Coryell's Ferry, a small hamlet on the Delaware River, played an important strategic role during the War for Independence. Throughout the war the ferry crossing was traversed countless times by messengers, supplies, and military detachments. In December 1776 before the Battle of Trenton, the village was a military stronghold protecting the American Army's flank from British forces. Following the capture of Philadelphia in September 1777, Coryell's Ferry was one of the few river crossing points between Pennsylvania and New Jersey free from enemy interference. In June 1778 General Washington marched his army from Valley Forge to the Delaware, crossing here before the Battle at Monmouth. The ferry operated for about 100 years until the first bridge was built between New Hope and Lambertville in the early 1800s.