abram Hewitt son in law of Peter Cooper and managing partner of the Cooper Hewitt Iron Foundry which would be founded and begin operation in Trenton in 1847.
Sartori Mansion “Rosy Hill”
John Hargous had four children Peter, Louis Eugene and a daughter Marie Melicie. Peter and Eugene ran a shipping and import export business centered between New York City, managed by ( Peter) and New Orleans, managed by (Eugene). The company was known as the “Hargous Brothers Shipping”. The daughter remained unmarried and lived in the family mansion in Trenton her entire life. In her later life a cousin also named Louis Hargous , a romance language professor at Princeton also resided there.
Hargous Mansion in Trenton
The remaining son, Louis S. Hargous completed his studies at Princeton and embarked on a financial career centered between the port of Veracruz in Mexico and Havanna, Cuba. The Hargous family became very successful maritime merchants in the 1830’s and 1840’s. Their shipping empire basically comprised of shipping goods between New York, Havanna, New Orleans and Veracruz. Veracruz was the eastern port at the isthmus of Mexico, a narrowing of the North American continent in southern Mexico where the width of the continent is only 120 miles. Louis became a partner in several banking concerns in and around the Veracruz area. In 1842 Louis S. Hargous became U.S. Consul to Veracruz and remained such for 17 years.
Two names that enter the Trenton scene during the period 1830-1850 are John A. Roebling and Peter Cooper. The late 1830’s saw the young German trained engineer John A. Roebling give up farming in northeastern Pennsylvania and return to engineering for the Wurts brothers. By the mid 1840’s Roebling had perfected wire weaving patents and was engaged in wire rope production and bridge design from his Pennsylvania base.
The late 1830’s also saw successful New York businessman Peter Cooper begin to buy up iron ore mineral rights in northwestern New Jersey. Mr. Cooper owned iron ore mines in Maryland and produced iron rails for the Baltimore & Ohio rail system in his Maryland foundry.
The Hargous Family
By the early 1840’s the Hargous brothers had become major movers and investors in a plan to build a canal from Veracruz 120 miles across the Mexican isthmus to the Pacific Ocean. The proposed course had been considered the overland transportation short cut from the Atlantic to Pacific dating back to the time of the Conquistadors, so a dirt road was already in place. What the Hargous investment group envisioned was to create a canal for direct shipping. Building such a canal in the 1840’s besides presenting formable engineering difficulties also presented complex American North-South national economic issues a well as complex international issues between the U.S. and Mexico. This placed the Hargous brothers squarely in the middle of some of the most important political issues facing the U.S.
Due largely to their wealth and social status the Hargous family also became involved in early American Catholic issues. On the international scene the mid 1840’s saw a massive influx of Irish immigrants to the U.S due to the impact of the so called “Irish Potato Famine”. With this influx which would see almost two million Irish Catholics arrive in the U.S. the Catholic presence in the U.S. population changed dramatically. The need for increased Catholic ministers to service the newly arriving population was immediate and overwhelming. The majority of people in this massive Irish immigrant influx were very poor and uneducated producing needs for social services that the country was ill prepared to give.
In response to the need for ministry the archbishop of New York John Hughes decided to develop a college and seminary in New York City, close to where so many immigrants were disembarking. Peter A. Hargous was a close friend of the Archbishop and was at the time one of the wealthiest Catholics in the area. He was also a close friend, supporter and became a benefactor of the seminary/college project. In turn Archbishop Hughes named Peter Hargous to the first Board of Trustees of the newly formed St. John the Baptist College and seminary. The college was a great success and eventually moved in order to grow. The second location was known as Fordham Hills from which the College took on a new name Fordham University.
