New Jersey has meant a lot of things to different people. It was home to the Lenni Lenape Tribe, also known as the Delaware Indians, before European settlers arrived in the early 17th century. In fact, Paleo-Indians were the first people to inhabit New Jersey, as early as 13,000 B.C.E.
It was one of the first 13 colonies, with Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret granted ownership in 1664 and referring to it as “New Jersey” in honor of Carteret’s defense of the English Channel island of Jersey in the English Civil War. New Jersey was the first state to ratify the Constitution’s Bill of Rights. It is also known as the “Pathway of the Revolution” because over 100 battles were fought within its borders during the American Revolution, which began in 1775.
You can’t deny the state’s contribution to this country’s musical landscape.
It’s been home to famous musicians — Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen, Frank “Ol’ Blue Eyes” Sinatra, and Queen Latifah — all adding something special to Rock, Pop, and Hip Hop.
The Garden State — New Jersey’s nickname due to its history of fruit and vegetable production and fertile land — also has different nature settings to enjoy. These locations include its coastlines of tourist-drawing beaches and lighthouses to its oak and pine forests.
New Jersey has a lot to offer its visitors and residents. Read below for three National Monuments to visit on your next trek to the state.
Cape May Historic District: For history buffs, the Cape May Historic District can give you a chance to go back in time. This area in Cape May — America’s first seaside resort — consists of 380 acres with more than 600 buildings in the Late Victorian architecture style. The design can be recognized by its round angles, towers, beautiful stained glass, bay windows, and steep gabled roofs. According to Carolyn Pitts, a National Park Service (NPS) architectural historian, “Cape May has one of the largest collections of late 19th-century frame buildings left in the United States … that give it a homogeneous architectural character, a kind of textbook of vernacular American building.” In 1970, the district was added to the National Register of Historic Places and listed as a National Historic Landmark District in 1976. While visiting the area, take a trolley tour of the buildings and enjoy a meal and shopping on Washington St.
Photo Courtesy Smallbones
The Albert Einstein House: Albert Einstein, born in 1879 in Germany, was a theoretical physicist widely held as one of the most influential scientists in history — does E=mc² ring a bell? He immigrated to the U.S. in 1933, and the house where he lived from 1936 until his death in 1955 is located in Princeton, New Jersey. In 1976, the simple house — a “L” shaped building with a gabled roof — was added to the National Register of Historic Places and further designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark later that year. The 3,674-square-foot home was purchased in 2012 by the Institute for Advanced Study and is a private residence. While there are no tours, people can view the house from the street.
Photo Courtesy Princeton History
The Sandy Hook Lighthouse: Is a sea breeze calling your name? Well, The Sandy Hook Lighthouse in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, may be the destination for you! It is the oldest working lighthouse in the U.S., with the building of the structure completed on June 11, 1764. Designed by Isaac Conro, a New York City stonemason, the lighthouse has aided sailors entering the southern end of the New York Harbor for centuries. In 1964, it was listed as a National Historic Landmark and is part of the NPS’s Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. NPS offers tours on a seasonal basis, and visitors must be accompanied by a park ranger to climb to the top of the structure, which includes 95 stairs and a nine-rung ladder.
Photo Courtesy NPS/Allison Luchnick
