Built in 1758 in Trenton, New Jersey, the Old Barracks is the state's only surviving colonial barracks and a rare physical remnant of the 1776 Battle of Trenton. Constructed during the French and Indian War as a compromise to avoid quartering British soldiers in private homes, the U-shaped stone building housed about 300 troops. Hessians used it as winter quarters in 1776 before George Washington's surprise attack on December 26. The barracks later housed British, Hessian, and Continental forces and also served as a military hospital. Preserved in the 20th century, it became a state museum and nationally recognized historic site.