HIGHTSTOWN: Right-of-way ‘sleeper stones’ approved for historic designation

The Camden & Amboy Railroad Right-of-Way Site along Rogers Avenue has been recognized as an historic site by the state review board of historic sites and will be listed in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. It will now be sent to Washington, D.C., to be considered by the National Park Service for the National Register of Historic Places.
The Camden & Amboy Railroad Right-of-Way Site is a small, preserved portion of the first roadbed laid for the Camden & Amboy Railroad in 1832. It contains 22 undisturbed sleeper stones that have been deliberately exposed for the purpose of interpretation and public viewing. They were installed to support the iron rails of the first construction of the railroad.
The importance of this site is underscored by the fact that in 1984 historians from the Smithsonian Institute visited Hightstown to inspect the site and negotiate the acquisition of a portion of it. Hightstown Borough donated eighteen sleeper stones from the line just to the north of this property to the Smithsonian to accompany their Transportation Museum’s centerpiece, the original John Bull steam locomotive.
The Camden & Amboy was the first railroad to operate in New Jersey and only the third in the nation, and was the first railroad to connect major American cities. It transformed the New Jersey economy permanently and its politics for more than a generation. Luckily, the roadbed was preserved for more than 125 years since it was buried beneath a foot or more of fill. The site was discovered after operations of the Penn-Central Railroad ceased in 1983. Today, the Hightstown site is one of the only places where remnants of the original Camden & Amboy line are preserved.
“Hightstown’s residents are determined in preserving the historic character and image of the town. With our recent designation from the White House as a Preserve America Community,” said Hightstown council member Connor Montferrat.
Hightstown Mayor Larry Quattrone commended Katherine Patten, Robert Patten, Pierre Lacombe, and Christian Kirkpatrick who played a critical role in recognizing the unique historical significance of the sleeper stones and worked diligently to acquire its place in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.
“The historic significance of the sleeper stones has been known for many years, and the listing in the New Jersey Register, and hopefully the National Register, is a tribute to Hightstown Borough and its residents who take great pride in Historic Hightstown and its past,” said Mayor Quattrone.