The 1840’s were also a time when the U.S. saw its destiny as a nation extending from coast to coast. California separated from Mexico and joined the United States creating for the first time a Pacific coast boundary. Of course reaching California from the east presented a difficult challenge. It is the 1840’s when discussions regarding a transcontinental railroad first began. Within that debate were two issues, first the route. The Northern States favored a northern route which would open up the northern territories and produce massive economic benefit to northern industry. The southern States favored a southern route for largely the same reasons. Tied into this debate was the fact that the route would influence whether new territories came in as “slave” states or “free” States. In the short term the Hargous championed idea of a Veracruz canal or railroad presented a quick fix to the problem and one more heavily favored by the South. Mexico looked with growing suspicion on U. S. territorial aggression toward Mexico’s northern borders where southern States looked to gain territory for a southern rail route. In this climate it was not long before the U.S.-Mexican War started.
This writing does not provide sufficient space to go into detail concerning the U.S.-Mexican conflict however of interest to this article is that aspect of the conflict which has a Trenton connection. During the war the U.S. sent troops to protect its transportation interests in the Veracruz area and several Mexican towns were captured by U.S. troops. As was military custom, U.S. Consul Hargous participated directly in the U.S. military ground operations. Hargous as consul would have possessed vital information and contacts in the region upon which U.S. forces would have relied. Hargous was also fluent in six languages. During the conflict he was given the rank of Colonel serving directly under General Worth commander of U.S. forces in the area. Interestingly naval Lt. Louis C. Sartori served aboard the U.S.S. Stromboli in the Veracruz area of operation during the conflict. He also commanded and participated in the landings and operations in the Veracruz area.
Following the conclusion of the war the Hargous family together with their business partners continued to push for Mexican treaty concessions and contracts with the Mexican government for a transportation route across the isthmus. Between the Mexican distrust and hostility arising from the loss in the war the project became entangled in many conflicts and did not materialize during the 1840’s. However the Hargous group continued to aggressively push for the project’s continuance despite the delicate political balances that had to be maintained.
Trenton in the late 1840’s
The late 1840’s saw Peter Cooper decided to ship his north Jersey iron ore south using the canal system. He decided that his greatest marketing advantage was in locating his foundry at Trenton on the Delaware River. Cooper determined that with canal, railroad and river access readily available at Trenton and with the Camden-Amboy Railroad headquartered there Trenton would make an ideal location for manufacture. In 1847 he established the Cooper Hewitt foundry on the Delaware also known as the Trenton Iron Works. The company name derives from the fact that he placed his son and son in law in charge of the facility. The original foundry was torn down in the 1880 and a larger foundry was erected by the company on the site. That building survives today although converted to a river view restaurant.
Photograph of 2nd Cooper Hewitt Foundry Building
Trenton Iron Works Plaque
About the same time John A. Roebling’s successful introduction of the use of “wire” rope required he secure a production source for the wire cable that he wove into his product. Peter Cooper espoused the advantages of the Trenton location and Roebling moved his operation to property adjacent to Cooper in 1848.
Abandoned Roebling Factory (Chambersburg site)
The influx of Irish Catholics into the Trenton area during the late 1840’s meant that Trenton’s small Catholic Church, St. John the Baptist, that John Hargous and Giovanni Sartori had built in 1814 could no longer meet the growing needs of the local Catholic community. A decision to purchase a larger parcel to erect a larger Church was made. In 1848 a new larger St. John the Baptist Church was built at the corner of Lamberton St and South Broad St. Again, the Hargous family was the major benefactor to the construction and purchase. In addition they donated a stained glass window and a large bell for the Church. Peter Hargous purchased back from the parish the old Church whose property was heavily in debt and sold it at a loss in effect clearing the old debt of the parish. Of note the second Church burned to the ground in the early 1880’s and only the bell survives on site today.
Church Bell from St. John the Baptist Church
Church Bell from St. John the Baptist Church
Church Bell plaque
In 1848 gold was discovered in California and the California gold rush began. Both the transcontinental railroad and the Veracruz trade route again came to the forefront of domestic political interest as the country approached the 1850’s.
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