-- with news that impacts you. be sure to watch "washington journal." join the discussion. >> i am standing on the pennsylvania side of the delaware river, where behind me is new jersey state capitol of trenton. we are here to learn about its history, including the state capitol built in 1790. >> trenton became the state capitol in 1790.

trenton was selected because of its location, even though we are not in the geographical center of the state. we are situated on the delaware river. equidistant between north jersey and south jersey. it made sense for trenton because trenton was a household name. it was made famous by george washington and the battle of trenton, crossing the delaware river. it was also a center of commerce. william trent had established trenton as a port town. a river port town. hisould fail -- sail merchant ships as far as this point, up to the fall lines of the delaware. it made sense to bring government here. the building involved over the course of 200 years from 1792 to 1991. 10 different architects, 16 major construction projects. where we are standing in the rotunda was completed in 1889.

the first steakhouse was constructed between 1790 in 1792 by jonathan doan, he was the builder, an architect from philadelphia. he constructed a very simple, georgian-style building. it cost 215 pounds, which is $400 today and built on the bluffs overlooking the delaware river. we are fortunate to have portions of that building that still survive today, including the timbers. the new jersey state capital is unique in the sense that we are one of the only urban state capitals that i can think of that you actually enter into all of a major thoroughfare. as soon as you walk in off of state street, you are greeted by offices. the governor's office, the treasury's office. it adds to that symbolism of access. the current building as we see it today is a culmination of 10

different architects, 16 major construction projects. the very first edition that was meaced on the 1792 do construction, was in 1885. a well-known philadelphia architect established a greek revival edition that enveloped the original building. it had a two-story portico with columns and the very first dome. one of the most significant events was the great fire of 1885. it occurred on march 21. we think that it was a gas leak, but has never been fully documented. the effect was quite devastating. it destroyed most of the original 1792 structure. although a portion of it still survives.

but also, the major addition that have been placed on the building to that point. the result of the 1885 fire was new construction. in 1889, a new state house was constructed. it was built by a philadelphia architect. it was in the american renaissance style. it featured a very large portico and a new dome gilded in gold. we are standing right now in the rotunda of the 1889 construction. domes are very symbolic and they symbolize democracy in the sense that here in the rotunda is where citizens can gather. it's a citizen stance your long a citizen stands here long enough, they can have access to government. legislators walk by and governors walk by. it is a symbol to our citizens

that they had a role to play in representative democracy. the dome is gilded in gold symbolizing the fact that you can see the dome. you can see the state house from the outside, meaning that our laws are not made in secret. it is almost like a beacon. though -- the rotunda also showcases portraits of our early governors. the first being william livingston. and they circled the rotunda all the way to the third floor. as you continue up, you will come across other governors, perhaps most notable, charles edison, the son of thomas edison, who served as governor for one term in world war ii. as we make our way to the

governor's office, we walk arch, that is the original location of the front door of the 1792 statehouse. as we pass through the arch, you will see a second arch. the first arch was the front door and the second was the back door. you get a sense of how small the original 1792 construction was . as the state grew, population grew, government grew and the building did, as well. we just entered the governor's reception room. this room was built in 1871. this is used as the governor's reception room. it is also where the governor holds press conferences. anytime you see the governor of new jersey at the statehouse, it is usually right behind the podium. woodrow wilson was the only new jersey governor to become president. the portrait of wilson that

hangs in the statehouse is his gubernatorial portrait. wilson would use this room as a reception room. we are standing in the legislative wing of the statehouse. we are in area called the hall of flags. what is interesting about this location is when you look down each hallway, you will note they look rather differently. the senate to my left built in 1903, and the general assembly down this hallway, 1891. if you look closely, you will see that it is a different architectural style and different materials. this is an example, after 10 different architects, 16 major construction projects, not always the latest addition match the latest that came before it. this is a porcelain sculpture made at the porcelain studio in trenton. trenton has a very long history

of ceramics in the city. and it is one of the last videos -- last studios operating today. the porcelain has been visited to heads of state, hopes, and we are very fortunate to have this piece, called "the glory of new jersey." it represents four of our state's symbols. the state tree is the red oak, the purple violet is the state flower, the honeybee is the state insect, and the eastern bulfinch is the state bird. we are standing in the public gallery of the general assembly. the chamber was built in 1891 by james moreland, who was an architect builder as well as a member of the assembly. the chamber features two examples of technology -- the edison chandelier hanging in the center. it was installed by the edison

lighting company. it consists of 66 lightbulbs and weighs over 1000 pounds. another example of technology is an event that occurred in the chamber, and that is the first transcontinental phone call from new jersey. it was placed from this chamber to the new jersey exhibit at the world's fair in san francisco. on the walls, we have portrait s of our first and 16th presidents, washington and lincoln. both presidents had trenton connections. first washington crossed the delaware river and marched the army to trenton and attacked the british soldiers that were occupying the city. lincoln visited the city in 1861 as a part of his famous, inaugural train trip.

