Editing Mercer County, New Jersey (section)

==History==
Founded February 22, 1838, from portions of surrounding counties, Mercer County has a historical impact that reaches back to the pivotal battles of the [[American Revolutionary War]]. On the night of December&nbsp;25–26, 1776, General [[George Washington]] led American forces [[George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River|across the Delaware River]] to attack the [[Hessian (soldier)|Hessian]] forces in the [[Battle of Trenton]] on the morning of December&nbsp;26, also known as the First Battle of Trenton. After the battle, Washington crossed back to Pennsylvania. He crossed a third time in a surprise attack on the forces of General [[Charles Cornwallis]] at the [[Battle of the Assunpink Creek]], on January&nbsp;2, 1777, also known as the Second Battle of Trenton, and at the [[Battle of Princeton]] on January&nbsp;3. The successful attacks built morale among the pro-independence colonists.<ref>[http://nj.gov/counties/mercer/about/history/revolution.html Epicenter of Revolution] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310063242/http://nj.gov/counties/mercer/about/history/revolution.html |date=March 10, 2014 }}, Mercer County. Accessed October 6, 2013.</ref> Ewing Church Cemetery in Ewing is one of the oldest cemeteries in the area, having served the Ewing community for 300 years. It is home to the burial places of hundreds of veterans from The Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War.<ref>[https://www.memorialproperties.com/cemeteries-nj/ewing/ Ewing Church Cemetery & Mausoleum]</ref>

Since 1790, [[Trenton, New Jersey|Trenton]] has served as the state's capital, earning the county the name "the Capital County." After the Legislature relocated to Trenton from [[Perth Amboy, New Jersey|Perth Amboy]] in 1790, it purchased land for £250 and 5 shillings and constructed a new state house, designed by Philadelphia-based architect Jonathan Doane, beginning in 1792. The Doane building was covered in stucco, measured {{convert|150|by|50|ft|m}}, and housed the Senate and Assembly chambers in opposite wings. To meet the demands of the growing state, the structure was expanded several times during the 19th century. New Jersey, along with Nevada, is the only state to have its capital be located at the border with another state, as Trenton is across the Delaware River from [[Pennsylvania]]. The [[List of governors' residences in the United States|official residence]] of the [[governor of New Jersey]], known as [[Drumthwacket]], is located in [[Princeton, New Jersey|Princeton]], and is listed on both the [[U.S. National Register of Historic Places]] and the [[New Jersey Register of Historic Places]].

The county experienced rapid urbanization and population growth during the first half of the 20th century due to the growth of industrialization in places such as Trenton. Mercer County was the landing spot for a fictional [[Martian]] invasion of the United States. In 1938, in what has become one of the most famous American radio plays of all time, [[Orson Welles]] acted out his ''[[The War of the Worlds (radio)|The War of the Worlds]]'' invasion. His imaginary aliens first "landed" at what is now [[West Windsor, New Jersey|West Windsor]]. A commemorative monument is erected at [[Grovers Mill, New Jersey|Grovers Mill]] park.<ref>[http://learn.southsuburbancollege.edu/theatre/groversmill/WOTWPlaque.html "War of the Worlds Monument"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007215552/http://learn.southsuburbancollege.edu/theatre/groversmill/WOTWPlaque.html |date=October 7, 2008 }}, [[South Suburban College]]. Accessed October 17, 2008.</ref>

There were 27 Mercer County residents killed during the [[September 11 terrorist attacks]] in [[Lower Manhattan]]. A {{convert|10|ft|adj=on}} long steel beam weighing one ton was given to the county by the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]] in March 2011 and is now displayed at [[Mercer County Park]].<ref>Staff. [http://www.nj.gov/counties/mercer/news/releases/approved/110328.html "Hughes, Officials unveil section of steel beam from Sept. 11 to be used in memorial"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016061859/http://www.nj.gov/counties/mercer/news/releases/approved/110328.html |date=October 16, 2012 }}, Mercer County press release dated March 28, 2011. Accessed September 11, 2011. "Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes was flanked by firefighters and first responders from around the County today as a section of a steel beam recovered from Ground Zero was displayed for the first time. The 10-foot, 2,108-pound piece of I-beam steel was recovered from Ground Zero during the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks.... Dozens of firefighters and first responders from Mercer County worked at Ground Zero for the first 10 days after September 11, Hughes said. Mercer County was also home to 27 victims."</ref>