Crosswicks, New Jersey

History

Chesterfield Township comprises three distinct communities: Chesterfield, Crosswicks and Sykesville. The area was first settled in 1677, when a group primarily consisting of Quakers settled in the area of Crosswicks, the oldest of the Chesterfield's three villages. Its name derives from the Lenape language word "Crossweeksung", meaning "house of separation".

On June 23, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War, the Battle of Crosswicks was fought here over the bridge crossing the Crosswicks Creek. Philemon Dickinson, brigadier general in the New Jersey militia, and William Maxwell, brigadier general in the Continental Army, delayed the march of British troops led by General Henry Clinton, preceding the Battle of Monmouth on June 28.

Crosswicks is home to a Friends meeting house, as well as a historic library which used to house the Crosswicks Fire Department. The fire department's current home is in the former schoolhouse on New Street, which it has occupied since 1968. The building was completed in 1909. The current engine bay (where trucks are kept) was built in 1914, although the original 1909 cornerstone lies in the new section (it was moved).

The historic library, established in 1817 to serve Chesterfield Township, still served the community.

The Crosswicks Community Association holds an annual family-style croquet tournament and music festival on the village green in July. There is live music provided by local bands during the day. Food is available from vendors. There are lawn games set up for children.

Historic district

The Crosswicks Historic District is a 50 acre historic district encompassing the area along County Route 660 (Chesterfield-Crosswicks Road, Main Street), Church and Front Streets in the community. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 3, 1976, for its significance in architecture, military history, religion, and transportation. The district has 95 contributing buildings, including the Crosswicks Friends Meeting House Crosswicks Friends Meeting House. The meeting house, historically known as the Chesterfield Friends Meeting House, was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in 1936. Chesterfield Friends Meeting, now known as Crosswicks Friends Meeting, was founded in 1684. The first meeting house was built here in 1692. It was replaced by a larger brick building in 1706. The third and current one is a -story brick building from 1773 featuring Provincial Georgian architectural style. Next to it is the Friends First Day School which has the same style. The J. M. Bunting House is a three-story building featuring Italianate architecture. The public library building was formerly a firehouse.

File:Chesterfield Friends Meeting House, Crosswicks, NJ.jpg|Crosswicks Friends Meeting House, built 1773 File:Friends First Day School, Crosswicks, NJ.jpg|Friends First Day School, built File:Crosswicks Public Library, Crosswicks, NJ.jpg|Crosswicks Public Library, built 1922 File:Crosswicks Community Center, Crosswicks, NJ.jpg|Crosswicks Community House, built 1923

Geography

The community has an area of 51.98 sqkm and is located on the bank of Crosswicks Creek, a tributary of the Delaware River. The community is located 9.1 km from Trenton, the capital of the U.S state of New Jersey and 27 km from Philadelphia.

Demographics

2020

Crosswicks first appeared as a census designated place in the 2020 U.S. census. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 849.

Education

The school districts are Chesterfield Township School District (elementary) and Northern Burlington Regional School District (secondary).

References

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau.
2. [https://data.census.gov/profile?g=160XX00US3416060 Census Data Explorer: Crosswicks CDP, New Jersey], [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed June 15, 2023.
3. [https://mcdc.missouri.edu/applications/geocodes/?state=34 Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey], Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed June 9, 2023.
4. {{cite gnis. 875749. Crosswicks Variant name: Crossweeksung
5. [https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/tigerwebmain/Files/tab20/tigerweb_tab20_cdp_2020_nj.html State of New Jersey Census Designated Places - BVP20 - Data as of January 1, 2020], [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed December 1, 2022.
6. (27 September 2019). "N.J.'s 33 best small towns, ranked, for the ultimate fall day trip".
7. [http://www.state.nj.us/infobank/localnames.txt Locality Search], State of New Jersey. Accessed March 15, 2015.
8. [http://www.chesterfieldtwp.com/History/History.htm History of Chesterfield Township], Chesterfield Township. Accessed March 6, 2007. {{webarchive. link. (October 11, 2007)
9. (May 1945). "The Origin of New Jersey Place Names". New Jersey Public Library Commission.
10. (August 4, 2022). "The Battle of Crosswicks: Prelude to Monmouth".
11. [https://www.crosswicks.njlibraries.org Crosswicks Library], [[New Jersey State Library]]. Accessed January 4, 2025. "In 1817, the Crosswicks Library Company was officially incorporated to serve the needs of the community of Chesterfield, New Jersey. Today, the library continues to serve its original purpose. Nestled in the heart of the picturesque village of Crosswicks, it continues to serve the reading needs of the people of Chesterfield Township."
12. {{NRISref
13. (1936). "Chesterfield Friends Meeting House". [[Historic American Buildings Survey]].
14. "A Brief History of the Crosswicks Friends Meeting". Crosswicks Friends Meeting.
15. Dr. and Mrs. John J. Winters, Jr.. (October 1975 }} With {{NRHP url). ["National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Crosswicks"]({{NRHP url). [[National Park Service]].
16. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
17. "2020 Geography Changes". [[United States Census Bureau]].
18. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Crosswicks CDP, New Jersey".
19. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Burlington County, NJ". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].