it took him from springfield to washington, and it took him to many northern cities, towns and hamlets as will the state capitals along the way. he stopped here in jersey to address the legislature. new jersey was the only northern state that lincoln did not when in the popular vote. he actually won the electoral college by a margin of 4-3. so, he understood that not all of the members of the new jersey legislature were supportive. by the time he arrived here, seven states have party ly seceded from the union and there was a confederate president in place. so, lincoln had two reasons for stopping. one, he wanted to be a tourist. he understood how important trenton was for the winning of the american revolution and he liked george washington.

he made reference to that in his speech to the legislature. of course, the second reason was a more political reason. that is the pending conflict, which of course, which was the american civil war. what is interesting about lincoln's visit to new jersey is in the other state capitals, he actually addressed a concurrent, or joint sessions of the legislature. he had one speech that he was giving. for example, one speech he gave in connecticut. by the time he arrived in new jersey, for some reason, there wasn't a joint session, but rather, he addressed each house separately, which meant he had to come up with a second speech, somewhat extemporaneously. his first speech that he gave to the senate talked about trenton and how famous trenton was to the winning of the american revolution, and the second speech to the general assembly, he was more poignant. he addressed the members, saying that many of them were not of this party and did not support him, but by the fact that he

invited him here, they recognized him as the head of state. he went further to say that we are going through some difficult times. and that as a family, we can work this through. but if we cannot work through our difficulties, he was prepared to stand down on tyranny. and he motioned with his foot, stamping on the ground. it was one of the first clear indications that lincoln was prepared to use force to keep the union together. it occurred right here in trenton. we are on the floor of the new jersey senate. the chamber was built in 1903 by arnold moses. he was a new jersey architect from merchant bill, new jersey. it is in the neoclassical style. what is unique about the architecture at the statehouse is how different the building is depending on which architect constructs the wing. very much in contrast with the general assembly, where we just came from. the senate architecture really

conveys a strong sense of the senate itself. architecturecal hints back to the origin of the senate to greek and roman architecture. the senate also takes some of their traditions back to the house of lords and the other houses of parliament. the architecture communicate a sense of formality, if you will. one of the features of the room are the murals that were painted in 1903. the painter was best-known for the murals he did at the panama canal. but the murals represent liberty and prosperity. the middle mural quite clearly depicts liberty. here, she is holding a musket rather than a liberty cap. and prosperity is holding the corner of abundance. of abundance. william livingston is up there. he was the first governor and

served from 1776 to 1790. george mccullen's name is up there. a civil war general and one term governor. witherspoon is up there. he was a signer of the declaration of independence. we are about to embark on the restoration of the executive statehouse. the executive statehouse is a portion of the statehouse that faces state street and includes the governor's office and all the various offices related to the office of governor. if you are walking by today, you would notice there are many windows that have been boarded up. there are lots of work crews, as well as barriers, all in preparation for the restoration of the executive statehouse, which is set to begin sometime this summer. i always feel the new jersey state capitol is a working building. it is not as monumental as some

of the other state capitals are. but as soon as you enter the building, you get a sense that this is a working building. as i mentioned, as soon as you walk in off of a major thoroughfare, you are greeted by offices. as you enter the building, you get this sense of change. 10 different architects over 16 major construction projects. you can see how eclectic the building is just as our state is eclectic. >> our cities tour staff recently traveled to trenton, new jersey to learn about its rich history. learn more about trenton and other stops on our tour at c-span.org/citiestour. you are watching american history tv, all weekend, every weekend on c-span3.

>> announcer: a history professor at psychoanalyst, charles strozier, discusses abraham lincoln letters. he is the author of, "your friend forever, a. lincoln: the enduring friendship of abraham lincoln and joshua speed." the lincoln group sponsored this hour-long event in washington, d c. [applause] charles: thank you. it is a great honor to be here. i am very impressed with what a robust group you have and all your activities. you take trips and go to the lincoln sites. it is wonderful. in mid-december, my wife and i got a dog, a maltese dog.