06/10/2026
SLAVERY AT THE SCHENCK FARMSTEAD
This past Sunday, we unveiled a new history marker, exploring the history of slavery at the Schenck Farmstead and in West Windsor more broadly.
Yes, slavery happened in West Windsor – for generations, in fact. Many of the earliest landowners (1690s), such as William Penn and David Lyell, enslaved others. So, too, did Cornelius Van Voorhies Jr., who in 1741 bought a large estate from David’s son, Fenwick, including land that is now the Schenck Farmstead. In 1784, he gave his wife and daughters ownership of two Black girls named Patt and Tenet. William Van Voorhees (likely Cornelius’ cousin) and his wife, Ann, who likely built the farmhouse around 1758, also kept at least one enslaved here (name unknown).
In 1830, John and Sarah Fisher lived here with one enslaved man and woman. The 1860 census also lists them with a “slave servant” named Diana Updike - fourteen years after New Jersey “abolished” slavery, but with glaring loopholes such as redefining those enslaved as “apprenticed for life.” In 1863, John willed ownership of Diana to his wife. Diana was one of the state’s last enslaved before NJ ratified the US Constitution’s 13 Amendment, which abolished chattel slavery nationwide (except, notably, as a “punishment for crime”). It was the last northern state to do so, on Jan. 23, 1866.
Due to its proximity to Princeton and Hamilton, West Windsor was also possibly a “pass-through” town along the Underground Railroad (see Figure 3 on the marker).
The marker explores a lot more; see the photo for the full text or visit it in-person; it’s right next to the farmhouse at 50 Southfield Road. It contains an audio narration as well, for those with vision difficulties.
We’re still conducting a lot more research into local slavery, but our website has a lot more history: https://www.westwindsorhistory.com/slavery.html
This marker was made possible through funds from the Mercer County Division of Culture & Heritage, a partner of the NJ Historical Commission.
