News

Murder, mayhem and tragedy in this N.J. town. How a historical society is bringing true crime stories to life.

The Bordentown Historical Society premiered a new performance event on Saturday detailing six stories of murder, mayhem and tragedy — all pulled directly from the history of the town. The 90-minute true crime series, titled “Harrowing History,” takes place outside of the Divine Word Missionaries at 101 Park St. in Bordentown each Saturday evening through to Nov. 9. The live historical performance was created by Kristi Kantorski, the art and marketing director of the Bordentown Historical Society. Kantorski described the event as a play… Read More »Murder, mayhem and tragedy in this N.J. town. How a historical society is bringing true crime stories to life.

Bordentown Historical Society hosting online art show featuring local artists

Bordentown Historical Society hosting online art show featuring local artists Jarrad Daniel Saffren Burlington County Times BORDENTOWN — From Black’s Creek to the Gilder House (built in 1788) to the Clara Barton Schoolhouse (the first public school in New Jersey), Bordentown is filled with scenic and historic places. An upcoming art show will highlight many of those places. Beginning Friday and running through Oct. 2, the Bordentown Historical Society will host an online art show called “Visions of Bordentown,” featuring local artists and… Read More »Bordentown Historical Society hosting online art show featuring local artists

Bordentown Historical Society New Website Launch

BORDENTOWN, September 14, 2020 –The Bordentown Historical Society (“BHS”) is proud to announce the launch of its newly redesigned website at https://bordentownhistory.org. The new site features a responsive, modern design, improved functionality, and easy access to essential information to help residents and non-residents, alike, engage with Bordentown’s rich history. The new comprehensive website presents a current and streamlined way to review archival information about the Bordentown region, learn about organizational happenings and join the movement to support the ongoing exploration… Read More »Bordentown Historical Society New Website Launch

Bordentown residents working to preserve historic Clara Barton Schoolhouse

BORDENTOWN CITY — Residents and visitors can hardly walk down a Bordentown street without seeing a reminder, in the form of a sign or a building, of the city’s rich history. The city started as a regional trading hub, became the home of the man who inspired the American Revolution, Thomas Paine, and even sustained several houses that have lasted for centuries, according to The Bordentown Historical Society. But no aspect of the city’s history made a greater contribution to… Read More »Bordentown residents working to preserve historic Clara Barton Schoolhouse

Harrowing History will showcase true crime in Bordentown

As true crime shows like “American Horror Story” and “MindHunter” rise in popularity, the Bordentown Historical Society unveils its new performance event, Harrowing History. The series, created by society Art Director Kristi Kantorski, will debut with six stories of murder, mayhem and tragedy pulled from the back pages of Bordentown’s rich history. Playing on Bordentown’s moniker of the “Little City with a Lot of Charm,” Harrowing History aims to tell the truth behind that charm. Harrowing History will debut Sept.… Read More »Harrowing History will showcase true crime in Bordentown

BHS Member Newsletter Wins 2019 Kevin M. Hale Award

BORDENTOWN — The Bordentown Historical Society is very proud to receive the League of Historical Societies of New Jersey’s Kevin M. Hale Publications Award for 2019 for the Fall 2019 / Winter 2020 BHS Member Newsletter.  The League of Historical Societies of New Jersey, founded in 1966, is composed of over 220 organizations that represent over 45,000 individual members. While most of the organizations in the League are local historical societies, it also includes statewide societies and related institutions, county… Read More »BHS Member Newsletter Wins 2019 Kevin M. Hale Award

Joseph Borden (1687-1765)

In 1717 Joseph Borden settled here, bought up a substantial part of the land and changed the town’s name to Borden’s Towne. By 1740, he started a packet line from Philadelphia to Bordentown. Travelers would stop and rest in Borden’s Towne and then board the Borden Stage for Perth Amboy where they would make their ferry boat connections to New York. Most of the founding fathers of the new republic passed through Bordentown which had become a bustling city of… Read More »Joseph Borden (1687-1765)

Richard Gilder (1844-1909)

Richard Watson Gilder was born on February 8, 1844 at Bordentown, New Jersey. He was the son of Jane (Nutt) Gilder and the Rev. William Henry Gilder, and educated at his father’s seminary in Flushing, Queens. There he learned to set type and published the St. Thomas Register. Gilder later studied law at Philadelphia. During the American Civil War, he enlisted in the state’s Emergency Volunteer Militia as a private in Landis’ Philadelphia Battery at the time of the Robert… Read More »Richard Gilder (1844-1909)

Stephen Sayre (1736-1818)

Stephen Sayre was born in Long Island, graduated from Princeton University and served as a captain of militia in the last of the French and Indian Wars. At about thirty years of age, Sayre visited England and was part of the thousand-strong American community living in London during the outbreak of the War of Independence. He was chosen High Sheriff of the city of London, in 1774. His zeal for the independence of America was unmeasured. In October, 1775, he… Read More »Stephen Sayre (1736-1818)