Description Before there was the Hollywood sign, the Trenton Makes bridge's neon letters advertised the state's manufacturing prowess.
The famous slogan "Trenton Makes, the World Takes" comes from a 1910 city sponsored contest to publicize the city, then a major industrial center.
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The bridge was first built in 1806 of cast iron and was the first to span the Delaware River. The sign, originally a painted wooden one, went up in 1911. It read "The World Takes, Trenton Makes" and faced the railroad bridge, where train passengers crossing the Delaware would see it.
In 1928, the old bridge was demolished and the present steel truss bridge was built on the existing supports. A new sign, over 10 feet high and lit with neon lights, went up in 1935. In 1981, the current letters, slightly smaller but bolder and brighter, replaced the deteriorating 1935 letters.
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The steel of the current bridge was made by the American Bridge Company, based in Trenton.
This bridge was once part of United States Route 1, later when Route 1 was widened a new bridge was built further downstream.
The bridge connects Trenton, New Jersey and Morrisville, Pennsylvania.
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