1906 Map of Princeton

About this map

Princeton serves as the academic and cultural heart of this Central New Jersey landscape, surrounded by a complex network of early 20th-century transportation routes. The Delaware and Raritan Canal mirrors the path of the Millstone River, winding through the center of the sheet past industrial and agricultural hubs like Griggstown and Blackwells Mills. The infrastructure of the era is remarkably dense, featuring competing rail lines such as the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad. Small crossroads and villages like Blawenburg, Skillman, and Rocky Hill dot the terrain, illustrating the residential patterns that existed before mid-century suburban expansion. The inclusion of the Trenton and New Brunswick Electric Railroad highlights the importance of interurban transit in connecting these rural Somerset and Mercer County communities during a period of rapid regional growth.