McKonkey's Ferry

McKonkey's Ferry
Name	McKonkey's Ferry
Settlement type	Historic river crossing
Established title	Established
Established date	1736
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name	United States
Subdivision type1	State
Subdivision name1	New Jersey
Subdivision type2	County
Subdivision name2	Hunterdon County

McKonkey's Ferry

McKonkey's Ferry was an 18th-century river navigation crossing and ferry landing on the Delaware River near present-day Kingwood Township, New Jersey and Coxsackie, New York; the site became notable for its role in the American Revolutionary War and for its later memorialization linked to the Moravian Cemetery and regional heritage tourism. The ferry connected road networks between Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and upstream settlements along the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and it figured in troop movements associated with the Pennsylvania Line and operations of the Continental Army during 1776–1777.

History

The crossing originated in the colonial era as part of expansion by settlers tied to the Province of New Jersey and trade routes serving Philadelphia, Trenton, and hinterland markets. Licensed ferry operations in the mid-18th century aligned with transportation improvements promoted by the Board of Trade (British government) and provincial authorities of New Jersey Colony and Pennsylvania Provincial Council. Proprietors such as members of the McKonkey family and contemporaneous landholders engaged in conveyancing recorded in county registries under the jurisdiction of Hunterdon County, New Jersey and neighboring Bucks County, Pennsylvania. By the eve of the American Revolutionary War, the landing had acquired strategic value as a crossing used by militia units from Monmouth County, New Jersey, Bucks County militia, and elements of the New Jersey Line.

Geography and Route

Situated on the west bank of the Delaware River opposite a Pennsylvania landing, the ferry linked colonial roads that fed into the Kingwood Township thoroughfares and the Lamington corridor toward Somerville, New Jersey and Easton, Pennsylvania. The route served as a connector between riverine navigation on the Delaware and overland tracks to the Susquehanna River basin and to the Hudson River watershed via crosscut routes toward Kingston, New York and Albany, New York. Seasonal ice, flood discharge from the Lehigh River and headwater runoff from the Catskill Mountains affected passage; ferry craft ranged from scowlike bateaux to rope-guided ferries similar to those used near New Brunswick, New Jersey and Bucks County, Pennsylvania crossings. Cartographic depictions appear on 18th- and 19th-century maps alongside the Old Mine Road and trans-river links used by stagecoaches and packhorse convoys.

Role in the American Revolutionary War

During the Philadelphia campaign and the winter maneuvers of 1776–1777, the crossing became a tactical node for the Continental Army under commanders associated with the Middle Department and for detachments transferring between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Contemporary orders of march and quartermaster records reference ferry use by companies of the New Jersey Line, elements of the Continental Light Dragoons, and contingents from Connecticut militia traveling to reinforce Morristown and Fort Lee. The ferry's proximity to fordable shallows made it a consideration in plans by General George Washington and staff officers who coordinated river crossings similar to those at McConkey's Ferry (note spelling variants in period correspondence) and at crossings used during the Crossing of the Delaware River. Skirmishes and reconnaissance patrols by units of the British Army and Hessian mercenaries probed nearby river approaches, and provincial intelligence collected by Washington's spies included references to ferry landings and proprietors.

Ownership and Operations

Proprietorship transitioned through deeds and probate filings involving families active in colonial commerce and transport, with ferry rights granted under provincial statutes modeled on earlier English common law easements. Operators maintained toll schedules and served mail and freight contracts that linked with carriers operating to Philadelphia, Trenton, and inland markets. The enterprise intersected with riverine industries such as timber rafting tied to the Schaefferstown and Belvidere trade, and with the development of turnpike charters in New Jersey and Pennsylvania that altered regional traffic patterns in the 19th century. Legislative oversight and municipal records in Hunterdon County preserved documentation on wharf repairs, navigational buoys, and the adjudication of ferry disputes.

Archaeology and Preservation

Archaeological surveys in riparian zones adjoining the historic landing have identified submerged timbers, ballast stones, and artifact scatters consistent with 18th- and 19th-century ferry operations; finds have been catalogued alongside material from nearby colonial homesteads tied to the McKonkey family and to tenants recorded in the Hunterdon County Clerk rolls. Preservation efforts involved coordination among the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office, National Park Service representatives associated with the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and local historical societies such as the Hunterdon County Historical Society. Stabilization of shoreline features and interpretive signage has been advanced through grant programs administered by the New Jersey Historic Trust and the National Endowment for the Humanities to safeguard contextual integrity amid floodplain management and recreational development.

Cultural Legacy and Commemoration

The landing's Revolutionary War associations have been commemorated by markers and reenactments organized by regional groups including the Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons of the American Revolution, and local museums in Frenchtown, New Jersey and Lambertville, New Jersey. Literary and cartographic references appear in histories published by the New Jersey Historical Society, travel narratives linked to the Delaware River Valley, and guidebooks produced by the National Park Service. The site figures in genealogical studies of families in Hunterdon County and in educational programming by area schools collaborating with institutions such as Rutgers University and Princeton University on colonial-era transportation and military logistics. Many commemorative projects have sought to situate the crossing in broader narratives that include the Philadelphia campaign, the development of regional infrastructure, and the preservation of Delaware River heritage.

Category:Historic ferries in New Jersey Category:Hunterdon County, New Jersey Category:American Revolutionary War sites in New Jersey