The City of Bordentown partnered with the Bordentown Historical Society to host a ceremony on Bastille Day to cement and celebrate its new “sister city” relationship with a delegation visiting from the village of Mortefontaine, France, just north of Paris.
The event highlighted the unique place in history both Bordentown and Mortefontaine share as home to Joseph Bonaparte, the brother of Napoleon and former King of both Spain and Naples. Bordentown City Mayor Jennifer Sciortino and Mortefontaine Mayor Jacques Fabre spoke about the sister cities’ commonalities, exchanged gifts, and highlighted the mutual affection that has developed between the two towns.
To honor the visiting French delegation, Bordentown decked out its historic one square mile town, adorning light posts in the downtown business district with French and American flags, affixing signs denoting the new sister city relationship to each of the existing welcome signs at the town’s entrance points, erecting a mini-Eiffel Tower festooned with flowers designed by a local florist, and proclaiming “Bienvenue a Bordentown” on its electronic bulletin sign.
“I can’t thank the Bordentown Historical Society enough, particularly Director Peter Tucci, for spearheading this relationship,” said Bordentown Mayor Jennifer Sciortino. “The relationship we’re forging between our two cities is bound by so many things, including the spirit of generosity that is shared by both of our towns and the people who call them home.”
A delegation from Bordentown, including Mayor Sciortino and members of the Bordentown Historical Society, first traveled to France last October to sign a mutual cooperation agreement at the Chateau de Mortefontaine, which was purchased by Joseph Bonaparte in 1798. The mutual cooperation agreement is designed to highlight the shared history between the two municipalities and foster historical and cultural tourism, economic development, and intercontinental educational programming, paving the way for a potential student exchange program.
In 1816, Bonaparte settled in the City of Bordentown after fleeing Europe following Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo, establishing an estate known as Point Breeze, which he modeled after the grounds and estate of Mortefontaine. Fittingly, the Bastille Day ceremony was held at the site of Bonaparte’s former Bordentown estate, which recently became home to a new Bordentown Municipal Complex, D&R Canal State Park, and D&R Greenway Discovery Center.
“Mortefontaine is not a typical village in France. It’s quite unique and very historic, with three castles, including Bonaparte Castle in the center of the village, and a school, which is why this is very important for us,” said Mortefontaine Mayor Jacques Fabre. “We have 1,600 pupils in a very large school, from 8 to 18 (years old). It’s really very interesting to exchange and bring people together for a better understanding and we are excited about that.
“Three years ago, when I arrived at City Hall as a new mayor, I received an email from an American (Peter Tucci) and I did not know anything about Bordentown and the story of Joseph Bonaparte in the United States. It was not easy to organize something in his castle because it’s a private castle now, but we did and it was a nice treat for all of us. May we applaud and thank Peter Tucci for igniting this whole process. When you manage a village, it’s never easy to get dedicated people. I found, in Bordentown, people are very enthusiastic about history. It’s incredible what the Historical Society has done for us every day here.”
Joining both mayors at the ceremony to celebrate this new relationship were Mortefontaine’s Deputy Mayor Chantal Malaquin, State Sen. Troy Singleton and Assemblyman Herb Conaway, Jr., who represent Bordentown in the Legislature, Bordentown Deputy Mayor Joe Myers, Bordentown Commissioner and former Mayor James Lynch, Jr., Bordentown Historical Society director Peter Tucci and co-presidents Dr. Steve Lederman and Bonnie Goldman, and Peter Larsen of the Lawrence Historical Society, representatives from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, which owns the state park located on the site, and officials from Bordentown City’s numerous offices, boards, and committees.
The Bordentown Regional School District was also represented in full force with superintendent Trudy Atkins providing remarks in both English and French, expressing the school system’s desire to establish relations with Mortefontaine’s school. Additionally, Board of Education president Mike James and member Jan DeMott Nielsen, who represent Bordentown City, were in attendance, along with students and staff from Bordentown Regional High School.
During the Bastille Day ceremony, a cast iron sign was unveiled to mark Bordentown’s official designation as the newest spot on the Lafayette Trail, the history of which was detailed by Peter Larsen of the Lawrenceville Historical Society who worked with Bordentown Historical Society’s co-presidents to help facilitate this new designation.
After Bonaparte sold his Bordentown property and returned to Europe, it was privately owned by several prominent businessmen until it was purchased in the 1940’s by the Society of the Divine Word, a catholic missionary, which used the property as a seminary and school for priests and, in its later years, a home for retired priests.
The property was jointly purchased from Divine Word several years ago by the City of Bordentown, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and the D&R Greenway Land Trust, to be permanently preserved as a new state park, municipal complex and museum.
An archived video of the ceremony can be viewed on Bordentown City’s Facebook page.
Ambassadors from Mortefontaine, France, visit Philadelphia on July 15 during the group’s trip to the U.S. to celebrate its new “sister city” relationship with Bordentown. Pictured are Sophie Fabre, wife of Mortefontaine, France; Pierre Fabre, son of Sophie and Jacques Fabre; Chantal Malaquin, deputy mayor of Mortefontaine; Denis Malaquin (her husband) and Jacques Fabre visit Philadelphia, July 15, 2023. (Photo by Steven Lederman.),
