National Register of Historic Places

Kingston Mill Historic District

Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey
Listed
April 9, 1986
Type
District
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
86000707

About this property

The Kingston Mill Historic District is a 49-acre (20 ha) historic district in Kingston, New Jersey. It consists of the historic Kingston Mill on the Millstone River and surrounding colonial and republican structures, including several houses and an 18th-century stone bridge. It is notable for containing the home of Henry Greenland, the first European settler in what is now Princeton, New Jersey. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 for its significance in engineering, exploration/settlement, industry, and transportation. The district includes 16 contributing buildings and 2 contributing structures. The district's territory is shared between Princeton, South Brunswick, and Franklin Township. The area was first settled in 1683 when Henry Greenland established a tavern where a growing cart road met the Millstone River, building the first European settlement in the vicinity of what is now Princeton. Around the 1740s, Greenland's grandson Barefoot Brinson, sheriff of Middlesex and Somerset Counties, built housing for tenants and the area's first gristmill on the property as the area became more settled and less remote. After Brinson's death, Jacob Skillman built a second mill on the property, as well as a house and shop. After the mill was burned during the American Revolutionary War, it was rebuilt in 1797 by stagecoach owner John Gulick Jr, who expanded the property's buildings and improved the adjacent road into a turnpike. The mill was expanded by the Gulicks and later owners throughout the 19th century, and was rebuilt again by Nelson Thompson following a fire in 1888. The mill shut down in the 20th century, while the surrounding farm remained property of the Gulicks.

Location

Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey
40.37520, -74.62506

Categories

INDUSTRYENGINEERINGTRANSPORTATIONEXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
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Spotlight
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Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Kingston Village Historic District
Listed
0.6 mi
King's Highway Historic District
Colonial
0.6 mi
Withington Estate
Industrial
0.9 mi
Maybury Hill
Industrial
1 mi
Jugtown Historic District
Listed
1.8 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Princeton Jan 3 1777
1777Revolutionary War
2.4 mi
Battle of Princeton
1777Revolutionary War
2.5 mi
Battle of Monmouth Court House
1778Revolutionary War
10.9 mi

Questions about this property

When was Kingston Mill Historic District listed on the National Register?

Kingston Mill Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 9, 1986.

What type of historic resource is Kingston Mill Historic District?

Kingston Mill Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Kingston Mill Historic District?

The period of significance for Kingston Mill Historic District is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Kingston Mill Historic District?

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