The Spring Housing Market Could be a SWEET SPOT for SELLERS

Active Monthly Listing, Last 6 Januarys

While the number of homes for sale is increasing, we ' re still well below where we were prior to the pandemic

Today's low inventory means we ' re still in a SELLER'S MARKET

SPRING could be your shot to take advantage of this SWEET SPOT transported to steamboats on the Delaware River. Trips to Coney Island (round trip tickets in 1903: $1.25 for adults and $0.75 for children) and the Jersey Shore were often promoted in newspaper ads.

In West Windsor, there ultimately appeared four “Fast Line” stations: one at Cranbury Road (the “Grovers Mill” stop), one at Princeton-Hightstown Road (“Pig Town” stop—to be explained later), one at Penn-Lyle Road (the “Dutch Neck” stop), and one at Conover Road.

The Historical Society of West Windsor knows of no photos of these stations, but they were possibly just simple wooden platforms, perhaps with a rudimentary shelter to protect passengers from the elements. Dutch Neck, in particular, was described in 1903 as having a “waiting room.” Meanwhile, a ticket station existed at the Grovers Mill stop (315 Cranbury Road), alongside a “power station” that helped charge the line. One of the line’s superintendents, Howard Fravel, lived in the house there.

As with any high-speed transportation, accidents did happen along the trolley line: reports of livestock, farmers on horseback and carriages being struck by high-speed trolley cars can be found in old newspapers. Some trolleys even collided with each other. Notable to us was a high-speed collision near Plainsboro on May 7, 1906, in which about eighteen people were injured. Even closer to home, the Trenton Evening Times reported a car striking Eliza Brown and Ellen Coulter (both from West Windsor) near the West Windsor community of Grovers Mill on February 12, 1910.

That evening, they and Eliza’s husband, James Coulter (employed by the trolley line) were riding home in a carriage, when the lights of the approaching trolley car spooked their horse and mule, who, in fright, took off running, causing the collision. Luckily, neither of these crashes produced fatalities.

In 1910, the Elizabeth and Trenton Railroad formed to take over the old Trenton and New Brunswick Railroad, as well as the “Short Line” extension between Milltown and Elizabeth. Three years later, the Public Service Corporation (PSC), an energy and transportation company, acquired the line. This conglomerate eventually became the Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSEG).

Legacy

A July, 1906 advertisement in the Trenton Evening Times rhetorically asked, “Who wants an automobile?” when convenient trolley service was available instead. While possibly an effective argument back then, within the next few decades, car and bus traffic increasingly dominated in United States transportation.

In 1921, the Grovers Mill power station closed. Service was eventually reduced to three trips daily. In 1931, gasoline-electric trolley cars replaced previously all-electric trolley cars. Finally, in 1937, service on the Fast Line fully ceased. The track was dismantled, leaving just the high PSE&G towers to mark the old trolley route.

It took another 70 years for another transportation route to run through this easement. In the summer of 2007, a pedestrian/cyclist walkway was paved underneath the PSEG power lines. Following a naming contest, the title “Trolley Line Trail” was chosen for this path as an homage to its history. That same year, the old metal rail bridge over the Bear Brook (just north of Community Park) was rebuilt using its original abutments. This structure is called the “Pig Town Bridge.” Why? Well, according to legend, many generations ago, a conductor on an early Fast Line trolley observed the number of pigs near the Princeton-Hightstown Road station, and gave the location the nickname “Pig Town”—disliked by many, but amusing to others.

The Trolley Line Trail formally opened in August of 2007. Sixteen years later— and 121 years after the original trolley line began service—it remains a popular (and since-expanded) community amenity and memorial to both local and statewide history.

We invite you to contact, support, or volunteer for the Historical Society and check out our new West Windsor history book. Visit westwindsorhistory.com to learn more. We are also on social media—search “@SchenckFarmstead” on Facebook and Instagram.

Paul Ligeti is vice president of the Historical Society of West Windsor